Are Burritos Healthy? Health Benefits and Drawbacks!

A burrito’s constituent components — beans, rice, pico de gallo, shredded cheese, and meat — aren’t unhealthy. However, if you’re trying to lose weight and your question is, are burritos healthy, then it can be a bit tricky. Let’s figure it out. 

To lose weight or follow a healthy diet, you need to know its effect on your health and pick the proper burrito to prepare with nutritional components. Here, in this article, we will help you figure out the best solution to this problem.

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Are Burritos Healthy?

Yes, obviously. It contains some very nutritious ingredients that can be beneficial to your health. But a little bit of issue arises when they are in a six-inch flour tortilla with sour cream. 

Because, at that time, they contain a massive amount of calories. Let’s see some quick tips to make your burrito a healthy one.

Quick Steps to Make It Healthier

The burrito has a lot of healthy ingredients, but it also has a lot of unhealthy ones. Depending on your personal preferences and goals, you may be able to make it a tad healthier. As a result, it’s possible to make it a little more beneficial for you. Here are a few steps we’d recommend taking:

1. To save calories, opt for whole wheat tortillas instead of regular tortillas.
2. Replace rice with quinoa, whole-grain barley, or farro instead.
3. To get the most flavor out of your hot sauce, you should marinate your chicken before cooking it. Then, add fresh tomatoes, avocado, onions, and bell peppers to the dish. Making pico de gallo in a pinch is an option as well.
4. Instead of flour tortillas, you can try to pan-fry thin slices of chilled polenta to add texture.
5. The calories in dried beans cooked in water or broth with seasonings are not filled with fat and can be healthy. Canned beans in low-sodium varieties are another option.
6. Instead of adding many calories to your meal, use a small amount of crumbled cotija cheese to add a bit of flavor.

Burrito Recipes that are Better for You

The burrito’s ingredients, toppings, and preparation method influence its fattening potential. High-processed flour is used to preserve supermarket tortillas containing trans fats. Uncooked flour tortillas are available in the refrigerated section of your local supermarket.

Because you control the ingredients, making your own at home is the healthiest option. Here are ten brilliant burrito options that are healthier and a lot easier to make as well-

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Shrimp Burrito with Tomatillo Salsa:

When stuffed with shrimp, burritos are noticeably lighter than when stuffed with chorizo, steak, ground beef, or carne asada. It’s easy to make your salsa verde with fresh tomatillos, which provides a lot of flavors without calories.

Lighter Carne Asada Burrito:

This filling burrito features lean flank steak as the star ingredient. A Chipotle-flavored marinade permeates the meat with many flavors after soaking it for a long time. This burrito has a winning combination of guacamole, fresh pico de gallo, and black beans.

Fiber-Filled Breakfast Burrito:

We can cut the calories in half by using whole wheat tortillas instead of white, lean chicken sausage, fiber-rich beans, and fresh avocado. That too while increasing this dish’s nutritional value (and deliciousness). It is a good deal for your breakfast.

Vegan Mega-Burritos:

Try this easy vegan taco meat filling made with chipotle-seasoned cauliflower and walnuts the next time you make a burrito. It’s delicious! Guacamole and vegan queso can be added to these wraps to make them even better.

Collard-Wrapped Burritos:

According to The Daily Meal, a white-flour tortilla is one of the worst offenders for high sodium content. Instead of consuming an extra 300 calories, wrap your burrito in a blanched collard green leaf. Each of these burritos contains just 273 calories.

Quinoa and Chicken Burritos:

This quinoa and the chicken burrito is no exception to the healthy food substitution rule. However, rotisserie chickens are a convenient and straightforward source of lean protein. 

Make a more nutritious burrito with pulled quinoa, rotisserie chicken, Greek yoghurt, black beans, avocado, and cilantro. 

Korean BBQ Burritos:

Slow-cooked top sirloin with garlic, ginger, pear, sesame oil and soy sauce are the centerpiece of this thing. You won’t get enough of this burrito packed with kimchi, rice, herbs, and Sriracha.

Southwest Chicken Burritos:

You shouldn’t be afraid to use taco seasoning in your burrito if you don’t like it in tacos. Because of the abundance of brightly colored vegetables, corn, and beans in these burritos, they taste like a fiesta in a bite.

Black Bean & Veggie Burritos:

This dish is loaded with sauteed vegetables such as mushrooms and zucchini and tomatoes, corn, and onions. If you watch your caloric intake, cauliflower rice can be a healthier alternative to white rice.

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Lentil Burritos:

Do you crave ground beef’s flavor and texture but want to avoid the fat and calories? This recipe for lentil burritos is a must-try! The sweet potatoes also feature baby spinach, salsa, in addition to the Monterey Jack cheese. The coriander yoghurt sauce is a must-have!

Suggestions for You in the Restaurant:

It is not always necessary to prepare it yourself, and you can find ready-made delicious burritos in restaurants.

We have tips for you if you take it from the restaurant. You can pick any of them based on calories and taste –

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Are burritos healthier than tacos?

Both are rich in sodium, but the amount is higher in burritos. Thus, it would be wise to say that tacos are healthier than burritos. 

Is a Chipotle burrito healthy?

It’s one of the healthiest options out there. No artificial additives are added in it.

Should I eat burrito before workout?

It would be a good idea to eat burrito before workout as it would help energize your body. 

Conclusion

Burritos contain various nutritious ingredients, such as beans, rice, pico de gallo, shredded cheese, and meat, among other things.

On the other hand, tortillas, cheese, and other foods may present difficulties for those trying to shed some pounds. So, are burritos healthy? Yes, when we want them to be!