Are you looking for Optavia-friendly Chipotle options?
After doing Optavia 5 and 1 plan for over 12 months (and losing over 40 pounds) I found some really cool ways to eat out (like restaurants and stuff) and still stay in line with the guidelines.
Chipotle restaurant leaves plenty of room to modify your order. So you can eat at Chipotle at Optavia, as long as you customize your order.
I recommend staying away from rice and beans while adding more low-calorie salsas, and low-carb vegetables or cheese for healthy fat.
(It’s that simple.)
So, if you’re ready, let me show you 8 ways to modify your own Chipotle order and make it both tasty and Optavia-approved.
Can you have Chipotle on Optavia?
Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurant is all about burritos, tacos, and a variety of salads.
And while I love to sink my teeth into a creamy Mexican-style burrito bowl, on Optavia you can only choose “skinny” versions.
What do I mean by that?
Chipotle’s burritos are traditionally loaded with rice, beans, and meat, as well as delicious (and high-calorie) sauces like guacamole.
Unfortunately, Optavia doesn’t allow you to indulge in such treats.
According to the Optavia dining out guide, each of your lean and green meals should have lean proteins and low-carb veggies, all under 400 calories each.
The table below summarizes the calorie and macros content of lean and green meals.
| Calories | 250-400 |
| Carbohydrates | 15-20 grams |
| Proteins | 25 grams (or more) |
| Fats | 10-20 grams |
Keep this table handy, especially if you’re going out for tacos.
And similarly to Optavia-friendly options at Chick-fil-A, dining out at Chipotle requires some, let’s say, “creative” ordering.
For example, you can opt for a burrito bowl with lettuce and seasoned chicken, as well as salsa and sour cream (but no rice or beans).
(Which is not ideal.)
However, this way you can still enjoy the taste of Chipotle’s signature burritos without all the added calories.
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What can I eat at Chipotle on Optavia?
At Chipotle, you have the freedom to choose your own ingredients and build your own meals, which can be really helpful when trying to stick to certain guidelines.
While some ingredients may be excluded from the menu as they are high in calories, most of the options included are within the guidelines.
So, if you’re wondering what you can eat at Chipotle while following Optavia, here are some valuable guidelines to keep in mind.
Remember that it’s all about customizing your meal to fit your needs!
Burrito Bowl
Although you cannot have a Chipotle burrito on Optavia, a burrito bowl is actually approved.
This dish is loaded with proteins and does not have high-calorie tortillas.
How to make your Chipotle burrito bowl Optavia-friendly?
Here are steps to customize your Optavia Chipotle order to make it in line with the guidelines.
- Start with proteins. This restaurant has several options, such as chicken, steak, barbacoa
- Do not add rice and beans to your order. (Choose the “no rice” and “no beans” option.)
- Choose greens for your order. I suggest going for romaine lettuce, fajita veggies, or fresh tomato salsa
- You can add a little cheese for taste, as well as additional healthy fat and protein.
Note:
- Chipotle allows you to mix two types of protein options, which I recommend trying. For example, half chicken and half barbacoa. Or half steak and half chicken.
- When choosing carnitas as your protein option at Chipotle, remember it contains more calories and fat. Be mindful of toppings like sour cream to maintain a healthy balance.
Below you can find different variations of burrito bowls, depending on the type of protein you choose.
1. Chipotle Burrito Bowl with Chicken
The table below shows you the ingredients you should choose for your Chipotle burrito bowl with chicken.
| Options | Ingredients | # of servings |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | Chicken | 1 |
| Rice | No Rice | 0 |
| Beans | No Beans | 0 |
| Toppings | Fajita Veggies Romaine Lettuce Cheese Fresh Tomato Salsa | 1 – Normal 1 – Normal 1 – Light 1 – Normal |
Nutrition Facts
- Calories: 285
- Fats: 11 grams
- Proteins: 36 grams
- Carbs; 11 grams
- Sodium: 1105 mg
2. Chipotle Burrito Bowl with Steak (Spicy)
If you’re looking for a low-fat protein option at Chipotle, steak is a great choice.
