We Found The Healthiest Option On Taco Bell's Menu

Not so long ago, the menus at fast food restaurants were a complete black box in terms of nutrition. 20 years ago, you were entirely on your own trying to navigate putting together a healthy fast food meal. Thankfully, one of the provisions of the Affordable Care Act was that fast food chains needed to publish nutrition information about the foods they served. Nowadays, it is a much simpler task for the average consumer — or, in this case, food writer — to dig through a menu and pinpoint the healthiest items on offer. Some of our findings at Taco Bell likely won't surprise you, but others just might.

Taco Bell has always been one of the best fast food chains for vegetarians, due in large part to the prevalence of beans on the menu. Even for menu items that are typically beef-centric, that meat could usually be swapped for beans, making the meal both vegetarian-friendly and a bit healthier. And that same menu staple is the center of our absolute healthiest Taco Bell menu item. In fact, it's the whole darn thing.

From a variety of perspectives, a simple side of black beans is the healthiest thing you can order at Taco Bell. Coming in at just 50 calories, it has just 1.5 grams of fat, 140 milligrams of sodium, no sugar, and boasts 3 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber. But that's not really a proper Taco Bell order is it? It's a great side for some extra protein and fiber, but a pretty sad order on its own.

For a menu item that you might actually order all by itself, your best bet is going to be a good old bean burrito. This is a classic vegetarian Taco Bell offering that has stood the test of time, just refried beans, onions, cheese, and red sauce wrapped up in a flour tortilla. A Taco Bell bean burrito contains 360 calories, 10 grams of fat — 4.5 of which are saturated fat — 1080 milligrams of sodium, 3 grams of sugar, 13 grams of protein, and 8 grams of fiber. You can see that it isn't quite as healthy as plain black beans, but it is a whole lot more interesting to eat. If variety in your meal is what you're after, however, there is a better option out there.

The Cantina Chicken Bowl from Taco Bell may rank slightly lower in certain metrics than the bean burrito, but it presents the diner with a wide array of flavors, textures, and vegetables. In the Cantina Chicken Bowl, customers will find rice, black beans, shredded chicken, cheese, guacamole, pico de gallo, and purple cabbage, as well as reduced-fat sour cream and avocado ranch sauce. This bowl contains 480 calories, 24 grams of fat — 7 of which are saturated fat — 1170 milligrams of sodium, 3 grams of sugar, 24 grams of protein, and 10 grams of fiber. If protein is your goal, this might be a better choice than the bean burrito, but it's pretty close either way.

Realistically, nutrition is an incredibly complex science, and it's near impossible to pick the healthiest option for all parties. Some folks are trying to keep an eye on their sodium intake, while others are deep into the new fibermaxxing trend. But there are some choices that you can make with your Taco Bell order that are likely to suit most diets.

Swapping out the ground beef for black or refried beans may not be at the top of the list for your Taco Bell palate, but studies show impressive health benefits to a plant-based diet. You really can do this across most of the Taco Bell menu without trouble. Honestly, Taco Bell's staple crunchy tacos are pretty healthy for fast food, and when you swap out the meat for beans, they are especially nutritious. A crunchy taco with refried beans instead of beef comes out to 160 calories, 7 grams of fat — 2.5 of which are saturated fat — 250 milligrams of sodium, less than 1 gram of sugar, 5 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber. Not bad at all.

The final trick that works across the entire menu is what Taco Bell calls "fresco style." You can order anything fresco style free of charge, and all dairy products and mayonnaise-based sauces will be swapped out for fresh pico de gallo. This is a quick way to make those bean-filled items fully plant-based, and it also trades fatty, calorically-dense sauces for nice, fresh vegetables. Regardless of which menu items you settle on, this trick can make things a touch healthier.