Is Chipotle Healthy?

The fast-casual restaurant chain advertises organic and sustainable food—but is it good for you?

By Chris Hatler

 

As you go down the line deciding which ingredients to include in your burrito or burrito bowl at Chipotle—debating whether to drop the extra couple bucks for guacamole—you’ve probably asked yourself: Is Chipotle healthy?

Chipotle is the one of the most popular fast-casual chain restaurants in the world, grossing nearly $6 billion in revenue in 2020, according to Statista. Many people rely on the Mexican quick-service restaurant as a go-to for a fast meal, sometimes after a workout. But does its convenience line up with its potential health benefits?

We talked to Roxana Ehsani, M.S., R.D., C.S.S.D., sports dietitian and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, to get to the truth inside the tortilla.

Is Chipotle healthy?

Ehsani says that Chipotle offers an abundance of healthy choices for customers. She lauds the nutrient-dense options available, like brown rice. Plus, there are plenty of veggie choices—such as peppers, onions, lettuce, and the diverse range of salsas—that are rich with vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Both pinto and black beans are excellent sources of protein (and plant-based protein at that), as well as dietary fiber. Chipotle offers guacamole too, which also contains fiber and healthy fats.

“It’s great you can modify your meal your way too,” she says. “You have the option to make it a bowl or salad, make it vegetarian or meat-based… Many fast-casual restaurants don’t have veggies, whole grains, or healthy fats on the menu, so it’s great that Chipotle does.”

Keep in mind, it’s easy to go overboard. Chipotle is set up in a cafeteria-style line, where you simply tell the person behind the counter to add whatever you like. It can be tempting to keep asking for more and more ingredients. So as you’re going through, beware of adding too much sour cream, queso, cheese, or even an extra scoop of guacamole.

“If you have all of these high-fat, high-calorie options on your burrito, bowl, or salad, those calories can add up quickly,” Ehsani says. “Even an option like a burrito bowl may end up over the recommended amount of calories per one meal.”

Does the organic stamp at Chipotle mean it’s healthier than other options?

Chipotle prides itself on its organic ingredients, responsibly-raised meat, and a lack of added growth hormones in their ingredients. But be careful about taking these buzzwords to mean Chipotle also promotes your health.

In fact, Ehsani says that organic doesn’t always mean healthy: “For example, cookies can be made with organic ingredients, but [that] doesn’t necessarily mean they’re better for you than a regular cookie made without organic ingredients.”

The positive, however, is that a brand like Chipotle can’t get away with saying their food is organic without meeting the proper USDA standards for organic handling and processing.

Produce that is USDA-certified organic is grown in soil that has no prohibited substances—such as most pesticides or synthetic fertilizers—applied for three years prior to harvest. Organic animal products won’t have growth hormones or antibiotics, and the animals themselves eat organic feed and must be allowed to graze. Both instances are more environmentally friendly than standard food production processes.

You know you’re getting better produced food that’s safer for the environment, but there’s no definitive evidence that eating organic is healthier for you. So while the organic ingredients might not carry a health halo, Chipotle is still a solid choice for fast casual food—just maybe not healthier than restaurants without a full list of organic ingredients.

Exercise to Prevent Cancer

At Least 5 Hours of Moderate-Intensity Activity Per Week May Prevent Certain Types of Cancers

Elizabeth Millard

• At least five hours of moderate-intensity activity per week may prevent certain types of cancers related to the breast, colon, stomach, kidney, bladder, and esophagus, new research suggests.
• Exercise has been shown to address some causes of cancer, such as obesity and inflammation.
• Of course, exercise alone won’t eliminate your risk since there are many factors that go into that equation, including genetics, environmental exposure, smoking and alcohol use, age, diet, and hormones.

When it comes to cancer prevention, lifestyle habits make an enormous difference, and exercise is a major part of that, according to a new study in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.

Researchers looked at state-level data on cancer incidence as well as physical activity by state (in people age 30 or older) and found a strong connection between reduced cancer prevalence and more exercise. That was particularly true for cancers related to the breast, colon, stomach, kidney, bladder, and esophagus.

They noted that more than 46,000 cancer cases in the U.S. annually could be prevented if people followed the guideline of getting at least five hours of moderate-intensity activity per week. For all cancer cases in adults between 2013 and 2016, about 3 percent were attributable to physical inactivity, they suggested. That incidence was higher in women than in men, researchers added.

States with the highest proportion of cancers attributed to sedentary behavior were in the South, such as Kentucky, West Virginia, Tennessee, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Those with the lowest proportion were in Western states like Montana, Utah, and Wyoming.

Of course, exercise alone won’t eliminate your cancer risk since there are many factors that go into that equation, including genetics, environmental exposure, obesity, chronic inflammation, smoking and alcohol use, age, diet, and hormones.

