9 Unhealthiest Fast-Food Tacos To Stay Away From Right Now
One of the best ways to enjoy tacos is at your favorite Mexican restaurant with chips, salsa, and a margarita (or two) in hand. If that isn't your style, maybe spending Taco Tuesday while cooking at home is more your groove. But if you're too tired to cook and short on time to enjoy a sit-down meal at a restaurant, you can always pick up some affordable, greasy, delicious tacos from your favorite fast food restaurants. Yet if you're trying to be mindful of your health while chowing down on some on-the-go Mexican, how do you know the unhealthiest fast-food tacos you may want to avoid?
Most fast food will lack nutritional value because of its ultra-processed nature—and fast-food tacos are no exception.
"When it comes to fast-food tacos, there are a few options that are generally considered less healthy due to their high calorie, fat, and sodium content," says Mary Sabat MS, RDN, LD.
This will be especially true for tacos with fried shells, cheese, creamy sauces, and those made with a ton of beef or pork. Read on for more on the unhealthiest fast-food tacos currently available.
Taco Bell's Doritos Locos Taco Supreme
At first glance, the nutrition info may not seem all that scary for the Doritos Locos Supreme from Taco Bell. But let's face it—who honestly has the willpower to eat just one of these tacos at a time?
"It's worth remembering that these are small, and people often eat more than one," says Sabat. "[However,] the shell is also made from a Dorito, which is a processed food high in sodium and artificial ingredients."
RELATED: 9 Healthiest Dishes to Order at Taco Bell, According to Dietitians
Taco Cabana's Steak Fajita Taco
"Taco Cabana's Steak Fajita Taco is made with marinated and grilled beef, tortilla, and various toppings," says Sabat. "While the beef itself can be a good source of protein, the taco is still high in fat and sodium."
The sodium content of this fast-food taco is especially concerning, seeing as there are 780 milligrams in just one. If you end up having two (or three), you'll get close to your daily recommended sodium limit (2,300 milligrams of sodium, which is about a teaspoon) in just one meal.
Jack in the Box's Taco
For a fast-food restaurant with an enormous menu offering many options—including burgers, chicken sandwiches, breakfast foods, fries, and tacos—Jack in the Box is the perfect choice. Unfortunately, it's hard to make a healthier choice at this restaurant, and this is especially true of its beef tacos.
"Jack in the Box's tacos are known for their crispy shell and seasoned beef filling," says Sabat. "However, they are often criticized for being highly processed and high in fat and sodium."
Jack in the Box's Tiny Tacos Loaded & Sauced
Just when you thought the nutritional value of a regular fast-food taco couldn't get any worse, Jack in the Box unleashed these mini tacos—which are overloaded with sauce and cheese—on the hungry and health-seeking public. Jack in the Box's Tiny Tacos Loaded and Sauced are high in total fat, saturated fat, and sodium. In fact, just one serving of these contains over half of the American Heart Association's recommended amount of saturated fat consumed in an entire day (13 grams).
Chipotle's Carnitas Soft Taco
"While Chipotle prides itself on using fresh, natural ingredients, their portions can be large, leading to high-calorie counts," says Sabat. And if you go for their Carnitas Soft Taco with all the fixings, you'll get over 1,000 calories, 43 grams of fat, and over 1,500 milligrams of sodium.
Get your tacos without sour cream and cheese to reduce the calories and sodium. Additionally, you can always try the veggie option of these tacos instead and save yourself over half of the calories you'd get from the carnitas.
RELATED: 7 Fast-Food Burritos To Stay Away From Right Now
Taco John's Queso Fried Chicken Taco
The menu at Taco John's is extensive, featuring all types of quesadillas, burritos, breakfast items, and of course, tacos. But if you're craving something from this fast-food joint and don't feel like breaking the nutrition bank, you should steer clear of their Queso Fried Chicken Taco.
Just one taco is packed with 17 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, and 1000 grams of sodium.
Del Taco's The Del Taco
The Del Taco is one of the brand's most popular orders, "inspired by the original and loaded with more of everything you love, like more seasoned beef, more fresh house-grated cheddar cheese, crisp shredded lettuce and fresh diced tomatoes in a bigger, crunchy corn shell," they write in the description.
It also has more of everything else than most other tacos on its menu, including 20 grams of fat, 11 of which are saturated. The American Heart Association only recommends 13 grams or less per day, so a single taco will account for all but two of them.
Taco Bell's Cheesy Gordita Crunch
Taco Bell Cheesy Gordita Crunch sounds delicious and deceitfully healthy, marked as a "flatbread." However, the warm flatbread happens to be layered with a "three-cheese blend" and then "wrapped around a crunchy taco filled with seasoned beef, spicy ranch sauce, crispy lettuce and shredded cheddar cheese."
While it does offer 17 grams of protein, a single taco takes up 55% of your recommended daily value of saturated fat and 36% of total fat.
Taco John's Stuffed Grilled Chicken Taco
Don't let the term "grilled" deceive you. Taco John's Stuffed Grilled Chicken Taco boasts more calories than any other taco on the fast food chain's core menu.
It is available in various fillings and "features a crispy taco shell filled with meat, nacho cheese, taco sauce, and sour cream" wrapped up and grilled in a flour tortilla. A single taco has a whopping 460 calories and 6 grams of fat.
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