Chipotle Is Even Less Healthy Than McDonald's
"Real, high-quality food prepared using time-honored cooking methods". That's how the nutrition information sheet from burrito chain Chipotle begins. Surely this McDonald's Mexican fast-casual spinoff offers healthier food than its golden arched parent company, right? If your metric is calories and fat, the answer is no.
Chipotle's nutrition information sheet lists each ingredient they offer and the nutrition information for each. No individual item goes over 490 calories or 19g of fat. But, you don't order just one ingredient at Chipotle. You order them together into one of their many burrito or taco offerings.
Let's see: 1 13" flour tortilla, some rice, black beans, carnitas (pork), red tomatillo salsa, and some cheese and sour cream. Can't be all that bad, can it? Not unless you consider 1,195 calories and 42 grams of fat bad. Add some guacamole and switch the tomatillo salsa with corn salsa, and you're talking 1,437 calories and 57 grams of fat.
Compare that with the following Mickey D options, from their nutrition sheet:
Chipotle's nutrition information sheet lists each ingredient they offer and the nutrition information for each. No individual item goes over 490 calories or 19g of fat. But, you don't order just one ingredient at Chipotle. You order them together into one of their many burrito or taco offerings.
Let's see: 1 13" flour tortilla, some rice, black beans, carnitas (pork), red tomatillo salsa, and some cheese and sour cream. Can't be all that bad, can it? Not unless you consider 1,195 calories and 42 grams of fat bad. Add some guacamole and switch the tomatillo salsa with corn salsa, and you're talking 1,437 calories and 57 grams of fat.
Compare that with the following Mickey D options, from their nutrition sheet:
- Big Mac: 560 calories, 30 grams of fat
- Grilled Chicken Club: 590 calories, 22 grams of fat
- Sausage Biscuit with Egg: 500 calories, 31 grams of fat
- Big N' Tasty with Cheese: 520 calories, 26 grams of fat
- Crispy Chicken Ranch BLT: 580 calories, 20 grams of fat
I was hard pressed to find a single item on the McDonald's menu that topped 1000 calories (yes, they do exist).
I'm not claiming that either McDonald's or Chipotle is falsely claiming they offer health food. And, I do recognize that the quality of the food does count for something (healthy fats, no preservatives, etc.).
That said, Chipotle is trying to brand itself as a fresh-Mex alternative to typical fast food, with a bent towards food quality. Contrast that with their food offerings and you quickly realize that fresh-Mex does not equal healthy (or even healthier) alternatives to fast food.
Labels: Restaurants
posted by George at 11:49 PM
20 Comments:
Why are you hatin' on my fav fast food bro...?
I only wish we had that down here in the sticks (nw fl). Heh...
You guys live close enough to Alabama to claim decent BBQ. Who needs Chipotle when you can have pulled pork? :)
Hm. Here we have Freebirds, which is like Chipotle, but local to east Texas (college towns mostly) and is WAY better. Anyway, now you are making me think that my "healthy" veggie burrito is really really bad. Thanks for ruining my favorite lunch :).
you forgot that at mcdonalds a person orders more than just a burger. they get fries, and a drink. you might want to run up your numbers again.
And at Chipotle, people order chips & guacamole, a drink, and so on to go along with their burritos. I think I did as close to apples/apples as I could.
True, Chipotle is probably not the healthiest choice because of all the calories and fat. However, calling Chipotle less healthy than McDonald's? I'm not so sure about that. Chipotle uses naturally raised meats and 25% of their beans are organic. Take a look at some of the ingredients that make up McDonald's food:
High Fructose Corn Syrup
Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil
DATEM
Ammonium Chloride
Azodicarbonamide
Sodium Benzoate
Sodium Propionate
Potassium Sorbate
TBHQ
http://www.mcdonalds.com/app_controller.nutrition.categories.ingredients.index.html
Yeah, no shit. You're an idiot. Calories and fat does not make something unhealthy, ingredients do. I would much rather eat 3,000 calories worth of black beans, sour cream, and salsa than food that is nothing more than chemicals, saturated fat, corn syrup, and artificial flavors. Not everything that has fat in it is evil and unhealthy. I eat chipotle, IN MODERATION, and am neither fat nor have high cholesterol. Plus, have you seen the size of those burritos? You're retarded if you don't realize something of that size is going to have a ton of calories.
Like I said:
And, I do recognize that the quality of the food does count for something (healthy fats, no preservatives, etc.).
If you were to read the conclusion of my post, instead of click "Comment" and rush up on your soap box, you would have seen that my main complaint was Chipotle's dichotomy between the fat & calorie content of their food and their marketing that their food is healthier than typical fast food.
I agree McDonald's is pretty far down there given their additives and use of high fructose corn syrup. But Chipotle isn't that much better than many fast food franchises.
Chipotle isn't that much better than many fast food franchises.
