Which Is Healthier: An Asian Noodle Bowl or a Burrito Bowl?

Which Is Healthier: An Asian Noodle Bowl or a Burrito Bowl?
Bowled over by burrito bowls? Have no guilt.

“As long as you’re smart about what ingredients you choose, a burrito bowl isn’t too much of a splurge food,” says Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, a dietitian in Chicago. It’s full of lean protein (you get about 7 grams from the beans alone, along with roughly 32 grams from the chicken), plus lettuce and tomato. Add fajita veggies for an extra hit of vitamin C.

The diet wrecker, though: sour cream. At 115 calories per 2-ounce serving, it can take your meal from fine to over-the-line. And the cheese is a big source of saturated fat, so if you want to really skinny up your order, nix that, too.

Meanwhile, Asian noodle bowls tend to be a carb overload—around 100 or more grams, which is about half of what’s generally recommended for a day—and mostly refined carbs at that. Next time, opt for one with more broth than noodles.