7 Items on the Taco Bell Menu to Avoid At All Costs

Taco Bell is the place to go for an indulgent meal of delicious Tex-Mex. When the craving for a cheesy burrito or plate of nachos hit, the drive-thru of your nearest Taco Bell location is first to come to mind. When could a Crunchy Taco or Cheesy Bean Burrito possibly be a bad choice? We all know how yummy this fast food chain's menu items are, but it's certainly not the place to go for a healthy bite to eat, and the food coma that comes from a meal of almost exclusively carbs and cheese doesn't hit the spot. Here are 7 items on the Taco Bell menu to avoid at all costs.

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1. The Beefy 5-Layer Burrito

The Beefy 5-Layer Burrito sounds like a great deal; a whole giant burrito for a little over $2? However, this burrito has 500 calories, tons of saturated fat, and over half of your daily allowance for sodium, similar to the 7-layer burrito that Taco Bell previously offered. This menu item consists of seasoned beef, beans, sour cream, cheese, and nacho cheese sauce. If you're trying to eat healthy, or even just avoid being extremely unhealthy, it's probably best to skip this one. Instead, go for the Nacho Cheese Doritos Locos Tacos or the Crunchy Taco, which each has only 170 calories!

2. Mountain Dew Baja Blast Freeze

This drink sounds refreshing and potentially a great way to wash down your Mexican food, but think twice before ordering. For one, this item is unnaturally green, and its strange color reflects its ingredients. The beverage is essentially made with chemicals and artificial coloring, containing no nutrients and 51 grams of carbs that are all sugar. If you're thinking of washing down your Crunchwrap Supreme or Chalupa Supreme with this strangely-colored drink, go for a water or fountain drink instead.

3. Cinnabon Delights 12 Pack

Cinnabon Delights sound amazing- cinnamon donuts along with your meal could never be a bad choice, right? These would be perfect if it were possible to eat just one, or even two. This 12-pack of Cinnabon Delights contains four servings, so it should either be shared with three friends or eaten in four separate sittings. However, we all know that's not going to happen. If you eat the whole pack, you're consuming 930 calories, 480 of which are fat. There's also way too much sugar and fat to make these worth it.

4. Quesarito

The Quesarito is another one on the Taco Bell menu to avoid for those who care about their health. As tasty as it sounds, this truly isn't worth the amount of saturated fat and sodium it contains. This item is full of cheddar cheese, seasoned beef, nacho cheese sauce, seasoned rice, sour cream, and chipotle sauce in a flour tortilla. Even if you add veggies as toppings, you can't avoid the unhealthy aspects. At 650 calories, the Quesarito is about a third of the calories you should eat in a day if you follow the 2000 calorie guidelines.

Along with this, it has almost 1,400 mg sodium and 12 grams of saturated fat. If you add any toppings like guacamole, the calorie count is even higher. That's too much for one burrito, no matter how tasty its combo of beef and cheesiness is. Go for the Power Menu Bowl instead; it has 470 calories but is packed with protein and healthy ingredients.

5. Steak Quesadilla

The first thing to note about the Steak Quesadilla is that steak, in general, should be avoided at Taco Bell, whether you're getting a Grilled Steak Soft Taco or a Steak Quesadilla. While it is considered steak, it's not the same quality you would get if you made it yourself at home. Plus, the Steak Quesadilla contains 1,200 milligrams of sodium, equal to 108 Lay's potato chips. So just ask yourself how you'd feel after eating that many chips, and it may change your perspective on the Steak Quesadilla at Taco Bell.

6. Nachos Bell Grande

Nachos are a staple of Tex-Mex comfort food, but the calories stack up quickly when you're making a meal from tortilla chips, sour cream, cheese, and refried beans. Taco Bell's nachos also have way too many preservatives, additives, and suspicious-sounding ingredients to make them worth your while. With 750 calories per serving, 1,310 grams of sodium, 85 grams of carbs, and 38 grams of fat, these are hard to justify. The Soft Taco Supreme is a classic Taco Bell menu choice if you don't know where to turn- it has 210 calories and is truly delicious.

7. Cheesy Gordita Crunch

While the Cheesy Gordita Crunch is slightly better than many of the items on this list, it still contains more calories than one meal should, at 500 for a single taco. This one is made with a crunchy taco shell along with a soft taco shell, containing seasoned beef, lettuce, cheese, three cheese blend, and spicy ranch. It also feels tempting to get a side when you order just one taco, but a side of Cheesy Fiesta Potatoes, Black Beans and Rice, or Cheesy Nachos brings the calorie count up even further. This is comparable to the Naked Chicken Chalupa, which is almost as high at 470 calories. If you want cheese, why not the Cheesy Roll-Up instead? It's on the Value Menu for $1 and only has $180 calories.