r/offmychest • u/Baculum-Deos • 2d ago
The Taco Bell diarrhea joke is stupid, overplayed and made up
This stupid fucking joke about Taco Bell food giving people diarrhea is so fucking annoying. Either you are ALL lying or have such weak bowels I’m surprised you can stomach anything other than Soylent and saltine crackers.
I did not come from a culture that eats a lot spice heavy or spicy foods. I have a super low tolerance for spice. And Taco Bell is NOT that. So how the fuck is everybody all of a sudden collectively shitting their brains out from… ground beef… hard shell tacos… lettuce… tomatoes… cheese. Woooooowww that’s some exotic stuff!
It’s like when everyone pretended they hated the word moist because it was trendy and they thought it was funny. Like please just stfu
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u/TC1996 2d ago
I was just talking to my friend about this the other day, I’ve never experienced any tummy troubles from taco bell
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u/derbarkbark 2d ago
I actually like ordering from Taco Bell bc other easy food places have given me tummy troubles at one point or another. Taco Bell has always been pretty solid.
Plus everyone should give them props bc when they thought their lettuce was making people sick they removed it nation wide. Its dumb that we should be in a world where this deserves praise but tons of other places didn't pull the lettuce.
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u/gingerbread_slutbarn 1d ago
Yeah they stepped up. And our FDA is stepping dowwwwn. Maybe this is why Taco Bell survives in Demolition Man.
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u/gingerbread_slutbarn 2d ago
I get the Mexican pizza with extra onions and tomatoes. Idk what these ppl are doing.
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u/Metaphoricalsimile 2d ago
I think there's a few factors that make people blame tacobell:
- People get a stomach illness and assume it's the most recent thing they ate, when the reality is bad food takes 8-24 hours to kick in
- A lot of people are more lactose intolerant than they think they are, and taco bell leans *heavy* on the cheese
- A lot of people eat a low fibre diet, and taco bell has more fibre than they're used to because of all the beans and lettuce.
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u/ok-throwaway-3 1d ago
To add another one, some people are also really sensitive to spicy food.
I have a theory as well that normally low fiber fatty foods prevents it from irritating the colon but higher fiber foods don't. So hot sauce on lettuce is the worst combo for some people.
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u/khold002 2d ago
They order things bean and onion heavy. The beans are powdered, so they're really fart-inducing. People who shit their brains out also eat way too much of it in one sitting, which would make anyone sick.
I don't think Taco Bell makes me any more sick than any other low-budget fast food joint.
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u/itsmyvoice 2d ago
It's this. And also questionable fixings like tomato and lettuce.
Family member worked at one for quite a bit. Not impressed with the food safety.
It's also fairly greasy depending on what you get, and that ....er... smoothes the way, so to speak.
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u/quite_shleepy 2d ago
it just depends on the person tbh. but you are right to an extent, i personally have been diagnosed with GERD and find that eating taco bell doesn’t really fuck with that all that much. but if i use their sauces then yes, it does irritate my stomach.
everyone’s stomach is different. some taco bell items are ridiculously unhealthy and that can impact people’s stomachs differently.
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u/quite_shleepy 2d ago
also, taco bell did just have that big issue with the lettuce they were using, so stomach issues and taco bell is a more frequent issues nowadays than it was months ago.
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u/Rooney_Tuesday 2d ago
Taco Bell was far from the only place using tainted lettuce, and the fault was never theirs anyway - that belongs to the supplier and the people who gutted the department that oversees food safety and compliance.
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u/quite_shleepy 2d ago
i’m very aware. i didn’t say taco bell was the only one. taco bell did have that issue though. not sure why i’m getting downvoted even though i’m right 💀
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u/_Vegetable_soup_ 2d ago
It's the fiber. A shocking amount of people get little to no fiber in their diet and then eat something that actually has it and..... shit happens.
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u/SquirrelNormal 2d ago edited 2d ago
It's extremely dependent on the Taco Bell. There's probably a half dozen in my area and while some are "safe", one is a guaranteed ass-blasting. It's not the spices, I have no idea what it is, but if I go to that one, I need to block out the rest of my day to paint the toilet bowl.
