Orders Archives - PPM Healthcare

April 11, 2023

8 Healthiest Chipotle Orders, According to Dietitians

While you may associate fast food with greasy fries, hamburgers, and fried chicken, fast-casual restaurants are thought to be a step above and offer a wider variety of healthy menu items. You’re likely familiar with some restaurants in the category, like Panera, Sweetgreen, and Chipotle. Although each of these restaurants has their fair share of calorie-dense menu items we may not traditionally think of as healthy, they also offer meals that will suit those practicing healthier eating habits. When it comes to Chipotle in particular, the ability to customize your meal down to the ingredient makes it much easier to build a healthy meal. But what are some of the healthiest Chipotle orders one can place at the fast-casual Mexican grill, and which combination of ingredients can amount to a a filling, well-balanced meal?

Tips for Customizing a Healthy Chipotle Order

eating chipotle bowl — Chipotle / Facebook

For your next Chipotle visit, there are a few key tips to keep in mind if you’re trying to choose a healthy meal. To start, load up on as many veggies as possible. A base of shredded lettuce topped with fajita veggies is a great start to building a meal that packs volume for fewer calories.

Next, skip the tortilla. While delicious, the burrito-size tortilla is over 300 calories on its own. For many people, this takes up the majority of their meal calorie budget.

Lastly, avoid the chips. A single order of chips is over 500 calories and provides little nutritional value. Focus on the ingredients in your entrée order and less on the side items for a balanced, healthy meal.

The Healthiest Chipotle Orders We Recommend

All foods can be part of an overall healthy diet. (Yes, even queso!) However, we have narrowed down our healthiest Chipotle orders based on a few factors: Calories, saturated fat, fiber, and carbohydrate content, among other elements explained below. If you are trying to maximize nutrient density while staying mindful of calories, we’ve done the work to make your next order foolproof.

Read on to learn the eight healthiest Chipotle orders you can make. Also, for more healthy eating tips to help you make a well-informed decision while dining out, be sure to check out The 9 Healthiest Dishes to Order at Red Lobster.

1. The Wholesome Bowl

Wholesome Bowl from Chipotle — Courtesy of Chipotle

NUTRITION INFO: 460 calories, 29 g fat (7 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 1380 mg sodium, 18 g carbs (9 g fiber, 4 g sugar), 35 g protein

At 460 calories, the Wholesome Bowl is a great option that fits the calorie needs of a wide range of adults. Loaded with protein and fiber, two satiating ingredients, this meal will keep you feeling full while packing in tons of micronutrients. Vegetables are known for the vitamin and mineral content, and the supergreen lettuce mix, fajita veggies, tomato salsa, and guacamole in this meal all contribute many of the nutrients.

The fat content of this bowl is relatively high, although the majority of fat grams come from healthy unsaturated fat that can benefit blood cholesterol levels and reduce body inflammation. If you are looking to lessen the fat grams in the meal, ask for the guacamole on the side and use half with this meal while saving the other half for a later meal or snack.

2. Kids Quesadilla With Steak

NUTRITION INFO: 395 calories, 15 g fat (7 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 670 mg sodium, 40 g carbs (7 g fiber, 8 g sugar), 25 g protein

Portion control is the name of the game with this menu item. Start with a basic kid’s quesadilla, which is made with a soft flour tortilla and cheese, and add steak. Add a portion of black beans and enjoy the side of fruit that comes with the meal as a healthier dessert to round out your meal.

While this option provides good amounts of important nutrients, like protein and fiber, it is also relatively low in sodium compared to other menu items. Sodium is hard to limit in fast-casual meals. So at 670 milligrams for the entire meal, that is one of the lowest on this list. High sodium intake can contribute to high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke, so it is best to counter a high sodium meal with lower sodium foods throughout the rest of your day to stay under the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommendation of 2,300 mg per day.

