National Taco Day: Does Taco Bell, Chipotle Or Moe’s Have More Calories?

Want to celebrate National Taco Day on Wednesday but still be as nice to your body as possible? There’s a way to combine your love of quick, delicious tacos and being considerate of your health.

While there are many chain restaurants to choose from when tacos are on your mind, they’re not all equal when it comes to nutrition. Before you hit up your local Chipotle Mexican Grill, Taco Bell, Del Taco, Moe’s Southwest Grill or El Pollo Loco, take a look at the nutrition information for their taco selections.

When it comes to calories, Del Taco has the lowest calorie, quick-fix selection with its Crunchy Value Taco. While it is smaller than the rest of the tacos, it works when you just want a low-calorie taco to celebrate the holiday with.

El Pollo Loco and Taco Bell aren’t too far behind with the former’s lowest calorie taco, the Taco al Carbon (either chicken or shrimp) coming in at just 160 calories. While Taco Bell has five items coming in at 170 calories - Nacho Cheese Doritos Locos Taco, Fiery Doritos Locos Taco, Crunch Taco, Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Taco and the Chicken Soft Taco.

While Moe’s and Chipotle don’t have any tacos on their menus under 200 calories, the two chains have many options for customers to customize their orders to create the taco that works best for them – both taste-wise and nutrition-wise.

But when it comes down to it. which taco seller has the highest-calorie taco on its menu? That would be Chipotle with its Sofritas Soft Flour Tacos. The collection of three tacos comes in at 1,275 calories, which is 425 calories per taco. Each of the three tacos contains pinto beans, white rice, fajita vegetables, roasted chili-corn salsa, sour cream, cheese, guacamole and romaine lettuce.

The Queso Crunch Taco at Del Taco is pretty close, when comparing single tacos, at 400 calories. This item features a crunchy shell with seasoned beef, cheddar cheese, lettuce, and diced tomatoes placed inside of a flour tortilla with queso sauce layered in-between.

The highest calorie tacos at the other chains are the Grande Avocado Taco with Chicken at El Pollo Loco with 340 calories, Taco Bell’s 340-calorie Double Decker Taco Supreme and the Overachiever at Moe’s with 353 calories.

If you prefer to watch the carbs in your food over calories, then you still will want to skip out on Chipotle’s Sofritas Soft Flour Tacos, with each of the three inlcuded items having 47 grams of carbs. Also, try to pass on Del Taco’s CrunchTada Tostado, which has 38 grams of carbs and Taco Bell’s Double Decker Taco Supreme, which comes in at the same amount.

If you’re visiting El Pollo Loco, then avoid its highest-carb taco, the Grande Avocado Taco (chicken or shrimp), coming in at 20 grams of carbs. If at Moe’s, move right past its Overachiever with 30 grams of carbs.

As long as you remember that moderation is the key to being healthy with food, then celebrating National Taco Day will be both yummy and semi-wholesome.