I couldn't disagree more. Chipotle is the only fast food restaurant I've patronized in over a year. I have my steak bol (650 Cal, 15g fat) 4-7 times per week with a water. It's quick and healthy and, most importantly, made with high-quality, fresh ingredients. Every other fast food restaurant near me uses loads of additives and preservatives. Chipotle is much better, in my opinion, when you are smart about your order.
Ever check out the Chipotle Nutrition Calculator? It's a real eye opener, and by that I mean it will punch you in the face:
http://www.chipotlefan.com/index.php?id=nutrition_calculator
Really, Chipotles is the last place you want to go if you want to eat healthy. You can basically divide all of Chipotles' offerings into 3 general categories: "healthy", "average", and "murderous". The only "healthy" thing Chipotles can offer you in their vast selection of goodies is a bowl of lettuce. Moving into their "average" selection allows the consumer to pick from steak/chicken, pinto/black beans, and a slathering of tomato salsa. Everything else -cheese, guac, corn chips- is murderous. Hell, looking at that will probably kill you, let alone putting it inside your mouth. Case in point: just look at their corn. Their corn has over 500mg of sodium.
...
At this point, you might be thinking, "Wait, that doesn't make any sense. Corn is some healthy, wholesome shit. It's basically the Virgin Mary of health food, and yet, you're telling me that the master chefs at Chipotle have somehow defiled CORN by filling it with more sodium than a goddamn salt mine?"
Yes. Yes, they did. It's a sin, I know, but it's true.
I know that this post is old but I just now came across it when I searched "Chipotle" on Google. I think that saying Chipotle is more unhealthy than McDonalds is completely stupid. It isn't even a fast food restaurant either. It's like the Subway of burritos. And Subway isn't a fast food restaurant now is it? Anyway, that's ignorant to say that their burritos are bad. People have the choice to put whatever they want in them, or get a bol instead. At McDonalds... I don't think so. They put the same things on every one of their hamburgers. Plus, Chipotle's ingredients isn't full of manmade fillers. It's more of the natural variety. So your point officially has been proven wrong.
Hey Nicole, I would say Subway is fast food, actually. It's not a sit-down restaurant, is it? And did you know some Subway sandwiches give you over 100% of your RDA of sodium?
Burritos themselves aren't bad, but in certain combinations they can pack quite a calorie and fat punch. Burritos are one of the first "fast foods" in Mexico, as they were originally street food (ingredients wrapped in a tortilla, portable and easy to eat on the go).
As you see in the post above, I compared McD's to Chipotle when it came to calories and fat. You can probably find an overall healthier option at McD's (white meat chicken, salad) or Chipotle (bol, no sour cream or cheese). My point was to show that Chipotle's marketing was to convey this image of health, when in fact burritos are indeed a fairly fatty, calorie-rich, not-so-great-for you food.
ok so just something to consider before you start saying that mcdonalds is healthier. even with the waulity of the ingredients aside, your numbers are still disproportionate, at chipolte, if you get a burrito, thats all you need and you will be more than full. However, at Mcdonalds nobody gets just a chicken wrap or 1 burger. people get multiple sandwhiches?wraps and fries. if you werent making your argument in a bias manner you wouldve taken that into effect before outrageously saying that mcdonalds is a healthier food choice than chipolte.
Just looking at basic calories/fat numbers, Chipotle is much better... if you know what to order.
It's not rocket science. If your loading up with beans, cheese and sour cream then, yes, your going to end up with high fat. So... don't.
Get corn tacos with chicken, lettuce and a little tobasco and you're fine.
The bols are good, however, they would be much better if they didn't use margarine in the rice. It doesn't add any real flavor and there are healthier ways to keep rice from sticking.
Even so, a bol with steak or chicken, tobasco and just a small bit of salsa has plenty of taste and is much better than anything on the McD's menu at similar calories.
As far as sodium goes, virtually all prepared food is high in sodium. Fast food, frozen or sit down, it's all got tons of salt. That's why you don't eat it 3 meals a day, duh.
Also, lumping all fats into a single "fat" number is useless. Things like guac have a lot of good fats and omega 3's.
If you're a fan of the chips and guac is to only buy a side of guac and eat at home where you can use much healthier, store bought chips. Chipotle's chips are quite oily and tend to have too much salt. Either way, it's still much better than a side of fries.
Bottom line is it's much easier to be healthy at Chipotle than McDonalds as the main ingredients are much better. It's what you add on that will make or break it.
As George had stated earlier on, hes trying to show that Chiptole's "food with integrity" slogan should not give consumers the idea that Chiptole's food is more healthier than fast food.
A lot of people are under the impression that Chiptole is healthy. It is good as any other fast food joint, just treat yourself only once in a while.
Chiptole does not claim that their food is healthier, however clever advertising techniques leaves many under the impression that socially responsible food equals healthier food.
No .. by the way fyi Organic food does not mean its more healthier than normal food, It's just better for the environment.
