For being a Tex-Mex fast food joint with a history of controversial – or at least questionable – ingredients (looking at you, seasoned ground beef), Taco Bell is a surprisingly diet-friendly place to grab a quick meal. If you’re vegan, vegetarian, keto, gluten-free, or have other specific dietary restrictions, there’s usually something you can find on the menu that’ll work for you.
One of the popular diets circulating the country lately is the Mediterranean diet, which is an overall approach to eating that’s inspired by the regular diet of those living in Mediterranean countries like Italy, Greece, Spain, and France. The diet is praised for being very beneficial for your heart, weight loss, and overall health. It focuses on a balanced consumption of whole foods including eggs, fish, fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, whole grains, and healthy fats like olive oil.
So if you follow this popular diet and happen to be a Taco Bell lover, is there anything on the menu you can feel good about eating? To answer that question, we’ve compiled a complete list of Taco Bell’s most Mediterranean-diet-friendly items, along with any necessary modifications you can make to the meal so it better fits your needs.
Mediterranean diet-friendly items available on the Taco Bell menu
The Mediterranean diet definitely avoids things like fast food and processed foods as an overall rule – so it goes without saying that Taco Bell isn’t necessarily somewhere you want to frequent while following these eating habits. But if you’re in a pinch or looking to indulge once in a while, there are some options that’ll keep things in line with a Mediterranean diet.
Aside from things like processed additives and fatty fried foods, there are a few other no-nos on the Mediterranean diet. A big one to avoid is sugar, so that means no sweets, sodas, or sweetened beverages. Red meat should also be limited, which rules out any beef-based items at Taco Bell. And lastly, it’s best to avoid refined grains, so that means removing things like tortillas and rice – but the good news is that if you order a burrito at Taco Bell without the tortilla, it’ll come as a bowl and still make for a hefty meal.
Since lean meats like chicken and dairy products like cheese can be consumed in moderation, we’ve included these ingredients in the list of diet-friendly items (assuming Taco Bell wouldn’t be eaten regularly while on the diet). Just be selective when it comes to choosing ingredients – for example, sticking with shredded cheddar cheese over the more-processed nacho cheese sauce.
Pro tip: if you do wish to cut down on dairy in general, a great ordering hack at Taco Bell is to order your items “fresco style” – this means that any fatty or dairy-based ingredients included in the item (like mayo-based sauces, sour cream, and cheese) will automatically be replaced with fresh tomatoes.
And lastly, let’s talk about Taco Bell’s sauces: while some are better for you than others, unfortunately you can pretty much guarantee that these come highly processed, so it’s best to avoid them altogether if you’re sticking to a Mediterranean diet. Taco Bell’s Hot Sauces and Red and Green Sauces might be your best bet if you need that extra something, but for the purpose of this list we’ve scratched the sauces and condiments to avoid any hidden additives or unwanted ingredients.
Because Taco Bell makes it easy to customize your meals, this still leaves you with a decent amount of menu items you can order or modify that’ll be acceptable on a Mediterranean diet – it’s simply a matter of removing any problematic ingredients and adding anything you wish that’s Mediterranean-diet-friendly. Here’s the complete list based on the current menu!
| Menu Items | Necessary Modifications |
| Bean Burrito | No tortilla, no sauce |
| Burrito Supreme (Chicken) | No tortilla, no sauce |
| Fiesta Veggie Burrito | No tortilla, no rice, no tortilla strips, no sauce |
| Chipotle Ranch Grilled Chicken Burrito | No tortilla, no tortilla strips, no sauces |
| Chicken Chipotle Melt | No tortilla, no sauce |
| Power Menu Bowl (Chicken or Veggie) | No rice, no sauce |
| Black Beans | |
| Pintos N Cheese | |
| Ingredients + Add-Ons | |
| Eggs | |
| Chicken | |
| Black Beans | |
| Jalapeno Peppers | |
| Lettuce | |
| Onions | |
| Premium Guacamole | |
| Tomatoes | |
| Cheese (Cheddar, Three Cheese Blend) | |
| Sour Cream | |
| Beverages | |
| Black Coffee (Hot or Iced) | |
| Unsweetened Iced Tea |
While corn tortillas are made from a whole grain and usually have less carbs and sodium than flour tortillas, they’re generally considered a processed food and most likely contain hydrogenated oils, so it’s best to avoid any tortillas on the Mediterranean diet.
Taco Bell used to have a Fiesta Taco Salad (which came in a taco shell bowl), but it was discontinued due to low demand. There are currently no salads on the Taco Bell menu; however, they do have Power Menu Bowls, and if you order a burrito without the tortilla it will come as a bowl (which you can add lettuce to).
Most items on the Taco Bell menu can be ordered “fresco style”, which means that any dairy-based ingredients like sour cream, sauces, and cheese will be replaced with fresh tomatoes. This makes most meals vegan-friendly, and cuts out extra calories and fat.
