Diet Bites, an authoritative source on weight loss.

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The Diet Progression of the Taco, Including Calories in Tacos

That Ain't Right

The Diet Progression of the Taco - It all began with a rustic corn tortilla - a rather healthy insert for the daily diet providing grain and energy values that range from 40 to 60 calories per corn tortilla. When steamed, add a Tablespoon of extra lean ground beef - or the traditional scrambled egg and the taco is still a Dieter's Delight - as in light in fat and calories.

But by and by the taco exploded into an inferno of fat and calories, sending many a diet to the down-under. So how did this innocent flat-bed of corn go swiftly to heck in a bread basket? Here is how it transpired:

Some dietary genius decided that what the taco needed was a helping of dairy so shredded cheese became an important part of the Bona Fide Taco.

Another dietary genius decided that what the taco needed was more of a good thing - that being, more dairy. Therefore, sour cream was added and became an important part of the Bona Fide Taco with a new name: The Supreme Taco.

The Supreme Taco decided to have a love child, thus bonding Corn Tortilla with Flour Tortilla to create a Taco Pizza of sorts which became highly popular amid the common populous, chiefly among Bread & Taco Lovers.

BUT - it's not all bad. Here are some very healthy Daily Diet elements connected with the taco:

When lean ground beef (or fatty ground beef) is replaced with lean strips of chicken, turkey, pork or beef - the result is a stunning dietary star arriving with fewer grams of fat - including less calories. Ooh - check out the outfit.

When creating a taco, adding less meat and more chopped salad (lettuce, tomatoes, onions), the taco climbs a few notches higher on the Healthy Daily Diet Totem Pole.

The chopped salad need not remain the same-old-same-old mix of lettuce, tomatoes and onions. Perk up things with some snazzy dandelion greens, chopped cilantro, raw baby spinach and so forth to create one Mad But Not Bad Taco.

Most salsa is ultra low in calories and can kick-up the taste of a boring taco - so load me up! With hot salsa, that is!

Adding reduced-fat cheese and/or light sour cream can really trim down fat and calories without sacrificing taste.

Calories in Tacos

Calories in Taco Bell Tacos

Calories in Taco Bell Grande Soft Taco - 450 Calories, 21 fat grams, 44 carb grams
Calories in Taco Bell Regular Crunchy Taco - 170 calories, 10 fat grams, 13 carb grams
Calories in Taco Bell Taco Supreme - 220 calories, 14 fat grams, 14 carb grams
Calories in Taco Bell Soft Beef Taco - 210 calories, 10 fat grams, 21 carb grams
Calories in Taco Bell Soft Beef Taco Supreme - 260 calories, 14 fat grams, 22 carb grams
Calories in Taco Bell Double Decker Taco - 340 calories, 14 fat grams, 39 carb grams
Calories in Taco Bell Double Decker Supreme Taco - 380 calories, 18 fat grams, 40 carb grams
Calories in Taco Bell Grilled Steak Soft Taco - 280 calories, 17 fat grams, 21 carb grams
Calories in Taco Bell Grilled Chicken Soft Taco - 200 calories, 7 fat grams, 21 carb grams
Calories in Taco Bell Grilled Steak Soft Supreme - 280 calories, 17 fat grams, 21 carb grams
Fresco Style vs Original Style

Fresco Style Taco Bell entrees contain less than 10 grams of fat. What a diet deal for anyone seeking tasty, filling food!

Food

Fresco Style

Original Style

Calories

Fat Grams

Calories

Fat Grams

Bean Burrito

370

10

350

8

Beef Crunchy Taco

170

10

150

7

Grilled Steak Taco

280

17

170

5

Ranchero Chicken Soft Taco

270

15

170

4.5

Although Fresco is delicious, the Original Style entrees can also be included in most individual's diet. A bean burrito will leave a body feeling full for hours to come for a moderate 370 calories and 10 grams of fat.

Calories in Taco Buenos Tacos

Calories in Taco Buenos Two-handed Taco - 330
Calories in Taco Buenos Chicken Taco - 140 calories
Calories in Taco Buenos Beef Taco - 200 calories
Calories in Taco Buenos Chicken Soft Taco - 184 calories
Calories in Taco Buenos Chicken Fajita Taco - 182 calories
Calories in Taco Buenos Steak Fajita Taco - 196 calories
Calories in Taco Buenos Beef Soft Taco - 245 calories
Calories in Taco Buenos Beef Crispy Taco - 200 calories
Calories in Taco Buenos Chicken Crispy Taco - 140 calories

Calories in a Homemade Taco

The calories in a homemade taco vary greatly, depending upon what type of food and what amount of food gets packed into the homemade taco. To help you calculate the amount of calories in your homemade taco, Diet Bites has created the following guide:

Ground Beef, Extra Lean - 3 ounces contains about 218 calories.
Corn Tortilla Shells - Check label but most range from 40 - 60 calories per shell.
Flour Tortillas - Check label; calorie content can range from 80 calories per tortilla to over 200 depending upon the brand/size.
Salsa - About 10 calories per Tablespoon.
Salad - Most varieties of lettuce contain about 5 calories per cup. One 4-ounce tomato contains about 26 calories. One-half a cup of chopped onions contains about 30 calories.
Cheese Calories - Check label; shredded cheese can range from 60 calories to over 200 calories per serving depending upon brand of cheese and the type of cheese.
Sour Cream - 2 Tablespoons of sour cream contain about 60 calories.

Given the above calorie guide, the following Homemade Taco contains about 193 calories - and this recipe makes a 3-fisted taco.

1 ounce of extra lean ground beef (about 73 calories)
1 cup of salad mix (lettuce/chopped tomato/onion about 20 calories)
1 ounce of low fat cheese, shredded (about 60 calories)
1 Tablespoon of sour cream (about 30 calories)
1 Tablespoon of Salsa (about 10 calories)

Homemade Taco - Low Calorie Recipe Tip for Homemade Tacos

Beef-up the flavor of homemade tacos and keep the calorie & fat content down by the following recipe tips:

Cook extra lean ground beef on low heat in a non-stick skillet, adding a bit of water should the beef start to stick. As the beef cooks, use the end of your spatula to chop the beef into tiny bits. Once the juices of the beef appear clear, carefully remove from the heat and drain off the excess liquid. This will help remove even more unwanted calories and fat.

Next, return the beef to the stove and added the following ingredients: chili powder, ground cumin, finely-chopped onions and minced garlic if desired. The chili powder will add kick to the beef which the cumin adds a unique smoky flavor. Adding a bit of chopped cilantro also kicks up the flavor.

How much of the above Flavor Ingredients should be added? We recommend beginning with a Tablespoon of each spice/ingredient for each pound of beef. Depending upon your personal preference, you may need to add more. If you tend to like your beef mild, then start out by adding 1 teaspoon of each ingredient to the pan. dt>

In Summary

Heating up your daily diet with corn OR flour tortillas can be a great low calorie alternative when it comes to grains. As a note, a regular-size corn tortilla contains about one-half the calories of the same-size flour tortilla - so if you're aiming to keep a lid on calories, be a corny dieter.

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