easy zone diet recipes

the most common order at chipotle, according to the internet (and, coincidentally, my favorite meal, too): a burrito bowl with rice, beans, meat of choice, fajita veggies, tomato salsa, cheese sour cream, lettuce, guac, and a side of chips. wowza!

easy zone diet recipes, that's more calories than eleven cinnamon rolls! hey munchers! a lot of you have requested another educational breakdown video, since it has been awhile, so today i’m sharing 3 healthy meal options at chipotle, as well as the 3 menu items that are possibly doing the most damage! before i get started, i wanted to

just put a quick disclaimer up on the screen… …this way the people who want to comment negatively and attack me for the objective information i’m about to provide can comeback, read that, and recognize that i’m not here to tell them what to do, i’m justoffering guidance to help people make informed decisions. this is a no-judgment zone, andyou need to do what’s right for you! i will be using chipotle’s online nutritioncalculator to help guide us through these 3 meals, and i will link that in the description box below for you to access. first up: burrito bowl so steak is lower in calories and fat than chicken – it is not specified if the chicken is breast

or not, so the fat could be coming from itbeing white and dark meat, or it could be prepared with extra oil and fat. for the mostpart, the chicken, steak and barbacoa are very close macro-wise, so choose what youlike, but don’t choose chicken thinking it’s “healthier,” lower in fat, or lowerin calories. brown rice is generally a “healthier”choice if it’s long grain – it should be a tad higher in fiber and protein, slightlylower in carbs, and, one interesting thing about chipotle specifically, is it’s alsolower in sodium, which is very important, and we will touch on more thoroughly in a minute. black and pinto beans are not too different,and are both healthy choices. they do contain

sodium, but choose whichever you prefer, or neither. if you want both, consider half and half, rather than doubling up. fajita vegetables we would think should add fiber, but they don’t really add as much as i’d like. they are very low in fat and calories andwill add volume and nutrition to my meal, so i’m adding them. for toppings, i’m going with the tomatillogreen-chili salsa. it’s the lowest in sodium, which is really starting to add up for mymeal, it's low in calories, and has zero fat. i love the fresh tomato salsa, but the sodium is over double of the tomatillo green, and the corn salsa is very tasty, but it adds an additional 16 grams of carbs to my meal.

of course, carbs are wonderful fuel, but many people may not need or prefer 80 grams plus of carbs in one meal, so it’s worth considering, of course -depending on the person and your lifestyle. when it comes to our fattier elements likesour cream, cheese, and guacamole, we’ve got to decide when those calories and fat are worth it. the guac is definitely the most nutritious choice - and chipotle’s guac is quite clean, containing only avocados, lime juice and spices - but still, it’s a lotof fat in one serving, and the servings are quite large. for this meal, i’m skippingit and depending on that salsa for flavor instead i’ll also add romaine lettuce, because,why not?

extras –â i told you i was going to share3 items to not order at chipotle, so here is number 1: chips & guac! nooooooooooooooooooo! trust me, i know, the chips and guac are the best thing that they have - thumbs up if you agree - but lookat the stats! 800 calories, 49 grams of fat 7 of which are saturated, and 81 grams of carbs! just in chips and guac, which are your side dish!? yes, we discussed the cleanliness of the nutritious guacamole, but, you guys, we have to be real with ourselves here about our overall consumption.truth be told, we’d be better off adding

some of that guac to our meal, and skippingthe chips. total calories for this first meal: 515 macros: 13 grams of fat, 67 grams of carbs, 32 grams of protein. we’ve got a fairly balanced meal that isn’ttoo high in saturated fat and provides what we should be primarily concerned with: fuel!just notice how the stats change if i were to add that 4 ounce serving of guac, even ifit is healthy unsaturated fats, or if we had those chips and guac! the real thing we need to discuss with thismeal: sodium. this meal contains 1250 milligrams of sodium,

if you don't get the chips and guac. the aha recommends no more than 2300 milligrams of sodium a day, and an ideal limit of 1500 milligrams for most adults. so that one meal is almost as much the “ideal limit” for your entire day. granted, sodium is going to be high almost no matter what when you go out to eat! chipotle just lets us actually see that when we calculate it out, unlike restaurants that don’t offernutrition. while it is a high number, it’s importantto remember that, if we aren’t eating chipotle every day and are enjoying it “in moderation,”then our bodies can handle the occasional

extra intake of sodium, if we are healthyotherwise when it comes to our diets, our exercise, and drinking large amounts of water. if we are eating chipotle regularly and are not exercising and not watching what we eat and not drinking water, then yes, we want to be more considerate of that sodium. and, of course, if you have any other pre-existing healthconditions that require you to monitor your intake. another factor to consider: if this burritobowl can last you two meals instead of one, you’ve cut all of those numbers in half,making it much more nutritionally manageable. next up: a salad!

this one will go more quickly now that we’ve gone through the menu once. obviously, we need lettuce for our salad. let’s really change things up here and omitthe meat completely! say whaaat? i know to some some chipotle fans this sounds like a sin, but, honestly, a rice and bean salad is a delicious and nutritious way to keep calories down while still feeling satisfied. we’ll keep brown rice, as we did previously. i’ll go with black beans this time to switchit up.

and, of course, i’ll add those fajita veggiesfor bulk. and, since i didn’t get the meat this round, i’m going to double up on thoseveggies to make sure i’m not left hungry. now, you can’t do the doubling up calculation on the chipotle website, but with some manual calculating and editing magic... there we go! we haven’t used the red tomatillo salsayet, which is high in sodium, but low in calories and has no fat – there is no reason fora salsa to have fat! i could skip the fatty element again, butthis one is still a bit low in calories and i might still get hungry, so i’m going to addthe guac.

