It all began with the prospect of a free burrito or burrito bowl at Chipotle. Innocent enough. The manager of Chipotle extended an offer to the company I work for, a marking effort to drum up some business for the new franchise down the street. I hadn’t been to one in years, but some of my co-workers invited me along and from what little I knew of Chipotle, I was confident I could find something that would be on my Weight Watchers plan. Even though I aware they were at one time owned by McDonald’s, I also knew it was full of fresh ingredients, rice, and beans, all low fat alternatives.
Even though I was planning on being conservative and just ordering a salad, I considered this a big treat in comparison to my usual Lean Cuisines. I told the teenager behind the counter that I was on a diet and asked what she would recommend. She suggested the Chipotle Bowl, a burrito in a bowl, minus the tortilla. “The tortilla will kill ya,” she said.
It’s hard to believe that Chipotle is was owned by McDonald’s. It just looked and tasted so healthy, and damn was it good! So good in fact, that I went again the next week. How could a salad “bowl” be so tasty? I could eat it everyday. In fact, it tasted so good, I started to become suspicious. I purposely asked for only a pinch of cheese, a smear of sour cream and a smear of guacamole, but something tasted fishy, as in McDonald’s Fish Sandwich caloric nightmare fishy.
That night, I went to look up my Chipotle diet treat, but nutrient and caloric information is suspiciously absent from their website. I had to go to www.chipotlefan.com to get the real scoop and it wasn’t pretty. I was so incredibly shocked by what I found out, I confirmed it on Weight Watchers online database, only to find out, even with my “smears”, we were talking 18 points. I only get 25 points a day!! So, I was eating 2/3 of my daily total on that asshole salad! Dieters BEWARE!!!!
UPDATE: As commenters have pointed out, a mea culpa is in order. Indeed, a bowl with “everything” is going to pack on the pounds, but with some smart choices you can get a lunch that is rather healthy, high in fiber, filling, and most importantly, yummy.
Our current Chipotle burrito bowl standby includes: rice, extra black beans, fajita veggies, chicken, pico de gallo, and extra lettuce. Add a liberal dash of Tobasco and you’re good to go. While it’s not exactly “low calorie” clocking in at around 500 calories, it’s still way better than the gut expander version with cheese, sour cream, and guacamole, especially if you’re on a low fat diet.
