Can you eat healthy at Chipotle?

Before starting P90X, I was a frequent Chipotle customer. And can you blame a boy? For fast food, it’s hard to beat: fresh Mexican ingredients served piping hot and prepared just the way you like them. My typical meal was a burrito loaded with all the ingredients, including extra cheese and sour cream. And I would usually eat a bag of tortilla chips and wash it down with lemonade.

All of Beachbody’s home fitness programs, including P90X, have a nutrition component. The reason: nutrition is key to getting results through workouts. It’s not rocket science, but I never knew how important nutrition was until I started P90X. My other misconception was that you couldn’t eat healthy and enjoy it at the same time. I thought I was going to be eating sticks, leaves, and possibly some dirt for the next 90 days. I thought my trips to Chipotle were over. I was wrong.

I learned, mainly by experimenting with different foods, that you can enjoy the same satisfaction with food while eating healthy. That includes Chipotle. Last year, Chipotle upped its offerings (at least in Minnesota) to include healthier options like salads and brown rice. With those two building blocks, you can still put together a tasty and satisfying lunch or dinner that meets your nutritional goals for weight loss. I’m not endorsing going to Chipotle EVERY DAY, but Chipotle’s new options allow you to keep the Chipotle experience as part of a nutritional diet.

Let me give you an example comparing two possible options at Chipotle:

My previous meal – Chicken Burrito

Tortilla: 290 cal (CA), 9 g fat (F), 44 g carbs (CB), 7 g protein (P)

Rice – 130 CA, 3g F, 23g BC, 2g P

Black Beans – 120 AC, 1g F, 23g BC, 7g P

Chicken – 190 CA, 6.5g F, 1g BC, 32g P

Sauce – 20 CA, 0g F, 4g BC, 1g P

Cheese – 100 CA, 8.5 g F, 0 BC, 8 g P

Sour Cream – 120 AC, 10g F, 2g BC, 2g P

French fries – 570 CA, 27 g F, 73 g CB, 8 g P

TOTAL = 1,540 CA, 65 g F, 170 g CB, 67 g P

My new meal – Chicken Salad

Romaine lettuce – 10 CA, 0 g F, 1 g CB, 1 g P

Chicken – 190 CA, 6.5g F, 1g BC, 32g P

Black Beans – 120 AC, 1g F, 23g BC, 7g P

Sauce – 20 CA, 0g F, 4g BC, 1g P

Vegetable Fajita – 20 CA, .5g F, 4g CB, 1g P

Guacamole – 150 AC, 13g F, 8g BC, 2g P

TOTAL = 510 CA, 21g F, 41g CB, 44g P

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