Quote :

"they are the epitome of the "it's good for you because it's natural" trend, yet you can't eat much of anything there under 1,000 calories. "

Plenty of us get 500-600 calorie burrito bowls, it doesn't have to be over 1000 calories...and for me at least, the bowl is usually enough for two meals.

Quote :

"it may be splitting hairs, but that's debatable"

Do you not think they're healthier than Bojangles ingredients?

Seriously though, Look over their ingredient list posted on the last page...if you get a bowl there's nothing that stands out as being particularly unhealthy to me.

[Edited on May 2, 2014 at 10:22 AM. Reason : ]

5/2/2014 10:19:40 AM

One of those bowls is like half a meal for me. I'm still ravenous after eating one. /fatkid

5/2/2014 10:21:32 AM

damn

you take down an entire bowl and then want more???

5/2/2014 10:23:19 AM

My jobs require me to move a lot more than the average person. Over the past three weeks, I've averaged almost 15,000 steps per day.

[Edited on May 2, 2014 at 10:31 AM. Reason : fitnass]

5/2/2014 10:26:16 AM

Quote :

"How are these "decent quality healthy ingredients" so full of calories then? I can make the same type of burrito at home for significantly less."

What do you want me to tell you? Real food has calories. That's why we eat it. Tortillas, beans, and rice have carbs. Cheese and avocado is loaded with fat. There may be some sugar in the meat sauces, but I'd be surprised if it were excessive. If you think there's something shocking to be found why don't you read their menu and let us know what it is rather than implying that the food is unhealthy with absolutely no backing evidence.


You could always skip dinner and drink 9 diet Mountain Dews instead. 0 calories!

5/2/2014 10:28:50 AM

https://www.chipotle.com/en-us/menu/ingredients_statement/ingredients_statement.aspx

The only thing calorie dense about their food is the amount of sour scream and cheese fatties dump on top of it.

5/2/2014 10:31:51 AM

^^ haha lol. agreed with your post and the previous one.

to be fair though, a healthy place should not have refined grains or refined grain products on the menu. why do they have white rice? and why are their tortillas not whole grain?

plus, they use

rice bran oil
sunflower oil
soybean oil
hydrogenated soybean oil

why?

they should be use nothing other than olive oil and butter/ghee.

BUT, everything else looks fine, which is a lot more that can be said for any other fast food place out there.

CONCLUSION: yes, it is far healthier than typical fast food places.


[Edited on May 2, 2014 at 10:33 AM. Reason : ]

5/2/2014 10:32:19 AM

Quote :

"why do they have white rice? and why are their tortillas not whole grain?"

They offer brown rice and whole wheat tortilla options.

5/2/2014 10:33:49 AM

a [100%] healthy place should not have refined grains or refined grain products on the menu

5/2/2014 10:35:20 AM

3 pages about Chipotle? I don't get it.

And this pretty much happened to me last time I went there.

http://elitedaily.com/humor/this-guy-perfectly-describes-everybodys-gripe-with-chipotles-burritos-in-epic-rant/

Quote :

"Have you ever eaten one of the things you make all fucking day? You should try one. They are pretty good WHEN YOU ARE NOT WILLING YOURSELF THROUGH THE FUCKING EMPIRE OF SOUR CREAM ONLY TO END UP IN LETTUCE COUNTRY."

[Edited on May 2, 2014 at 10:37 AM. Reason : lol]

5/2/2014 10:36:44 AM

https://www.chipotle.com/en-us/menu/ingredients_statement/ingredients_statement.aspx

what's really impressive there is the bar on the right, with all the info about what the letters in circles mean, and even admitting that some things that are being used are not the best option, but they are looking to eliminate them soon.

also, each items only has a few ingredients. if you look at items at other places, each item has double or triple the ingredients.

5/2/2014 10:40:07 AM

Quote :

"Chicken , Water, Chipotle Chile, Rice Bran Oil, Cumin, Garlic, Oregano, Black Pepper, Salt "

Right... nothing calorie dense about oil.

I'm not arguing that food has calories. I'm wondering why their portions of beans, chicken, avocado, etc. can be DOUBLE the same amount of these ingredients that I would have at home.

It's it's simple, everything is made with copious amounts of oil.

I also never said their food was "unhealthy." I said it's calorie dense for what you get and they falsely market it.

5/2/2014 10:44:26 AM

Got a Chipotle burrito bowl last night because the GF wanted to drop by. Burrito bowl with lettuce, chicken, onions, peppers, avocado, and some salsa. No rice or beans. Not incredibly filling but very healthy.