This particular bowl is a fantastic option for those who enjoy beef and spicy flavors.
The combination of various sauces used will result in a truly unique and memorable taste experience.
| Options | Ingredients | # of servings |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | Steak | 1 – Normal |
| Rice | No Rice | 0 |
| Beans | No Beans | 0 |
| Toppings | Fajita Veggies Romaine Lettuce Cheese Tomatillo-Green Chili Salsa Tomatillo-Red Chili Salsa Fresh Tomato Salsa | 1 – Normal 1 – Normal 1 – Light 1 – Light 1 – Light 1 – Light |
Nutrition Facts
- Calories: 265
- Fats: 10 grams
- Proteins: 25 grams
- Carbs: 14 grams
- Sodium: 1105 mg
3. Chipotle Burrito Bowl with Mix Meat
Another creative way to customize your Chipotle order to make it Optavia-friendly is to mix two types of meat, which create a unique flavor profile that’s sure to impress.
My favorite combination is chicken and barbacoa, you always can change it for steak or just use barbacoa.
NOTE: I really recommend adding sour cream and tomato salsa can enhance the taste even further.
| Options | Ingredients | # of servings |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | Chicken Barbacoa | 1/2 – Normal 1/2 – Normal |
| Rice | No Rice | 0 |
| Beans | No Beans | 0 |
| Toppings | Fajita Veggies Romaine Lettuce Cheese Fresh Tomato Salsa Sour Cream | 1 – Normal 1 – Normal 1 – Light 1 – Light 1 – Light |
Nutrition Facts
- Calories: 390
- Fats: 20 grams
- Proteins: 34 grams
- Carbs: 14 grams
- Sodium: 1245 mg
Lifestyle Bowl
Yes, you can have a Chipotle Lifestyle Bowl on Optavia, but you need to modify your order.
The main ingredient in this bowl is romaine lettuce. (It’s a default item so you can’t remove it.)
The second part is a chipotle-honey vinaigrette sauce, which is also part of the bowl, but fortunately, we don’t have to add this sauce.
By default, Chipotle’s Lifestyle Bowl contains approximately 8 items, but I suggest you choose only two.
- Grain Freedom Bowl
- Wholesome bowl
Although feel free to experiment with the protein option, here are my favorite variations.
4. Chipotle Wholesome Bowl with Chicken
In my opinion, Chipotle Wholesome Bowl with Chicken is the easiest to modify for Optavia, as you only need to remove the sauces.
As for other ingredients, everything remains unchanged.
Plus, there is no need to worry about carbs either, as the bowl does not contain rice or beans.
So just remove (or replace) the sauce and enjoy a high-protein and Optavia-approved Chipotle Lifestyle Bowl.
| Options | Ingredients | # of servings |
|---|---|---|
| Remove from order | Chipotle-Honey vinaigrette Guacamole | 0 0 |
| Included Ingredient | Romaine Lettuce | 1 – Normal |
| Protein | Chicken | 1 – Normal |
| Rice | No Rice | 0 |
| Beans | No Beans | 0 |
| Toppings | Fajita Veggies Fresh Tomato Salsa Sour Cream | 1 – Normal 1 – Normal 1 – Normal |
Nutrition Facts
- Calories: 285
- Fats: 12 grams
- Proteins: 34 grams
- Carbs: 11 grams
- Sodium: 1025 mg
5. Chipotle Grain Freedom Bowl with Mix Meat
In the Chipotle Grain Freedom Bowl, I play around with different types of meat.
One of my favorite mixes for this dish is steak with barbacoa. To make this dish more awesome, don’t add any sauce.
Also, choose a “light cheese” instead of a regular one.