"we mean better in every sense of the word- better tasting, coming from better sources, better for the environment, better for the animals, and better for the farmers who raise the animals and grow the produce." Quote from Chiptole website.
Nope, no claim of being healthy! Sure does give the impression that it is healthier though. Now some may say oh I was never under the impression it was healthy, that's good for you, however there are those out there who are under the impression that it is healthy to eat say once every couple of days.
Some may try to compare Chiptole to other fast food places, heck it may be better, but it still is not considered healthy. You can go virtually to any fast food joint and pick out your foods in a healthy manner. Eating at any fast food joint should be considered unhealthy, so do not be under the impression that chiptole is a healthy alternative to fast food. It is not.
Now many of you might say well its better then this or better than that. Ofcourse it may be, however I am sure you can say the same thing vice versa (except for those hardcore nasty fast food restaurants that you find in your local communitiy). You only have one body, better take care of it :)
You haven't proved Chipotle's claim to be healthy is false, all you've done is cherry pick numbers.
For starters, you only chose one food option from Chipotle, one of the most unhealthy.
Chiptole's dining options are hardly monolithic I know plenty of people who get taco's or burrito bowls, rather than a burrito. And I certainly know more people who eat the "healthy option" at Chiptole versus the "healthy option" at Mcdonalds.
In fact, the majority of people I see at Chipotle get bowls. (You rarely see a woman with anything but.)
Aside from that people never order "just a big mac" they order a #5 or a #9. Sure you can get chips and drink at Chipotle, but a lot of people don't get Chips. At Mcdonald's you rarely see someone order something without fries. Hell, they package it for you.
I could go on forever with this argument, but the last point I'll make is the two options have different serving sides. Let's be honest, a burrito from Chipotle is easily 2-3 servings, while a combo from Mcdonalds is hardly one. Its not uncommon for people to feel too full and save some of their burrito for later.
But of course, there are plenty of people like me who eat the whole thing. But the difference, and this is important, is that when I eat a Chipotle burrito I'm fuller for a much much longer time as compared to a Mcdonads combo. This depress your urge to snack, one of the biggest causes of weight gain, and even let's you eat a smaller subsequent meal.
I'm not taking sides on this argument. I just have a question. What is the meaning of "unhealthy" here. I know chipotle might be unhealthy for an obese individual who suffers from heart conditions, but is it unhealthy for me? I am a ectomorph (skinny frame) weight lifter who is on a 3500 calorie a day diet. Is chipotle still an unhealthy choice for me? And I believe I clean away a lot of the sodium cause of the large amounts of water I drink. If anyone could answer this question that would be GREAT!
hands down chipotle bowl is not as healthy as i thought... per serving numbers tell all... regarding the last poster... although you remove salt by drinking and peeing, you get rid of sodium more so by sweating in a gym (ie. salt output rate > salt intake rate)...
Ok this is ridiculous. I work at Chipotle and the best thing about it is it really is a natural. We get there at 8 in the morning to chop all the veggies, make all the salsas, make guac and cook meat. We don't even open till 11 am. That's how much freshness is being put into what you eat from Chipotle. I bet McDonalds doesn't show up 3 hours before they open to make freshly made ingredients.We don't even own a microwave. All we have is a grill and a stov3. Chipotle meals are much larger than Mcd's meals also. Sour cream and cheese is bad for you if you get it anywhere, not just from Chipotle. There isn't secret or weird ingredient that is put in our food. It's all natural.
Chipotle may not be an actual restaurant but it does all the same processes. You can't compare is to McD's. I consider Chipotle casual dining and not a fast-food restaurant. If you anyone has any questions about Chipotle let me know. It really is all natural.
OK... first of all... the title is ridiculous... Chipotle is far more healthy option than McD... it all depends on HOW you make it...
Consider the following combination:
A little rice, Black Beans, Fajita Veggies, Chicken/Steak, Fresh Tomatoes, Lettuce, Guacamole... NO Tortilla, NO sour cream, NO cheese...
Put all of the above @ http://www.chipotlefan.com/index.php?id=nutrition_calculator and you have a nice balanced diet...
More details: People who do not eat guacamole 'coz it is high is fat are wrong... guacamole has loads of good fat (mono- and poly-unsaturated) a little sat. fat... this is really good for you... guac also has HUGE fiber...
Now Black Beans... nice balance of fiber/carb/protein...
Chicken... we all know...
Fajita Veggies... good exposure to the veggies... also remember onions and green peppers are really good for you...
Having said all that... where do you guys see the bad part??? In what way is MacD better?
If you wanna take the sour cream, chips, sauce, the tortilla etc... that's your fault...
Combining all of the above with their taste and natural products... I would go to Chipotle ~ 3 times a week or so... and guess what... I DO...
So please think scientifically before you post comments like that...
PS: I am not a Chipotle employee or Shareholder (at the point of writing this post)
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