I mean if you do any type of working out over the course of a day you could easily need 3000-3500+ calories. Shouldn't a filling lunch or dinner have at least 1000 calories?

Quote :

"It's it's simple, everything is made with copious amounts of oil."

I think the only thing made with copies amounts of oil is the chips and maybe the tortillas. It's not the best oil though. I don't know why all you guys are hung up on calories. Healthy oil has lots of calories and it's fine to eat.

The basic ingredients (veggies, meat, etc) aren't going to have any more calories than if you bought them from the grocery store and stir fried them yourselves.

5/2/2014 10:59:12 AM

Quote :

"I'm wondering why their portions of beans, chicken, avocado, etc. can be DOUBLE the same amount of these ingredients that I would have at home. "

I call that a bonus because I can make two meals out of it.

Quote :

"It's it's simple, everything is made with copious amounts of oil. "

I think you're reaching here...

5/2/2014 10:59:56 AM

I meant to say why the caloric content of "their portions of beans, chicken, avocado, etc. can be DOUBLE the same amount of these ingredients that I would have at home"

As in when they add up chicken and beans in a certain portion = X calories
If I did the same at home it would be 1/2 of X calories.

Sorry, I left out a word that made a big deal.

5/2/2014 11:02:12 AM

How do you know that's true though?

You've bought their product, brought it home, made your own similar ingredients keeping a close eye on proportions/calories, compared against the website and what you made was 1/2 the calories? If so plz to share your data

5/2/2014 11:05:01 AM

i like what dantownquayle had to say about fruit

(sorry im gonna steal that one)

5/2/2014 11:07:38 AM

I did weight watchers for 5 years. I'm practically an expert and recreating meals with fewer calories. It's VERY easy to do, and it's annoying that restaurants continue to use way too much of oils, salts, etc. than they have to because they know that these tastes are practically addicting to people, and it's in no different way than McDonald's does it.

5/2/2014 11:11:38 AM

Quote :

"it's annoying that restaurants continue to use way too much of oils, salts, etc"

Agreed 100%, but I think you'd be hard pressed to recreate a basic rice/bean/meat/salsa bowl with the same volume of ingredients and 1/2 the calories. The dairy would be easy, the rest not as much.

5/2/2014 11:17:18 AM

mcdonalds and their ground-up wormburgers

yums

5/2/2014 11:18:08 AM

^^Thanks for giving me a great idea for my next date night with NCSUHippie! I'm going to try to make a chipotle-esque burrito bowl with fewer calories and MOAR GMOs!

Quote :

"I mean if you do any type of working out over the course of a day you could easily need 3000-3500+ calories. Shouldn't a filling lunch or dinner have at least 1000 calories?"

Not for females. Or males who are try to get shredded for summer.

[Edited on May 2, 2014 at 11:23 AM. Reason : hippe]

5/2/2014 11:22:44 AM

Yeah but for being healthy and watching your weight you shouldn't be counting calories or the amount of salt or fat/oil you eat. Just stop eating processed sugar and processed wheat and foods. People need to get off this calorie train. If you eat real whole foods you can eat however much you want and completely throw calories out the window and you'll be a healthy fit human being.

Quote :

"Not for females. Or males who are try to get shredded for summer."

I know plenty of shredded males who eat a shit ton of food. If you're burning 4000-5000 calories a day working out then you need to eat a bunch. Getting a beach body doesn't mean starving yourself.

[Edited on May 2, 2014 at 11:26 AM. Reason : s]

5/2/2014 11:23:44 AM

Please stop trolling so hard

5/2/2014 11:31:15 AM

^^I completely disagree.

But let's get back to Chipotle.

[Edited on May 2, 2014 at 11:32 AM. Reason : can someone help me with my shit stains?!]

5/2/2014 11:32:06 AM

I spent way too much time doing this (which was mostly because I wanted to see if I could).



My version:
Large Flour Tortilla: 173 (my favorite kind from Harris Teeter)
Chicken Breast 4oz. cooked: 140
White Rice, ~1/4 ounce: 130
Black Beans 1/2 cup cooked: 105
Fajita Veggies: ~10
Greek Yogurt: 30 (sub plain greek yogurt for sour cream)
Lower fat cheese: 70
Lettuce: 5
teaspoon oil: 40

Total: 703
Shaving 322 calories from Chipotle's version.

