The Five Most Horribly Fattening Items From Tex-Mex Chains

Photo by Flickr user serlingrod

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Hidden in President Obama's health-care initiative is a regulation that requires chain restaurants to begin posting nutritional information on the food. This may seem like trouble for burger joints, but it might be Tex-Mex burrito purveyors that face the most trouble.

That's because those Chihuahua-sized burritos, overstuffed tacos, and Dumpster-style taco salads really are as unhealthy as they look. Below, the worst offenders.


5. Chipotle Carnitas Burrito

Photo by Flickr user Jassy-50

​(with all the options, including the big offenders: sour cream, cheese, and guacamole)
Calories: 1,010
Fat: 51 grams
The skinny: Sure, there's a convenience factor when your whole meal is wrapped up in a tortilla. Imagine the convenience factor with this burrito, which provides nearly all (98 percent) of your recommended daily fat content in one single item.

4. Moe's Southwest Grill Fat Sam
Calories: 1,037
Fat: 57 grams
The skinny: You'd think you might be saving a few calories ordering a fajita platter instead of one of those gigantic burritos. But Moe's slops so many goodies in that fajita bowl that your do-it-yourself ingenuity ends up being the menu's most fattening item. But at least you'll burn off some of those calories putting it together.

3. Tijuana Flats Chicken Flautas

Photo by Flickr user leslieleslie

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Calories: 1,060
Fat: 56 grams
The skinny: Please say you're not surprised that the deep-fried burrito is the most unhealthy item on the menu.

2. Baja Fresh Nacho Burrito
Calories: 1,250
Fat: 42 grams
The skinny: Congratulations, Baja Fresh, you've combined two of the favorite foods of stoners and those too drunk to think about the 3,200 milligrams of sodium in this one item. Senior Nacho married Mr. Burrito, and the offspring is a calorie abomination.

1. La Salsa Chicken Nachos

Photo by Flickr user TulipFleurs

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Calories: 1,600
Fat: 80 grams
The skinny: At La Salsa, the chicken nachos are technically under the appetizer section, even though that one item exceeds the calorie intake for many diet plans. After your app, go for the steak omelet, which rings in at a hefty 1,253 calories. Dessert -- the cinnamon chips -- are somehow one of the healthiest things on the menu, at just 285 calories. That is, if you're still hungry after the nachos.