3. The Grain Freedom Bowl

Grain Freedom Bowl Chipotle — Courtesy of Chipotle

NUTRITION INFO: 460 calories, 24 g fat (15 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 1580 mg sodium, 12 g carbs (3 g fiber, 3 g sugar), 40 g protein

Another meal that will work in many calorie budgets, the Grain Freedom Bowl is a low-carb option that can work for those following a keto meal plan. With the exact same calorie content as the Wholesome Bowl, this option packs more protein, and less carb and fat. Although, it does contain more saturated fat and less fiber.

At 15 grams of saturated fat, this one is higher than most on this list. Eating too much saturated fat is thought to raise blood levels of LDL cholesterol, which can increase your risk of heart attack and stroke. Luckily, there is an easy modification to lower this number. By cutting the sour cream from this meal you’ll reduce the total saturated fat content of this meal by 7 grams. If you are eating this meal at home, try adding a scoop of plain non-fat Greek yogurt as a healthier sour cream alternative.

RELATED: 11 Best Low-Carb Fast-Food Orders, According to Dietitians

4. Three Steak Tacos

NUTRITION INFO: 435 calories, 16 g fat (4 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 695 mg sodium, 46 g carbs (9 g fiber, 3 g sugar), 28 g protein

While you may be better off skipping the side of chips, the crispy corn tortilla tacos are a great option if you want some crunch in your meal. To make this a complete meal, pack your three taco shells with steak, light black beans, tomatillo green salsa, and romaine lettuce. With a good balance of macronutrients in this meal, and an impressive amount of fiber, you’ll find these tacos to be filling.

If three tacos are more than you’d like in a meal, eat two and save one for a snack later in the day. Alternatively, if you’d like to add more volume to this meal, go with extra romaine lettuce and include the fajita veggies for an additional 25 calories.

5. Barbacoa Salad With Guacamole

NUTRITION INFO: 500 calories, 30 g fat (6 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 1505 mg sodium, 26 g carbs (13 g fiber, 2 g sugar), 30 g protein

Not all salads are created equally, and they can be surprisingly high in calories and fat if you aren’t mindful of the ingredients included. For a healthy salad from Chipotle, start with the supergreen lettuce blend made of romaine, baby kale and baby spinach, and top with barbacoa and a light portion of pinto beans. Skip the dressing that comes on the side, and instead use guacamole and tomatillo-red salsa to dress your salad.

At 13 grams of fiber, this is one of the higher fiber meals on this list. Fiber can feed the good bacteria in your gut and may aid in weight loss, among other functions.

6. Chicken Salad With Queso

NUTRITION INFO: 510 calories, 21 g fat (10 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 1135 mg sodium, 44 g carbs (6 g fiber, 7 g sugar), 43 g protein

Another salad option for those looking to load up on veggies at Chipotle, this recipe includes the supergreen mix, chicken, a light portion of brown rice, roasted chili-corn salsa, fajita veggies, and uses queso blanco in place of the chipotle-honey vinaigrette dressing. (See, I told you queso can be part of a healthy meal!)

While this salad does contain more saturated fat than the other salad option, it is also loaded with other valuable nutrients, like fiber and protein, in addition to packing in several servings of veggies. To scale back saturated fat, total fat, and calories in the meal, you can ask for a lighter serving of queso.

7. Vegetarian Burrito Bowl

chipotle vegan bowl — Courtesy of Chipotle

NUTRITION INFO: 430 calories, 20 g fat (7 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 1335 mg sodium, 43 g carbs (12 g fiber, 12 g sugar), 22 g protein

For those who prefer to limit their intake of animal foods, this sofritas vegetarian bowl still provides a good balance of nutrients while skipping the meat. Build your bowl with sofritas as your main protein and include a light portion of black beans, roasted corn-chili salsa, fajita veggies, cheese, and romaine lettuce to round out the meal.

Although a higher sodium and sugar option, this meals also provides nearly half the daily recommendation of fiber, according to the American Heart Association. The several portions of vegetables in this meal, including beans, provide a wide variety of vitamins and minerals too, which could otherwise be limited in a plant-based meal.

