If you want cheap and healthy fast food, go to Taco Bell

Recently, I was scrolling through Facebook, and I noticed an article someone had shared about healthy fast food chains. I would've simply moved right past it if it hadn't been for the actual food pictured in the link to the article. It was a pair of chicken tacos from Taco Bell. I had never considered Taco Bell to be healthy, as the entirety of my trips there result in a Cheesy Gordita Crunch or a Doritos Locos Taco, but this link was clearly trying to tell me that Taco Bell was, in fact, one of the healthier fast food options. I wanted to learn more. 

The article that my Facebook friend had shared didn't give me much information, but a quick Google search got me the information I wanted. I wasn't sure what to expect in terms of how Taco Bell has managed to become such a healthy fast food option, but what I read impressed me. According to Tessa Newell of Business Insider, Taco Bell's dietician and product developer, Missy Nelson, "has made huge strides towards taking out all artificial ingredients, switching to cage-free eggs, and offering lighter (but still delicious) options. On top of all that, there has been a 15% reduction in sodium across all menu items." Newell also writes, "Taco Bell now offers so much more than the traditional menu we're used to. There is now a low-calorie "Fresco" menu, a high-protein "Cantina" menu, and a vegetarian menu certified by the American Vegetarian Association. The vegetarian menu even comes with vegan-friendly selections, all of which can be found on the Taco Bell app." Additionally, Mary Bowerman of USA Today writes that the restaurant chain plans to get rid of XL sodas, eliminate antibiotics from their chicken, and remove trans fat from their menu. 

As I suspected, Taco Bell's unhealthy items are obviously still unhealthy, but simply less so. It would seem that many people don't even know this when they eat Taco Bell now, likely due to either advertising reasons, or simply where the companies values are. Regardless, I can still order a Cheesy Gordita Crunch, and it will still be bad for me. But it's nice to know I have options. Combating obesity in this country would take a big step forward if many of these fast food giants can implement healthy changes and options like Taco Bell has. 

http://www.businessinsider.com/taco-bell-is-now-one-of-americas-healthiest-fast-food-chains-2016-10

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/nation-now/2017/01/05/taco-bell-may-healthiest-fast-food-option-out-there-doritos-taco/96204454/

I apologize for the lateness of this post. Completely slipped my mind