Choosing Healthy Options at Chipotle

My go-to lunch spot when I’m out and about and can’t make a homemade lunch is Chipotle. Not only is it tasty, but the ingredients are head and shoulders above 99.9% of other fast food restaurants. While it's not technically Bobby Approved, it's the best you can do out and about. Everything is freshly prepared in store every day, and they use real food: no preservatives, no MSG, no nasty stuff.

I’ll let you in on how to order some of the healthiest (and tastiest) options.

The “Secret Menu”:

Some of the best stuff at Chipotle is only available on their online menu, or what I like to call their “secret menu”, because a lot of people don’t know about it! When I eat at Chipotle, I try to keep it relatively low-carb, so here are a couple of the bowls I like to order:

“The ingredients are head and shoulders above 99.9% of other fast food restaurants.”

Paleo Salad Bowl:

Chipotle offers a line of Lifestyle Bowls, each catering to a different set of nutritional guidelines. My favorite in the current lineup is the Paleo Bowl. This one swaps out the cheese for grilled fajita toppings, which is great when I want to ditch the dairy. It comes with a nice big scoop of guacamole, and I have to say that this has to be the best guacamole you’re gonna get in a fast food setting. It’s freshly made right there in the store.  The Barbacoa is another good option protein-wise. My only big issue is that they cook the food in sunflower oil, but that's way better than GMO soybean oil and hydrogenated oils like at most other fast-food joints.

Keto Salad Bowl:

Another great option is the Keto Salad Bowl with Chicken, which features their Supergreens Lettuce Blend (Romaine, Baby Kale and Baby Spinach), Chicken, Salsa, Cheese and Guacamole. That really is a great combo for keto. The veggies are fresh, and the chicken is cooked quite well.

This meal is packed with 41 g of protein, and only 7 net carbs.

For a short time last year, Chipotle launched a Keto Bowl with Cilantro-Lime Cauliflower Rice. I tried it and it was delicious - the cauliflower rice was grilled, and had a smoky flavor without using “natural flavors” or liquid smoke, just cilantro and lime. Sadly they no longer offer this item, but here’s hoping they bring it back!

Making a healthy meal at home is always going to be the best option, but when you’re on the run, Chipotle is one of the best fast food options you can choose.