The table below shows you how to modify Chipotle Grain Freedom Bowl.
| Options | Ingredients | # of servings |
|---|---|---|
| Remove from order | Chipotle-Honey vinaigrette | 0 |
| Included Ingredient | Romaine Lettuce | 1 – Normal |
| Protein | Steak Barbacoa | 1/2 – Normal 1/2 – Normal |
| Rice | No Rice | 0 |
| Beans | No Beans | 0 |
| Toppings | Cheese Fresh Tomato Salsa Tomatillo-Red Chili Salsa Sour Cream | 1 – Light 1 – Normal 1 – Normal 1 – Normal |
Nutrition Facts
- Calories: 385
- Fats: 20 grams
- Proteins: 38 grams
- Carbs: 13 grams
- Sodium: 1605 mg
Salad
Chipotle offers a variety of salads on its menu, which is similar to a lifestyle bowl.
The most popular salad option is the “Salad Bowl,” which includes a base of lettuce and is topped with your choice of protein, such as grilled chicken, or steak.
To enjoy a salad at Chipotle on the Optavia diet, you need to follow similar steps, which we already know:
- Avoid rice and beans in order
- Remove chipotle-honey vinaigrette and add different on your taste and nutrition information
- Add ingredients that contain enough protein, healthy fat, and green options
(Easy.)
Here is an example of how to make Chipotle Salad 5 and 1 approved.
6. Chipotle Salad with Chicken
| Options | Ingredients | # of servings |
|---|---|---|
| Remove from order | Chipotle-Honey vinaigrette | 0 |
| Included Ingredient | Romaine Lettuce | 1 – Normal |
| Protein | Chicken | 1 – Normal |
| Rice | No Rice | 0 |
| Beans | No Beans | 0 |
| Toppings | Cheese Fresh Tomato Salsa Fajita Veggies Queso Blanco | 1 – Light 1 – Light 1 – Normal 1 – Normal |
Nutrition Facts
- Calories: 393
- Fats: 20 grams
- Proteins: 41 grams
- Carbs: 13 grams
- Sodium: 1080 mg
Taco
Last on my list of Chipotle’s popular menu items are the tacos, which are available in two types of tortillas:
- Crispy corn
- Soft flour
You can choose from a variety of proteins, such as chicken, and steak, and can order either one or three servings of tacos.
Keep in mind that ordering just one serving of tacos doesn’t give you enough proteins to match Optavia’s lean and green meals.
Even if you choose the highest protein item like chicken.
(Yay! More tacos!)
On the other hand, if you order three servings, you need to precisely choose other ingredients to ensure you’re still within the calorie budget.
Here are two combinations that I tried to get as close to Optavia’s recommendations as possible.
7. Chipotle Soft Taco with Chicken
| Options | Ingredients | # of servings |
|---|---|---|
| Tortilla | Soft Flour | 1 – Normal |
| Protein | Grilled Chicken | 1 – Normal |
| Toppings | Cheese Fresh Tomato Salsa Romaine Lettuce | 1 – Extra 1 – Normal 1 – Normal |
| Add-ons | Queso Blanco | 1 – Normal |
Nutrition Facts
- Calories: 267
- Fats: 13 grams
- Proteins: 19 grams
- Carbs: 17 grams
- Sodium: 657 mg
8. Chipotle Crunchy Taco with Chicken (Spicy)
| Options | Ingredients | # of servings |
|---|---|---|
| Tortilla | Crispy Corn | 1 – Normal |
| Protein | Grilled Chicken | 1 – Normal |
| Toppings | Cheese Tomato Green Chili Salsa Romaine Lettuce Sour Cream | 1 – Extra 1 – Normal 1 – Normal 1 – Light |
| Sauces | Guacamole | 1 – Normal |
Nutrition Facts
- Calories: 302
- Fats: 19 grams
- Proteins: 17 grams
- Carbs: 15 grams
- Sodium: 445 mg
One alternative is to see our Optavia Taco Bell options. They offer a variety of tasty taco options that are more suitable for the Optavia plan.
For example, you can try their crunchy tacos made with seasoned beef or grilled chicken, which provide a good amount of protein without excessive calories.
The bottom line
It’s clear that it can be a challenge to decide what to eat if following the Optavia program.
My advice is to study the Chipotle menu and always modify (and experiment) with different options.
With a little bit of practice and careful examination of nutrition facts, eating out can fit into any diet plan, including 5 and 1.
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