8. Steak Burrito Bowl With Cheese & Sour Cream

NUTRITION INFO: 395 calories, 18 g fat (9 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 1085 mg sodium, 26 g carbs (3 g fiber, 2 g sugar), 27 g protein

For those who love their dairy, this bowl is a great option that keeps calories, total fat, and saturated fat reasonable. The trick is portion control. Start with a serving of steak and light brown rice, and top with fresh tomato salsa, romaine lettuce, and light portions of cheese and sour cream.

Although lower in fiber than other items on this list, you can swap the brown rice for beans to boost fiber for about 25 extra calories. You can also so with the “extra” portion of romaine lettuce for more veggie. At under 400 calories, this meal packs in nutrient density while still including favorite ingredients who may have thought were off limits in your healthy meal.

February 5, 2023

Public Health Update: Possible New COVID-19 Booster Schedules; Federal & State Emergency Orders Ending – Larchmont Buzz

“Here in LA County, I truly feel quite snug expressing we’re in a new stage. Really at ease.”
– LA County Community Wellbeing Director Barbara Ferrer

Right after various weeks of typically falling COVID-19 case fees and an envisioned wintertime surge that in no way materialized, it’s starting up to come to feel that a tide is turning in the a few-year-previous pandemic, explained LA County Community Overall health Director in a primarily-forward on the lookout weekly update on Thursday. Of class, COVID-19 is still with us, and Ferrer did provide the common present studies, but also it appears like officials’ interest is turning ever more to factors like the impending finishes of federal and state emergency wellbeing orders, and Food and drug administration conversations of opportunity new once-a-year vaccination schedules for COVID.

On the lookout at recent figures about the past week, Ferrer reported that COVID-19 conditions and hospitalizations were mainly stable, soaring just marginally, but not plenty of to point out new developments. And deaths, which have remained stubbornly all around 20 for each day for the past couple of months, ultimately fell to about 15 for every working day, a welcome lower.

Also, wastewater sampling (which doesn’t count on claimed examination results) showed the exact same pattern – a slight maximize this 7 days, but nonetheless small sufficient to be fairly secure in the much larger plan of issues.

Seeking at the presently circulating variants of COVID-19, Ferrer said XBB.1.5 (orange bar in the vicinity of the best of the graph under) is the just one to watch at the second. Its share of recent circumstances the two domestically and nationally has been doubling every single week for the last pair of weeks, so it will very likely be our dominant strain very quickly. Also, another new variant, CH.1.1 (gentle blue at the major of the graph), which the CDC has only a short while ago begun monitoring, is now at just 2{35112b74ca1a6bc4decb6697edde3f9edcc1b44915f2ccb9995df8df6b4364bc} of the overall, but has the exact mutation as previous year’s popular Delta variant, which could make it worthy of attention…though Ferrer explained its improve has been comparatively gradual given that it was initial determined in December.

One particular sector in which LA County proceeds to see fairly substantial new figures of outbreaks, even so, is K-12 colleges. But Ferrer reported this is reasonably usual following returning from the lengthy wintertime split, and has been witnessed following other holiday break breaks, also, this sort of as Thanksgiving in November. To assistance decrease this development, Ferrer urged moms and dads to preserve students dwelling when ill, and to have them don masks at college if they’ve been uncovered to the virus, or if the loved ones has been touring a short while ago.

More excellent information that continued this 7 days is that the new bivalent boosters, launched this previous fall, are nonetheless proving to be quite effective against serious ailment that can guide to hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19. For the 30-working day time period ending January 10 (the most latest quantities readily available), Ferrer noted that persons who gained the most up-to-date bivalent boosters are practically seven situations less very likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 than these who are unvaccinated…and practically 8 times significantly less likely to die from COVID-19. Also, these who obtained earlier vaccines but not the bivalent boosters are continue to about 3 periods much less most likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19, and four moments fewer probable to die than the unvaccinated.