but, quick tip! you can ask for a half portion of guac easy peasy! plus, 4 ounces of guac is quite a large serving anyway. cue editing magic now… now this is a salad, so we’ve got to talkabout salad dressing. and it is time for our second of 3 items of what not to order at chipotle: the vinaigrette! check it out –â the vinaigrette at chipotle has pretty horrendous stats, because it isa vinaigrette, which means it’s an oil base. we don’t know what type of oil that means,but regardless, 25 grams of fat and 270 calories for

2 ounces of dressing is a lot. this is a classic example of where the dressing can nutritionally ruin a healthy salad choice. also, not to be forgotten: the fact that thesodium here is higher than almost any other item on the menu! and there’s a whopping12 grams of added sugar! 18 grams of carbs in a dressing? i’d rather eat a slice of bread or an apple!yikes! that is pretty much a tub of oil mixed with sugar and salt. i’d go with any of those salsa options in place of the dressing for the salad.

total calories: 525 macros: 18.5 grams of fat, 76 grams of carbohydrates, 15 grams of protein. macros if you had gotten that salad dressing –â wowza! and remember, that’s without the meat! and your sodium: 1483 milligrams we’ve still got a good amount of protein,even without the meat. that sodium is a bit high, and if you’re wanting a meal thatwill fill you up at chipotle, chances are, the sodium is a sacrifice you have to make. just remember to drink lots of water throughout the day and the next day to help flush out

your system, and try to find a balance withyour other meals on surrounding days. it could be a good idea to get the salsa on the sideand just add a bit as needed. if you’re finding this information helpful,remember to subscribe to the channel and give this video a thumbs up! time for the final meal example. if you’re more of a hand-held mexican cuisine person, how about the tacos. now, you could choose regular tacos, but, if you think the portions at chipotle are large, you may consider a kids meal, whichoffers 2 tacos instead of 3 and a small side instead. and, fun tip: you don’t have tobe a kid to order them!

the differences in tortilla choices are amazing. you would think the crispy would be worse because they're fried, but the fat in the crispy and flour tortillas arethe same, and the calories are actually higher in the flour. the craziest part: that sodium! and that is only for 2 taco shells, not 3. when we add the soft corn tortillas to the mix, we hit gold. same calories as crispy, surprisingly, butonly 1 gram of fat instead of 5 for the 2 shells. they are relatively low-sodium, but stillhigher in fiber because it’s corn rather

than refined flour. for meat, let’s switch it up this time andgo with barbacoa. we already to know the situation with the protein from the first meal. for tacos, i’m not sure i need both riceand beans, because one grain or starch is often enough to satisfy since we already havethose taco shells. plus, adding both can overfill these tacos and make them tough to eat anyway. i’m going with the black beans, and i’ll keep the veggies for bulk, too. for salsa, it just wouldn’t be a classictaco without the fresh tomato salsa for me. it is high in sodium, but it’s the lowest incalories and the rest of my ingredients are

lower in sodium than my previous meal totry to offer some sort of balance. you win some, you lose some. for a fattier element, let’s go with guac,because this meal is still not too high in calories or fat, and the guac will help satisfy,make the meal more filling, and give me some of those healthy unsaturated fats. plus, thekids portion of guac is a much more appropriate size, even for adults! and let’s keep the romaine lettuce again,because it’s more like a fresh garnish anyway! the kids meal also has a side option, so why not go with a mandarin orange or valencia orange, so you have a more fuel-filled choice than the chips? the answer is, of course,

the chips taste better, but i assume you’rewatching this because you want to make a healthier choice. total calories: 490 macros: 15.5 grams of fat, 61 grams of carbs, 21 grams of protein. sodium: 1075 milligrams so this meal is the lowest in calories thatwe’ve seen, but remember, calories don’t define how “healthy” something is. one reason this is perhaps a “better”choice is it is lower in sodium, but those corn tortillas possibly aren’t providingas much “nutritious” fuel as the salad

or bowl. it’s a toss up, and when you’reeating out, it’s always going to be finding a balance and a bit of a give and take withmacronutrients. something might have more calories, but itmight be lower in sodium or more fuel-filled. you have to decide what's worth it to you,and the only way you can do that is by educating yourself, so good job to you for making it through this video! we still have one final “what not to eat”item to discuss, and the winner is: the burrito! so, not surprising, the flour tortilla of the burrito is just absurd. 300 calories - wow. 10 grams of fat - why? 46 grams of carbs, which is a lot for a single wrap. but really what gets me,

you guessed it: it's the sodium. almost 700 milligrams of sodium in just the tortilla. even if we pick the chicken (which is the lowest in sodium), skip the rice, choose black beans (which are lower in sodium), get veggies, tomato salsa, skip all fatty elements, we still get 2000 milligrams of sodium in one burrito. and who's really getting a burrito that actually skips the rice, sour cream and cheese and guac? add cheese and rice back, and you’re at 2500 milligrams - exceeding anyone’s daily recommendation, not to mention 1000 calories. so just be careful and, more importantly, be aware. again, i’m not saying to never order theburrito at chipotle again, i’m saying when you decide to treat yourself to it, know what you’re getting into and acknowledge the

fact that it is a treat. and drink lots ofwater. there is no “one healthy meal” at chipotle,it’s all about how you build it. i encourage you all to get on the website and try outtheir calculator to see where you can adjust your order to make it more nutritionally favorable, and consider options we’ve discussed like ordering toppings on the side or adding only portions of them. let me know what other restaurants you’dlike me to go through step-by-step like this with you! remember to subscribe for more content like this, and give the video a thumbs up if you found the information useful and, most importantly, remember that i am never judging your choices. it’s your journey,

we all have our own battles, and we will allget to wherever we’re going in our own time. i love you, i will see you next week, andremember, it’s all a matter of mind over munch!

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