Sam Reid loves Taco Bell, but his passion for the fast food chain isn't the only motivator for his self-imposed 30-day challenge. He plans to show that he actually was able to improve his health while eating only Taco Bell.
Sam Reid from Lexington, Virginia, is on a mission.
He’s setting out to eat nothing but Taco Bell for 30 days straight while trying to become healthier at the same time.
He will start on July 24 and wrap up on Aug. 22.
“I think that a lot of people that I know, know how much I love Taco Bell. And they can give me a hard time, but I think this is in some senses a way to prove them wrong and to show them it's not as bad as you think,” he told Inside Edition Digital. “I think Taco Bell has a relatively healthy or healthy-adjacent menu as compared to some of the other fast food restaurants.”
Reid intends to try one of everything on the menu.
“I'm going to try to concentrate most of those, kind of, classic Taco Bell signature items like the Cheesy Gordita Crunch or the Crunch Wrap Supreme towards the beginning of the month,” he said. “And then my hope would be that as I work my way through the menu, I can rely more heavily on things like the Power Bowl and… items that have slightly lower sodium and cholesterol and fat and that sort of thing.”
He does not intend to skip over dessert, either.
“Oh, yeah. I love some Cinnabon Delights,” he said.
During his experiment, he will work out and have doctors monitor his progress.
“I'm doing blood work… And so I'll get readings for my base level of sodium and cholesterol and a few other metrics like blood sugar. And I'm going to be testing again at the end of the month… to make sure that I'm doing this experiment safely,” he said.
He is also working with a dietician to ask about the types of food he can have on this diet that will help him control his fiber, “and hopefully give me a somewhat regular digestive experience over the next 30 day,” he said.
When he’s done, he will share what he's learned in a YouTube documentary.
“I've started releasing a YouTube variety show on a regular basis. And so I'm really excited just for the documentary aspect of this because I think it is a really interesting story to tell,” he said.
Before he embarks on his journey, Reid plans to eat all the things he thinks he will miss.
“I went to the local farmer's market yesterday and got some fresh vegetables and stuff and have just been thinking through what types of foods am I not going to be able to eat going forward,” he said.
Overall, Reid said he is excited to get started and thinks his results will be positive.
“I think that by continuing my normal level of physical exercise, I should be able to maintain a few basic metrics for my health. And I think part of what I'm hoping to do with this experiment and the documentary is just to introduce people to the idea that it's not just about weight,” he said. “You could gain muscle and the number on the scale would be higher, but that doesn't necessarily mean that you're less healthy than you were before.
"But I am excited to see what the final results will be at the end of the month as well,” he continued.