So no, not half, but 322 can be a meal for me.
And I'm a female who works out about 5 times a week.

5/2/2014 11:36:16 AM

109g of carbs is shit load of carbs for such a small meal. It's a lot of carbs in general, but its a huge amount for a a meal that is so tiny.

but i don't understand why you care about calories, if you are not gorging yourself on carbs you will feel full before you have too many calories.

Quote :

"dantownquayle"

good, i was worried that edit was a little too subtle



[Edited on May 2, 2014 at 11:47 AM. Reason : .]

5/2/2014 11:43:05 AM

I just hate it when the people I go with end up with these overstuffed burritos and I end up with this tiny four bite burrito. There's no real standardization with the portions. I always seem to end up with the runt of the litter when I go to Chipotle.

/fatty

[Edited on May 2, 2014 at 11:47 AM. Reason : -]

5/2/2014 11:46:45 AM

^ for the same price?

they should charge by weight. that would be fair.

5/2/2014 11:48:00 AM

^Yup. It's become a bit of a running gag with our group. Line up the burritos and I end up with the smallest. And it's not like others are stuffing it with extras. In fact I probably ask them to put in more than most.

I'm sure it's a luck of the draw thing, but it's odd how it always works out.

They probably think I need to lose the weight.

5/2/2014 11:50:24 AM

Quote :

"Please stop trolling so hard"

Not really trolling (maybe a little). I'm mainly trying to address the issue that all anyone cares about is calories and fat ITT. That's a stupid mentality to have. Being healthy is all about what you put into your body.

Quote :

"^^I completely disagree. "

Disagree with what? That eating whole foods is a good thing? All I'm saying is the unhealthy food at Chipotle is the processed burritos and rice. Get a big ass bowl of beans, chicken, onions, peppers, lettuce, guac, and maybe a little cheese and you're set. It's very low calories (which apparently tends to resonate well with you guys) and doesn't make you feel like shit after the fact.

Any place you go and get a burrito and rice it's going to be bad for you. It's not just chipotle. A big ass burrito, rice, and beans is not healthy.

Quote :

"109g of carbs is shit load of carbs for such a small meal. It's a lot of carbs in general, but its a huge amount for a a meal that is so tiny."

Exactly. Take out the beans, rice, and burrito and it's quite healthy.

Quote :

"but i don't understand why you care about calories, if you are not gorging yourself on carbs you will feel full before you have too many calories. "

Thank you dtownral.

[Edited on May 2, 2014 at 12:06 PM. Reason : s]

5/2/2014 11:54:20 AM

This is great to play with

https://www.chipotle.com/en-us/menu/nutrition_calculator/nutrition_calculator.aspx

I made a burrito bowl with

steak
black beans
fajita vegetables
tomato salsa
cheese
guacamole
lettuce

This is what I got:

655 calories
35 g fat
10 g sat fat
1.77 g sodium
41 g carbs
20 g fiber
8 g sugar
47 g protein

Other than sodium, where is the problem?


^ keep the beans for fiber and protein.

5/2/2014 12:10:29 PM

Quote :

"^ keep the beans for fiber and protein."

People go either way on beans. I'm not a huge fan of beans. Primary reason I don't eat them and they make my stomach hurt. There's enough studies out there that argue beans aren't the best for your digestive system and to just eat veggies.

Either way you can get your protein from chicken or steak and your fiber from veggies. There's no need to eat beans over veggies.

Take those beans out and it's 540 calories. Without the cheese it's 440. Although I don't think a sprinkle of cheese is 100 calories.

5/2/2014 12:15:40 PM

steak x 2
Fajita veggies
green tomatillo salsa
sour cream
cheese
guacamole
lettuce
___

22g carbs
8g dietary fiber
71.5g protein

I would only add beans if I was going to be active afterwards (and i had a craving for beans for some reason)

[Edited on May 2, 2014 at 12:17 PM. Reason : .]

5/2/2014 12:17:27 PM

If you check everything it's 6,170 calories.

5/2/2014 12:21:03 PM

Quote :

"Either way you can get your protein from chicken or steak and your fiber from veggies. There's no need to eat beans over veggies. Take those beans out and it's 540 calories. Without the cheese it's 440. Although I don't think a sprinkle of cheese is 100 calories."

Studies have shown benefit from beans, and some harm as well. They have high levels of antioxidants, esp red and black beans.

1 oz of cheese is 100 cal. Play with the calc.

Without the beans it is only 7.5 g of fiber. You definitely need more fiber than that at lunch/dinner.