However, exercise has been shown in the past to address some of those factors, such as obesity and inflammation. With the latter, more intense physical activity can actually increase inflammation in the short term, but research indicates it brings the level down overall, and one study noted that as little as 20 minutes of exercise could kick off this effect.

“Continuous inflammation stresses your entire body, including lowering your immune system response, damaging your DNA, and affecting your gut health,” William Li, M.D., author of Eat to Beat Disease: The New Science of How Your Body Can Heal Itself, told Runner’s World. “All of those can contribute toward cancer development, as well as raise your risk of type 2 diabetes and other chronic conditions, especially if it comes with weight gain.”

Building muscle through strength training or endurance exercise—like cycling—can be helpful for reducing inflammation, Li said, particularly if you adopt a diet rich in anti-inflammatory foods, like fruits and vegetables.

The Fitter You Are, the Faster Your Body Can Burn Fat for Energy

Long rides tend to deplete your glycogen stores, so using fat for fuel can help minimize the impact.

 

By Elizabeth Millard

Brian Barnhart

• Endurance athletes burn fat faster for energy, and women are better at it than men, according to recent research based on two studies.
• The reason may be related to the fact that women tend to have a greater reliance on fat as a fuel source, which could give them a metabolic advantage.
• Long rides tend to deplete your glycogen stores, and if your body is able to burn fat for energy better, it can help minimize the impact.

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Here’s more proof that regular exercise makes your body’s processes more efficient: Endurance athletes burn fat faster, and women are better at it than men, according to recent research based on two studies.

The first study, published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition & Exercise Medicine, looked at 73 women and men who reported different levels of regular physical activity before participating in the study. The people in the study performed cycling trials anywhere between seven and 28 days apart, and researchers tested each person’s resting metabolic rate (the amount of calories burned when your body is completely at rest) and peak fat oxidation (a measure of how quickly you break down fatty acids) right before each cycling trial.

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Those who exercised regularly before participating in the trials—especially women—burned fat more efficiently while cycling, researchers concluded.

In a second, related paper published in Experimental Physiology, the same researchers dug a little deeper into potential factors for why this might be the case. They took fat and muscle biopsies from the study’s participants and analyzed differences in proteins that might be affecting their ability to burn fat.

They found that some proteins in muscle play a major role in breaking stored fat into smaller fatty acids that other proteins then transport into cells—which are then turned into fuel for energy. Those who exercised regularly had more of these proteins.

Neither exploration could pinpoint why women might see a greater effect than men, but it may be related to the fact that women tend to have a greater reliance on fat as a fuel source, which could give them a metabolic advantage, according to lead author Oliver Chrzanowski-Smith, Ph.D., who works in the Department of Health and Social Care for the Isle of Man in the U.K.

He also told Runner’s World that women might have increased fatty acid delivery to skeletal muscle in general, and more estrogen receptors may also play a role in fat oxidation.

For both women and men, the biggest takeaway is that regular activity boosts the body’s ability to use fat as a fuel source; Chrzanowski-Smith said that’s what builds more proteins in skeletal muscle and creates that “fat as fuel” effect in the body.

Regular training is especially important for endurance athletes, he added, since long rides tend to deplete those crucial glycogen stores, and being better able to burn fat can help minimize that impact.

Elizabeth Millard is a freelance writer focusing on health, wellness, fitness, and food. 

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The Benefits of Outdoor Exercise on Your Brain, According to New Research

Here’s another reason to go for a ride in the fresh air when you can.

 

By Selene Yeager

Jul 23, 2021

• Brain structure improves with time spent outdoors, regardless of sun exposure, activity, or other factors, new research suggests.
• The researchers believe fresh air could be behind the brain-building benefits, which is another reason to sneak in a weekday ride and to take your rides outside when you can.

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As cyclists, we all enjoy the sun on our face and wind in our hair (albeit through our vents). Now, according to recent research published in The World Journal of Biological Psychiatry, we can add an increase in grey matter to the benefits of a ride outside, because a spin in the fresh air literally remodels your brain.

That’s right, being outside actually increases the grey matter volume in the right dorsolateral–prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), which is a part of the brain associated with executive functions like working memory, planning, and selective attention.

To examine the impact of time outdoors on the brain, the researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin recruited six healthy employees, ages 24 to 32, and tracked their time spent outdoors, amount of free time, physical activity, fluid intake, and caffeine intake over a six- to eight-month period while also performing MRI brain scans on them about twice a week. To factor in the effect of seasonal changes, the researchers also took the duration of sunshine into account.

The study was very small, but because they were all employees of the facility, they had a lot of brain scans—more than 280 MRIs over the study period.

The researchers found that, regardless of all the other factors, time outdoors—even small amounts—was linked to greater grey matter volume in the DLPFC part of the brain. The more time outdoors, the higher the grey matter. When all factors were taken into consideration, the level of brain structure change attributed to time outside was 3 percent, which is in line with structural improvements associated with known brain-building activities like physical exercise and cognitive training.

