Chipotle
Chicken Burrito Bowl – 696 calories
Extra Cheese- 212 calories (106 calories per table spoon)
Sour Cream – 46 (23 calories per table spoon)
2 salad dressings – 240 calories (80 calories per table spoon)
Total Calories for this meal = 1194 calories
Total Calories from fat = 470 calories
From hindsight this meal seems to be the healthiest option of the three meals in content. This meal has a high nutrient value judging and would be considered a balanced meal taking into consideration that it consists of vegetables, fat, protein and carbohydrates in acceptable quantity. The fat, sodium and sugar content of the bowl is not very high and this makes it a healthy option. My only objection is the addition of the side dressing, cheese and sour cream which has a high fat content that might contribute some negative health attributes to the meal.
A healthy alternative would be to limit the amount of sides added to the burrito and to also reduce the serving size which is too large to be consumed in one setting. If these few adjustments are made this would make a healthy meal which can be consumed on a regular basis. The vegetable and fresh meat content does not outweigh the cheese, sour cream and sodium content of the salad dressing as this would not reduce the fat and sodium content of the meal that would still have possible mal-health effects.
Z- Burger
Regular cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, pickles, fried onion rings, mayonnaise and ketchup – 1061 calories
Small Z- Fries- 328 calories
Total Calories = 1389 calories
Calories from fat= 882 calories
Now looking as this Z- burger one will salivate at the sight of the dish however looks are deceiving. This meal is very high in sodium, fat and cholesterol. Consuming this meal on a daily basis would result in possible risk of weight gain and cardiovascular diseases, in addition to metabolic syndrome.
A healthier alternative would be to eliminate the bacon, use grilled chicken instead of fried chicken or beef, reduce the amount of mayonnaise and cheese or use reduced fat dairy products instead. One could also replace the fries with a salad thus increasing vegetable intake and reducing the carbohydrate content.