Which veggies have fiber? Onion, tomato, lettuce, and peppers? Not really. The fajita veggies, lettuce, and tomato salsa COMBINED give 2.5 grams of fiber. The guac has 5! And the beans 12.

Which brings me to another criticism, aside from the fats they use:

They really should start putting in some proper veggies, which not only give fiber, but are also extremely beneficial to health. Sure, such veggies don't traditionally belong in a burrito, but who cares. They should have these options:

Broccoli
Olives (hey, aren't olives found in Mexican cuisine... where are they?)
Cauliflower
Carrots
Zucchini
Eggplant
Asparagus

In fact, instead of having each one separately, they can have 2 items:

Sauteed zucchini, eggplant, asparagus
Sauteed/steamed broccoli, cauliflower, carrots

(or even just 2 veggies instead of 3 per item... and olives should be a standard item already)

5/2/2014 12:27:47 PM

My chipotle go-to has 585 calories, 50 carbs, and 22 grams of fat

5/2/2014 12:28:58 PM

Quote :

"Studies have shown benefit from beans, and some harm as well. They have high levels of antioxidants, esp red and black beans."

True but antioxidants have always been in question as to whether they really provide any health benefit at all. Most of the major studies are inconclusive or marginal at best (with some exceptions).

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/antioxidants/

Quote :

"They really should start putting in some proper veggies, which not only give fiber, but are also extremely beneficial to health."

This. Primary reason I don't usually ever go to Chipotle. There's really no good veggies there aside from over cooked onions and peppers. If I want a veggie/meat bowl it's going to have lots of broccoli and a bunch of other stuff.

But hey we're discussing Chipotle.

Quote :

"Olives (hey, aren't olives found in Mexican cuisine... where are they?)"

Actually there's nothing really mexican about Chipotle. It was founded in Denver and the mission style American burrito comes from the mission district in San Francisco. Mexican burritos aren't this huge and don't have a bunch of rice in them.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_burrito

In fact the original Chipotle is right down the street from me right now. I go to Illegal Petes instead. Much better veggie selection and you can get your burrito smothered in pork green chilli. Plus what's the point of a lunch joint without a full bar with local craft beers? Come on.

[Edited on May 2, 2014 at 12:47 PM. Reason : v]

5/2/2014 12:43:06 PM

I don't like moes or chipotle because all they make is pretty much a rice wrap. yuck.

5/2/2014 12:48:41 PM

rice wrap = mission style burrito.

But yeah lets but your empty calories into another empty calorie wrapper with maybe a couple pieces of steak and charge you a lot for it.

5/2/2014 12:50:21 PM

i always get double beans, no rice.

5/2/2014 12:59:26 PM

dammit, I always kinda wondered wtf they were doing putting rice in a burrito. I always figured it was authentic...like, Mexicanally authentic

but [no]

5/2/2014 8:34:12 PM

I've been meaning to ask you guys to stop acting like fat, diabetic grandmas. Just puttin that out there.

5/4/2014 6:38:11 PM

Chipotle bowls are pretty great. I'd never been to Chipotle until my current job--coworkers go to the one near the new Target. I was pleasantly surprised, it's pretty good. Maybe a tad higher cost than I'd like.

5/4/2014 6:54:41 PM

Yes! It definitely feels pricey if you don't get a giant burrito stuffed with everything.

5/4/2014 7:05:23 PM

Aren't they like $6.35 or something? What do you think they should cost, $4?

5/4/2014 7:13:15 PM

If I'm being weird and just getting a bunch of lettuce, steak, and hot sauce, $6.35 is too high.

But that steak so tasty.

5/4/2014 7:37:50 PM

Rice=fucking filler and I can stand small amounts as long as its not dried out and crunchy. Crunchy dry ass-rice is the main reason I don't patronize fast food 'mexican' or southwest or whatever the fuck

5/4/2014 7:44:28 PM

I tried to put my foot down on typical Mexican restaurants, but people still find a way. The worst is when they want it so bad that they say it's their treat...and there's not a single thing on the menu that I actually feel like eating.

Sometimes you gotta say fuck it though. Get the cheese dip, ask for more chips/salsa in advance, and start drinking fish bowl margaritas.

5/4/2014 8:12:33 PM

I usually only eat fast casual Mexican food from Qdoba on Tuesdays for dollar steak tacos

5/4/2014 8:32:07 PM

You're all fat. Fucking deal.

5/4/2014 8:56:15 PM