One Simple Chipotle Order Pulls Double Duty As A Hefty Fiber Boost

Constructing the perfect order at Chipotle may require more research than it does at other restaurants. With the immense number of customization options in that burrito bar, it is not only a matter of putting together a dish that tastes good but also finding the right nutritional balance to suit your goals. Protein has been the dietary buzzword for a long time, but it is now giving way to the trend of fibermaxxing. More studies are showing that the average American consumes more than enough protein, but not enough daily fiber. At Chipotle, the first step toward remedying this issue is to swap the usual order for an entrée centered around sofritas and pinto beans.

The protein choice is perhaps the most important decision when constructing a Chipotle order, as everything else is pretty customizable, so we'll start there. Sofritas are the standard meatless option at Chipotle, made from plant-based protein braised with spices, aromatics, chipotles, and poblanos. The standard four-ounce serving contains three grams of fiber, by far the most of the proteins. For reference, the steak and barbacoa each contain one gram of fiber per serving, while the chicken and carnitas offer none.

The real fiber powerhouse, however, is the beans. Pinto beans are the highest-fiber option on the Chipotle menu, coming in at 8 grams per four-ounce serving. Black beans are not far behind, boasting 7 grams per serving. If you're really trying to max things out, though, basing your burrito or burrito bowl around sofritas and pinto beans gets you started with a solid foundation of 11 grams of dietary fiber.

For a 2,000-calorie diet, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) suggests consuming 28 grams of fiber per day, so just those two items will get you about 40% of the way to that goal. That said, the rest of that Chipotle order matters too. Rice, for example, makes up a large part of most Chipotle orders. There is some room here to improve fiber content, but not by that much. The white rice contains only one gram of dietary fiber, while the brown rice offers two. The burrito tortilla, actually, provides more, at three grams. So, ordering a sofritas and pinto bean burrito with brown rice takes the tally up to 16 grams of fiber.

As for the rest of the bar, romaine lettuce and fajita vegetables each provide just one gram of fiber, but at 5 and 20 calories respectively, those are both great fiber-to-calorie ratios. Opting for the corn salsa can make a big difference as well, with each scoop adding another three grams of fiber to the order. The fresh tomato salsa and red tomatillo salsa each contribute one gram. Finally, there's the guac. Adding guacamole as a topping increases the fiber content by a whopping six grams — almost certainly enough to justify the upcharge.

Chipotle's sofritas and pinto bean burrito definitely falls among the best high-fiber fast food items, especially if you know the right customization options. With brown rice, lettuce, fajita vegetables, corn salsa, and guac, you're looking at 27 grams of fiber. That's over 95% of the FDA's daily goal in just one meal.