But Ferrer also acknowledged that the several COVID-19 boosters that have been launched over the very last three many years have unquestionably made some confusion about who should really receive which photographs and when. And this confusion, she mentioned, is why the Fda fulfilled this 7 days to go over the risk of introducing a single annually, or two times-yearly vaccine. Ferrer explained, even so, that even though the Fda did frequently endorse the idea, conversations are continue to ongoing (and the virus is continually changing, which would make it trickier to build annual vaccines for COVID than the flu virus), so no policy selections have been built yet.

If a simplified vaccine routine is eventually instituted, on the other hand, Ferrer claimed it would likely seem one thing like this for individuals ages 12 and up:

And children would likely be vaccinated in accordance to this program:

Ferrer explained that if the Fda does institute the annually vaccine program, LA County will be organized for the transform, and will target on earning absolutely sure the once-a-year vaccines are distributed equitably, safely, and swiftly to all people, like these in underserved spots, and people who are homebound.

Some of this may possibly turn out to be a bit extra complicated, nevertheless, reported Ferrer, mainly because both condition and federal-amount crisis orders relating to COVID-19 are scheduled to conclude before long (the state order at the end of this month, and many federal orders in May perhaps). And that means the federal government will no for a longer time offer COVID-19 vaccinations, tests, and therapies for absolutely free, so affordability will depend on no matter whether an person is insured, and what form of insurance policy they have. (Medicare and Medicaid will likely nonetheless be ready to offer cost-free or minimal charge vaccines, tests and remedies for individuals who take part in those applications, Ferrer said. But expenses for the uninsured, or these insured through private providers, could fluctuate extensively.)

Ferrer also described, having said that, that the LA County unexpected emergency declaration does not automatically expire when the condition or federal orders expire, and that LA County is normally free of charge to set its own procedures, primarily based on regional needs, which might be stricter than individuals executed by the condition or federal federal government. So she mentioned the LA County Supervisors, who established county coverage, are now commencing to discuss no matter whether or not to continue area protections this kind of as the present-day eviction moratorium, and regardless of whether or not specified protecting steps instituted all through the emergency interval above the final a few years need to be ongoing into the forthcoming “non-crisis periods.” (Ferrer also famous that LA County is expected to overview its very own unexpected emergency declaration just about every 30 days, so the wellness office has ongoing discussions with the Board of Supervisors to provide updates on our community disorders every single month. She also explained that the department is not “lobbying” 1 way or one more on the problem of whether or not or not to continue on the declaration, but is supporting the the supervisors glance at protections that may possibly disappear right after the state and federal orders expire, and how the county may possibly continue on some of individuals protections if they’re however considered needed.)

“It’s a wonderful relief to see that LA County remains in the small local community amount, and my hope is that we’re moving into a new period, with considerably less devastation, fewer sever illness, and specially, a lot less death,” claimed Ferrer around the conclusion of her remarks on Thursday. “It’s significant to acknowledge that the improvements we’re observing are a testomony to the way inhabitants have adapted, discovered and proceed to use the new resources and typical feeling protections when warranted. Above the following few months, as crisis orders carry and new proposals are place into play, there will be a lot of facts circulating. Let us not permit go of what we have realized so far, so that we can keep on to just take gain of the protections that are offered, including the bivalent boosters, therapeutics, and our county resources. And, most of all, due to the fact COVID-19 will carry on to effect folks extensive just after it’s remaining the spotlight, let’s proceed to care for just about every other.”

Finally, in remedy to the problem of irrespective of whether the pandemic is around and we can now safely and securely refer to COVID-19 as “endemic,” Ferrer defined that a “pandemic” is an formal globally declaration manufactured by the Entire world Well being Organization, which has not but declared an conclude to the world COVID-19 pandemic. Also, she reminded inhabitants that even if there is no crisis declaration, the virus is even now right here, and “we will have persons who will go on to have unfavorable results if they don’t go on to have access vaccines, protections and therapeutics.” But she also said things are wanting fantastic domestically suitable now, and “Here in LA County, I experience quite comfy stating we’re in a new stage. Quite cozy.”