By- BrianJoshua Ronaldo

You believe that your body is a temple, which is why you're a fanatic in watching what you eat. You want to eat healthy every time.

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But what happens when your work mates and buddies meet as a group, and the group decides to go to Taco Bell? You have to go with them, and you need to keep yourself from berating them about their eating habits. That is, if you want to maintain a friendly relationship with these people.

So, what should you order? To keep it healthy (or less unhealthy, as some pundits might say), you can stick to the following menu items.

Crunch Taco

The taco section is perhaps among the stars of the show—after all, you've got "taco" in the brand name. The menu offers ground beef as the standard filling, but you can always replace that with chicken or grilled steak. Those with vegetarian leanings can even go with spicy potatoes as a replacement for the meat.

Your best bet among the tacos is the Crunchy Taco. You keep the calorie intake to just 170 calories. You just need to replace the standard beef with grilled chicken instead, so you can keep the calorie level down while you get the protein you need.

You can even pass on the cheese, and reduce the calorie intake by another 25 calories. That may not seem much, but all the small reductions add up.

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Healthy Taco Salad

You don't really want to go with the admittedly tasty Fiesta Taco Salad, if you're mindful of the calories, fat, and sodium. It's a "salad" only in the most superficial sense.

But if you want a taco salad that's a bit healthier, just put in the veggies, rice, and beans. Get the meat out, along with the crunchy red strips, sour cream, and cheese. You get a significant reduction of 270 calories. If you think that the resulting taco salad is a bit too bland for your taste, you can always add some pico de gallo or jalapeño peppers, as each addition only adds 5 calories.

When you're under a strict diet, it can be hard to eat healthy when you find yourself at Taco Bell.

Soft Breakfast Taco

This is also only 170 calories. To put that in perspective, the Breakfast Crunchwrap comes with 650 calories.

With the Soft Breakfast Taco, you can take out 25 more calories by passing on the cheese. Add a side of pico de gallo for more flavor, and that just increases the calories by 5 calories. That's a grand total of 150 calories—you can get 4 Soft Breakfast Tacos and still not get the same calories as the Breakfast Crunchwrap.

Bean Burrito

This is a good vegetarian choice, at least compared to the Crunchwrap Supreme. The Bean Burrito comes with 350 calories, 9g of fat, and 1,000mg of sodium. That's better than the 530 calories, 21g fat, and 1,200mg of sodium from the Crunchwrap Supreme.

You can also ask for your Bean Burrito in the Fresco style. That means you skip the dairy, and all the remaining ingredients in the Bean Burrito are vegan. You get the calorie level to just 330 calories, and you still get 13g of protein. You also get 9g of fiber, and fiber helps you to feel full for a longer time to keep you from craving snacks too soon afterwards.

Shredded Chicken Quesadilla

Get this cheap chicken quesadilla, and you also get 310 calories, 13g of total fat, and 705mg of sodium. That's practically benign, compared to what you get with the Quesarito. That beef and rice burrito wrapped in cheese quesadilla comes with 650 calories, 33g of total fat, and 1,390mg of sodium.

Order the Shredded Chicken Quesadilla with easy sauce (light chipotle sauce) and cut it down further by 15 calories. You can even forego the sauce entirely and reduce the calories by 30 calories. You can just use hot sauce for some flavor, and hot sauce doesn't have calories or fat. Or you can go with salsa or pico de gallo which only come with 5 calories.

Try to avoid add-ons, but if you have to have them, then make sure you don't get the wrong ones. Don't add on the creamy sauces, chips, and potatoes. They're just packed with too many calories and too much fat.

Triple Layer Nachos

The nachos at Taco Bell come with really high calorie numbers. But then again, these orders are actually meant to be shared, especially the combos and boxes.

Your best bet is actually an order of chips from the Taco bell sides section. Get some chips and salsa, and that's only 180 calories. You can even improve that by replacing the salsa with cheese sauce, and replace the beef with beans.

The Triple Layer Nachos is also a good choice, despite the 320 calories. Remember, it's for sharing. It's also a vegetarian option, and you get red sauce, nacho cheese sauce, and refried beans. Add some diced onions, as that comes with zero calories. You can also go with the supreme, which put in some reduced-fat sour cream and diced tomatoes, all for 25 calories.

Others

The order of black beans is a good side option, as it's vegetarian and only comes with 50 calories, 1g of fat, and 135mg of sodium. You can also try the Cinnamon Twists for dessert, if you enjoy it in moderation.

Basically, practicing moderation is the prime directive in Taco Bell. Don't overeat, share the dishes with friends, and visit the place once in a while.

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