Is Taco Bell Keto Friendly?


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Sticking to a Keto diet is not always easy. It can be especially difficult to adopt this diet as a lifestyle if you are always on the go. 

When you think of going out to eat and dieting, your options are pretty much salad. Eating salad day after day after day can seem a bit tedious and boring for your taste buds. 

You may just want to give up and go back to enjoying all the foods instead of limiting your carbs. However, more restaurants are recognizing that people are making healthier choices and adding healthier items to their menu all the time. 

If you are following the Keto diet, how will you know if you are in ketosis? When your body does not have any carbs to burn, it will burn fat instead. Your body burning fat instead of carbs is considered ketosis. 

So if you are following a Keto diet, which limits your carb intake, you will most likely be in ketosis. Is it possible to follow a Keto diet and still enjoy eating out? 

Taco Bell is a great option for fast food when you are following the Keto diet. While there may be many menu items to choose from at Taco Bell, you will most likely need to make modifications to follow the Keto diet. 

Here are some of the items from Taco Bell that you can order as-is off the menu. 

  • Crunchy Taco: While tortillas are generally not a great option to eat while following the Keto diet, the carbs in a crunchy taco are manageable. The net carbs for a crunchy taco at Taco Bell are 10 grams and only have 170 calories. 
  • Doritos Locos Taco: A taco shell made of Doritos? Yes, please! You can enjoy this deliciously flavored taco as it contains only 10 grams of net carbs and only 179 calories. 

These items on Taco Bell’s menu can be modified to ensure that you can enjoy eating out and still follow the Keto diet. 

  • Chicken Power Menu Bowl: Even though it may be advertised as one of Taco Bell’s “healthier” menu items, it still has too many carbs to be eaten without any modification. When you order the chicken power menu bowl, be sure to ask for no rice and no beans. Removing these two items from your bowl will allow you to stay in ketosis.  When you remove the beans and rice, your bowl will only have 4 grams of net carbs and 240 calories.
  • Steak Power Menu Bowl: Much like the chicken bowl, in order to remain in ketosis, you will need to remove the rice and beans. However, steak is a bit higher in carbs so the net carbs are different between the two. After removing the rice and beans, your bowl will be left with 6 grams of net carbs and 250 calories. 
  • Beefy 5-Layer Burrito: This burrito has ground beef, refried beans, sour cream, cheese, and cheese sauce all on a large tortilla. The easiest modification is to simply remove the tortilla. Once you remove the tortilla, your burrito is only 10 grams of net carbs and 200 calories. 
  • Chicken Quesadilla: Taco Bell’s quesadillas are very delicious. They are full of melted cheese, chicken, and creamy jalapeno sauce. The easiest way to make your quesadilla Keto-friendly is by removing the tortilla. You will be left with only 3 grams of net carbs and 310 calories. 

Taco Bell Taco Dinner Kit, Soft, 14.6 Ounce

Do you love Taco Bell but hate spending the money or leaving the house to go and get it?

Well you are in luck!

With this Taco Bell Dinner pack you can make your own tacos right in your own kitchen!

Can You Eat Corn Taco Shells On Keto? 

Starting a new diet is a huge decision. Whether you are starting a new diet to lose weight or for health reasons, it can feel like you are giving up a lot of your favorite foods. 

If you have decided to follow the Keto diet, you will be giving up carbs and sugar. While you can still eat plenty of fats and protein, giving up carbs may be hard. 

There are different modifications you can make to help make it easier. For example, you can use cauliflower as bread or even cheese for bread too. What about tacos? 

If you love Taco Tuesday, is there some sort of replacement you can use for tortilla shells? Will corn taco shells work instead of flour? 

Corn taco shells are not necessarily “Keto approved.” However, if you are looking to start the Keto diet off by making a few adjustments here and there, a good choice is a corn tortilla over the flour tortilla. 

Corn tortillas have a lower carb content than flour tortillas do, but they are still higher in carbs than other food items and aren’t very keto friendly. 

What Fast Food Restaurants Are Keto Friendly? 

Following a Keto diet can seem highly restrictive. You went from eating anything on the menu to now just a salad. However, while it may seem like most fast-food menu items are not Keto-friendly, you can make a few modifications so they can be. 

Here are a few restaurants that can be Keto-friendly with a few modifications: 

  • Taco Bell: You can still enjoy eating at your favorite Mexican fast-food restaurant. You can order crunchy tacos or almost any non-rice burrito and remove the tortilla. With a few modifications, you can enjoy a variety of items on Taco Bell’s menu.
  • McDonald’s: McDonald’s may not seem like it has many healthy options; you can make them better with just a few adjustments. You can order a grilled chicken sandwich and remove the bun for a keto-friendly dinner. You can order a burger and just remove the bun to stay in ketosis. Removing the bun can also be an option for their breakfast menu as well. If you are in a hurry in the morning, you can still eat Keto-friendly food. Simply order a breakfast sandwich and remove the bun. 
  • Chipotle: At Chipotle, you can create your own bowls. You can choose ingredients to create a chicken salad bowl. You can add cheese, lettuce, salsa, guacamole, and chicken for a healthy on-the-go lunch or dinner. 
  • Wendy’s: Much like McDonald’s, you can take a majority of their sandwich items and simply remove the bun. However, Wendy’s has excellent salad options that are also Keto-friendly as well. 

Final Thoughts

Next time you are on the go and feeling hunger pains, there is no need to break your Keto diet. You can still stay in Ketosis and enjoy some of Taco Bell’s food items. 

Modifications may be necessary to stay in ketosis, but making a few modifications is better than going hungry. 

Hannah R.

Hey, I'm Hannah and I'm the founder of Get Eatin'.

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