Is Taco Bell Nutrition the Worst?
Despite recent criticism, Taco Bell nutrition is not the worst in the fast food industry. Mind you, they still have a long way to go to be considered a “healthy option,” but Taco Bell now has a few healthier items on their menu and fair significantly better than a few of their competitors in overall nutritional value.
McDonald's, for example, just introduced a new fried McChicken Sandwich that contains more calories and fat than most double cheeseburgers (even more than the Quarter Pounder). Jack-in-the-Box is another offender. They have recently created what they call the “The Ultimate Cheeseburger.” This behemoth has the equivalent of over 15 teaspoons of pure fat!
So no, Taco bell isn’t the worst, but a few of their offerings are running a close second when it comes to calorie count and saturated fat content. Taco Bell’s new Fiesta Salad is one surprisingly bad contender for least healthy fast food item of the year. Because it’s a salad, few people would imagine that it actually has more calories and fat than a Big Mac. How they managed to create a salad that’s worse for you that a Big Mac (which isn’t healthy to begin with) is beyond comprehension. And yet…
Of course it’s well known that certain "light" foods are no healthier than regular (non-light) offerings, but now Taco Bell has managed to create a "light" that's actually much worse. Amazing (and sad) but true; the most fat-heavy food available at Taco Bell is now a salad. Even the sodium content (1,662 mg) is the highest on the Taco Bell menu!
So is taco Bell any healthier than the other fast food chains? Absolutely not. Still they have the distinction of not being exactly at the bottom of the list. The truth is all of these major fat food companies have a long way to go. There is increasing consumer advocate pressure and even talk of government enforced bans on saturated fats, which figure so prominently in many fast food meals.
So the pressure is definitely on for taco Bell and their competitors. The real question is, what will they do about it? So far the fast food industry has been dragging its heals every step of the way. They have resisted consumer group recommendations and even government guidelines. Will it really take an all out “ban” on certain food-stuffs to finally get the attention of McDonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell and all the other national fast food chains?
Just like all the other big players, Taco Bell nutrition has a long way to go, and with pressure mounting; only time will tell if they can avert government action to regulate their industry.
Cody Greenlaw
If you want more information on Healthy Eating, please visit my website at http://www.eathealthy101.com
Source: www.articledashboard.com
