--- title: 4 Menu Items Dietitians Would Order at Taco Bell description: If Taco Bell is your only dining option, go with these better-for-you choices suggested by registered dietitian Molly Kimball canonical: https://time.com/3907496/taco-bell-healthy-fast-food/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-06-04T12:00:35.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T07:52:40.519Z article:section: Health og:title: 4 Things Nutritionists Would Order at Taco Bell og:description: The breakfast taco gets the green light og:url: https://time.com/3907496/taco-bell-healthy-fast-food/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf2f939122d395727/698852e255a8599e09a8c56d/163772462-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 594 og:image:height: 334 og:image:alt: A Taco Bell restaurant in San Francisco on March 13, 2013. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 4 Things Nutritionists Would Order at Taco Bell twitter:description: The breakfast taco gets the green light twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf2f939122d395727/698852e255a8599e09a8c56d/163772462-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 4 Things Nutritionists Would Order at Taco Bell > Sponsored content. 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Health Matters is TIME's daily health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free daily newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. by [Beth Lipton / Health.com](https://time.com/author/health-com/) ## Beth Lipton / Health.com Contributor Jun 4, 2015 12:00 PM UTC  A Taco Bell restaurant in San Francisco on March 13, 2013. A Taco Bell restaurant in San Francisco on March 13, 2013. David Paul Morris—Bloomberg via Getty Images by [Beth Lipton / Health.com](https://time.com/author/health-com/) ## Beth Lipton / Health.com Contributor Jun 4, 2015 12:00 PM UTC You’ve heard the news that Taco Bell is phasing [artificial flavors and colors](http://time.com/3896023/taco-bell-pizza-hut-artificial-ingredients/) out of its food. Good news, right? Don’t celebrate with a Crunchwrap so fast: You could still OD on calories, saturated fat, and sodium if you decide to head south of the border. If the Bell is your only dining option—or you’re really craving those southwestern flavors—go with these better-for-you choices suggested by registered dietitian Molly Kimball. **Cantina Power Bowl** The typical [Cantina Power Bowl](https://www.tacobell.com/nutrition/information) with grilled chicken, which on top of the meat includes black beans, rice, cheddar, pico de gallo, guacamole, reduced-fat sour cream, romaine, and avocado ranch sauce, has 490 calories, 1,270 milligrams of sodium, 8 grams of fiber, and 29 grams of protein. “That’s not bad,” Kimball says, “but it can be better with a few simple tweaks: Order it without the white rice, which shaves off 160 calories and 27 grams of carbs, not to mention 340 milligrams of sodium.” This upgraded bowl is still protein- and fiber-rich, without the refined starch. **Chicken or Steak Burrito Supreme** At 390 ([chicken](https://www.tacobell.com/nutrition/information)) to 400 calories ([steak](https://www.tacobell.com/nutrition/information)), with 21 grams of protein, either burrito is a solid bet. The only problem, just like the with the Cantina Power Bowl: the sodium (1,090 milligrams), Kimball says. “But that’s one of the natural drawbacks of most fast-food joints. And a significant amount of the sodium, 450 milligrams, is from the wrap itself.” To eliminate some of the salt factor, “have just half of the burrito, then use your fork to scoop the protein and veggies out of the other half of the wrap,” Kimball suggests. Bonus: You’ll at least save about 100 calories and 16 grams of carbs that way, too. **A.M. Grilled Egg & Cheese Taco** “It’s one of few fast food breakfasts that aren’t on carb-overload, packing in as much protein as carbs,” Kimball says of the [breakfast taco](https://www.tacobell.com/nutrition/information), which packs 220 calories, 540 milligrams of sodium, 16 grams of carbohydrate, and 7 grams of protein. Add steak to up the protein content to 16 grams for a breakfast that really satisfies. “For fast food, this isn’t a bad option.” **Shredded Chicken Mini Quesadilla** “If you have a late-night \[[quesadilla](https://www.tacobell.com/nutrition/information)\] craving or you’re hitting the drive-through after a night out with friends, this is certainly respectable, with just 180 calories, 15 grams of carbs, and 12 grams of protein,” Kimball says. “The 540 mg sodium isn’t too terrible.” **About those condiments…** Doctoring up your Taco Bell meal is half the fun, but some of the add-on options are better choices than others. Kimball’s picks: [Pico de gallo](http://www.tacobell.com/nutrition/calculator) adds flavor with 10 calories and just 110 milligrams sodium. [Guacamole](http://www.tacobell.com/nutrition/calculator) adds decadence for only 100 calories—plus it’s full of healthy fats. [_This article originally appeared on Health.com._](http://news.health.com/2015/06/01/4-rd-approved-things-you-can-order-at-taco-bell/) _More from Health.com:_ * [9 Low-Fat Foods You Shouldn’t Eat](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20855740,00.html?xid=time) * [Salt Shockers: Worst Fast-Food Meals for Sodium](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20620588,00.html?xid=time) * [The Best and Worst Fast-Food Gulps](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20726773,00.html?xid=time) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3907496/taco-bell-healthy-fast-food/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3907496/taco-bell-healthy-fast-food/"},"headline":"4 Things Nutritionists Would Order at Taco Bell","datePublished":"2015-06-04T12:00:35.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T07:52:40.519Z","description":"The breakfast taco gets the green light","url":"https://time.com/3907496/taco-bell-healthy-fast-food/","keywords":["Diet & Nutrition","Food","calories","Taco Bell","Fast Food","eating","Healthy Eating"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf2f939122d395727/698852e255a8599e09a8c56d/163772462-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Beth Lipton / Health.com"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf2f939122d395727/698852e255a8599e09a8c56d/163772462-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"A Taco Bell restaurant in San Francisco on March 13, 2013.","caption":"A Taco Bell restaurant in San Francisco on March 13, 2013.","creditText":"David Paul Morris—Bloomberg via Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/dietnutrition/","name":"Diet & Nutrition"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3907496/taco-bell-healthy-fast-food/","name":"4 Things Nutritionists Would Order at Taco Bell"}}]}] ```