Grocery Store vs.

Fast Food
Comparison
Carly Spirito
Ball State Dietetic Intern
November 2019

Nachos BellGrande Combo vs. Homemade Taco Meal

Cost Comparison

* Purchasing ingredients from the store allows you to make healthier choices at affordable prices.
* The cost of a supreme taco, nachos, and a large brisk mango iced tea costs $6.49 at Taco Bell. A homemade
taco, nachos, and a large mango flavored water costs $2.57 using items purchased at Walmart and Aldi. This
shows the meal from Taco Bell is over 2x more expensive than a homemade meal, costing an additional $3.92.

Nutrition Comparison

* It is easy to unintentionally eat more calories, fat, and sodium when dining out simply because we do not know
what is going into our meals. Purchasing fresh ingredients and preparing meals at home takes more time, but
also increases awareness and connection with the foods that we eat. Looking at nutrition facts labels and
monitoring portion sizes is a great way to support your health and wellness goals!
* Healthier substitutions in this recipe included using Greek yogurt for sour cream, lean ground turkey instead of
ground beef, and purchasing flavored water rather than soda.
* Making homemade tacos and nachos versus purchasing a Nachos BellGrande Combo at Taco Bell significantly
decreased calories, fat, sodium, carbohydrates, and sugars!
Take a closer look!

Taco Calories Total Sodium Carbs Sugar Protein

Fat (mg) (gm) (gm) (gm)
Bell (gm)

Supreme 210 10 520 20 2 10

Taco
Item Cost
Nachos 740 38 1050 82 5 16
Supreme Taco BellGrande
Nachos BellGrande

Mango Iced Tea Large Brisk 120 0 60 32 32 0

Mango
TOTAL: $6.49
Iced Tea
TOTAL: 1070 48 1630 134 39 26

Aldi/Walmart Cost Cost per

Serving Meal at Calories Total Sodium Carbs Sugar Protein
Small Taco Shell $1.99 $0.10 Fat (mg) (gm) (gm) (gm)
Home (gm)
19.2 oz Lean $3.49 $0.45 x 2 =
Ground Turkey (2 $0.90
servings) Taco 276 11 498 21 2 22
LS Taco $0.39 $0.03
Seasoning
16 oz. Shredded $1.72 $0.06
Nachos 380 24 528 22 3 17
Lettuce
12 oz. Mexican $2.99 $0.12
Cheese (2 tbsp.)
32 oz. Nonfat $3.45 $0.05
Mango 0 0 90 0 0 0
Greek Yogurt
Flavored
Cherry Tomatoes $1.19 $0.05
Water
Restaurant-Style $1.69 $0.13
Tortilla Chips TOTAL: 656 35 1026 43 5 39
Medium Salsa $1.89 $0.19
12 oz. Mexican - $0.25
Cheese (1/4 cup)
Mango Flavored $0.69 $0.69
Water References:
TOTAL: $19.49 $2.57 https://www.tacobell.com/nutrition/info
https://www.aldi.us