“Our results show that our brain structure and mood improve when we spend time outdoors. This most likely also affects concentration, working memory, and the psyche as a whole,” Simone Kühn, Ph.D., head of the Lise Meitner Group for Environmental Neuroscience at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development and lead author of the study, said in a press release.

What’s behind the brain-building impact of the outdoors is still unknown, but the researchers suspect that fresh air might be one of the key factors.

“We do not know yet what the mechanism could be,” Kühn told Bicycling. “A potential candidate is air quality. Air quality can be surprisingly bad indoors compared to outdoors, even in busy cities. There is also evidence that terpenes—the essential oil of trees—can have beneficial effects on the human immune system,” Kühn said.

Indeed, according to research on “forest bathing,” or spending time amidst trees, these terpenes are not only anti-inflammatory, but also neuroprotective, meaning they protect your brain from injury and promote regeneration.

Whatever the underlying cause, every time you ride to work, run an errand by bike, or take a spin in the fresh air, you’re doing something good for your fitness and wellbeing as well as your brain.

Selene Yeager “The Fit Chick” Selene Yeager is a top-selling professional health and fitness writer who lives what she writes as a NASM certified personal trainer, USA Cycling certified coach, Pn1 certified nutrition coach, pro licensed off road racer, and All-American Ironman triathlete.

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High-Intensity Exercise or Endurance? For the Most Health Benefits, Do Both

HIIT and SIT workouts can get you fit fast, but for lasting health benefits, you need moderate-intensity exercise, too.

By ​Selene Yeager            

    Recent research in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise found that high-intensity exercise (HIIE) was more effective for improving aerobic fitness and cardiovascular health, and moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) was better for long-term blood sugar control.

    This study adds to recent evidence that one exercise intensity is not superior to another, and there are good reasons to do both for overall health benefits.

High-intensity interval exercise (HIIE) has been the darling of the fitness world for the better part of the past decade, because these quick, hard intervals can help you get fit fast. But a recent meta-analysis published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise is a good reminder that for long term metabolic health benefits, you need moderate-intensity endurance training, too.

As a refresher, a tall stack of studies shows that high-intensity exercise, such as high-intensity interval training (near-maximum efforts) and sprint-interval training (“all out” efforts)—brief bursts of hard exercise followed by a short period of rest—is a time-efficient way to boost your aerobic and anaerobic fitness, making you stronger and faster on the bike. HIIE also has myriad health benefits, such as improving insulin sensitivity, improving brain function, lowering your risk of cancer, and burning fat while helping you maintain lean muscle mass.

But there’s a catch. The health benefits of high-intensity training can be transient. Research shows that some of the favorable effects, such as improved blood sugar control, can drop back to previous levels 24 hours after exercise. And you’re only supposed to do a HIIT or SIT session two to three days a week—too much intensity increases inflammation in the body, which is bad for performance and health.

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So what’s the best approach for long-term health improvement as well as fitness gains right now? A team of German researchers decided to pore through the current literature to examine the specific cardiovascular and metabolic benefits of both.

The scientists analyzed the results of 55 studies that examined the effects of HIIE and moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) on seven different health outcomes:

    Cardiovascular health (measured by endothelial function, or how well blood vessels respond to exercise demands)

    Body composition

    Blood pressure

    Blood lipids

    Inflammation

    Insulin and glucose (blood sugar) metabolism.

The meta-analysis found HIIE was more effective for improving both aerobic fitness and cardiovascular health. For long-term blood sugar control, however, moderate, steady-state exercise was superior.

Everything else was pretty much a draw, though there appeared to be some benefits unique to different age groups. For instance, HIIE had benefits for people ages 30 to 50 for reducing diastolic blood pressure and for those who already had elevated blood pressure. And SIT appeared to be particularly effective for lowering LDL cholesterol levels.

It’s also important to note that, though it appears that HIIE may have some advantages for fitness, these studies alone aren’t enough to draw that conclusion, says exercise training researcher Jamie Burr, Ph.D., associate professor at University of Guelph, HHNS, Ontario.

“It is important to note that the average study duration was only 9 +/- 5 weeks,” Burr says. “It begs the question as to whether HIIT is actually superior overall, or just superior at stimulating change quickly.”

The take-home message that is emerging from this analysis—as well as from a recent study, which also reported unique benefits from both types of exercise—is that there’s no one “best” way to workout. Making room for both high-intensity and steady-state endurance activity not only makes you a more well-rounded athlete, but also provides a greater spectrum of health benefits.

​Selene Yeager “The Fit Chick” Selene Yeager is a top-selling professional health and fitness writer who lives what she writes as a NASM certified personal trainer, USA Cycling certified coach, Pn1 certified nutrition coach, pro licensed off road racer, and All-American Ironman triathlete.