The Skinny on the Taco Bell Drive-Thru Diet

This past weekend, I watched football with my husband, while multi-tasking during commercial breaks. Like most, I rarely watch commercials unless it’s during the Super Bowl. However, the latest Taco Bell “Drive-Thru Diet” commercial really got my attention; it literally stopped me dead in my tracks.

Is it just me or do the words “drive-thru” and “diet” not belong together? It’s like putting the word “sugar” and “diabetic” together. Something just doesn’t seem right?

In the commercial, Taco Bell markets “7 incredible options” under 9 grams of fat from their Fresco Menu, which include different variations of tacos and burritos. In addition, Christine, their spokesperson, claims she has lost 54 lbs in two years on the “Drive-Thru Diet.”  As stated on the Taco Bell Web site, Christine claims the following: “As you know, the Drive-Thru Diet® menu is not a weight-loss program. It’s about making different choices. For me, I didn’t want to cut out my fast food so I started choosing Fresco items from the Drive-Thru Diet® menu and making other sensible choices. I reduced my daily calorie and fat intake by 500 calories to 1250 calories a day, and, after two years, I ended up losing 54 pounds!”

Again, the words “fast food,” and “sensible choices” do not sound like a good pair to me. However, I do like the sound of “making different choices,” albeit with higher quality food and lifestyle improvements, not the lesser of two evils on a fast food menu. Calorie reduction can also be very positive depending on the person, but the key is to ensure that you are feeding your body with nourishing foods that promote good health. I’ve heard of the “gummy bear diet” too; it’s low in calories. Well then, it must be good for you – right?

While the new Taco Bell food selections are a vast improvement from the “Nacho Bell Grande” days, I still wouldn’t go as far to label them as diet-worthy. All the tacos and burritos appear to be very similar to their existing menu items minus the cheese and sour cream. They also include saturated fats as well as high levels of sodium. For example, the Fresco Burrito Supreme Chicken has 1410 mg/per serving (the FDA recommends a daily value less than 2,400 mg). Hypertension anyone? Even worse, Taco Bell uses “partially hydrogenated” oils, also known as TRANS FAT, which has been linked to heart disease, the #1 leading cause of death. Is this type of diet really worth it?

Beyond the food itself, drive-thrus generally do not encourage healthy eating habits. The first obvious reason is that you are driving, not walking or running, to get your food (i.e., no physical activity is involved). Additionally, drive-thrus usually promote bad habits, such as eating on the run while quickly scarfing down your food, rather than slowly eating and relaxing at a table. This type of unconscious eating behavior can often lead to weight gain.

I recommend reducing trips to fast food restaurants or skipping them all together, rather than stabilizing your fast food addictions. Additionally, a “sensible choice” would be to incorporate more organic, fresh foods in your diet along with a regular exercise plan, healthy relationships, satisfying career, etc. The so called short-term effects of this diet, depending on the person, are nothing compared to the devastating long-term effects.

It seems like the Taco Bell “Think Outside the Bun” slogan should strive to be “Think Outside the Calories.” Healthy living is not just about weight loss and calorie intake.