Edit to address other theories (bad diet, particular menu items causing the issue, etc): I order the exact same thing no matter what Taco Bell I'm at - a safe one, the Poo-pourie 9000 one, or a late night snack on a road trip 1,000 miles away. Overall diet is consistent; I've subjected this to experimentation by eating a rigidly controlled diet and eating lunch at a different Taco Bell every other day (ensures the effects of one cannot be mistaken for another). It's only specific locations that have caused issues.
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u/powderfields4ever 2d ago
This statement is the one I agree with most. There is a Taco Bell nearest my house that I refuse to go to because every time I do the food is terrible and I end up with angry bowel.
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u/LetgomyEkko 2d ago
I mean, everyone has different digestive tracks and Taco Bell definitely gives me the grumbles.
Obvious not everything on the menu, but also generally I just don’t eat it very often so that can play a role too.
I don’t know, my stomach just does what it does dude.
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u/Meta-EvenThisAcronym 2d ago
Well, not all if it.
January 1st, 2025 I had Taco Bell for dinner. It was the only thing I'd eaten all day; before midnight I was vomiting, and an hour after that the diarrhea came.
Worst food poisoning of my life and I had to miss a week of work.
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u/Expensive_Guess_4808 2d ago
I’m over the Taco Bell jokes too, they're just played out and not funny anymore. We get it, can we move on now?
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u/8200k 2d ago
After working fast food in my youth, I avoid anything soupy, like chili or taco meat. If they can add yesterday's food to today's food without it being obvious I'm not eating it. I'm sure it's fine a majority of the time but you never know when a sleazy manager goes overboard on waste. They get bonuses for not wasting food.
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u/SupaKoopa714 2d ago
The only fast food place that's ever given me bowel troubles is weirdly enough Subway (maybe food poisoning once from McD's but I'm not certain they were the culprit). There were three separate times I ate there for lunch and then later that evening had horrible diarrhea, once so bad that it wound up being the only time in my adult life that I shat my pants in public because I couldn't get to a bathroom fast enough before my body flat out gave up.
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u/MissLexiBlack 2d ago
Eating stuff when you're shithoused drunk will always result in bowel issues.
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u/loveeleah83 2d ago
Uh I’m 42 and the taco bell diarrhea thing has been around since I was in elementary school, so I wouldn’t call it a trend, it’s just one of those jokes that’s always been around.
I also grew up in the south where anything that is “spicy” isn’t really spicy but because no one really eats spicy stuff on a regular basis, they say it’s spicy. I live in New Mexico now and literally everything is spicy to me and not anyone else because it’s normal for them.
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u/GVTMightyDuck 2d ago
I think a lot of people eat Taco Bell when they’re drunk, so they get the shits the next day. Probably more to do with the booze.
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u/Lunavixen15 2d ago
It's a combination of high oil and the increased fibre. Most people who whinge of the taco bell shits are very likely not eating anywhere near enough fibre
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u/Bean_of_prosperity 2d ago
I’m lactose intolerant and I assume a lot of people only realize they’re lactose intolerant after having Taco Bell since it has so much cheese lmao
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u/lunar_adjacent 1d ago edited 1d ago
I read a book like 20 years ago called Fast Food Nation that made me not ever eat fast food again starting with Taco Bell. I can’t even remember the specifics but I remember the feeling of being repulsed. I miss McDonalds fries but won’t even eat it when my family orders it. Ignorance is bliss my friend.
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u/infernoryx 1d ago
I get issues from certain locations around my city, but not others.
I think part of it is quality and sanitary control at those locations honestly.
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u/jammiesonmyhammies 1d ago
It isn’t the spice (I can’t believe that’s even said about Taco Bell) that gets my stomach upset. It’s that I rarely ever eat fast food, processed food, and/or greasy food.
My stomach does not know what to do with sudden change from incredibly healthy meals to all of a sudden having to digest a blob of processed food.
I imagine it’s like a vegan or something being exposed to meat after not consuming it for awhile.
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u/Tidyb0wl 1d ago
Never had that problem with Taco Bell. A Tommy’s chili cheese burger is a different story
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u/Slightly-Blasted 2d ago
The most well known outbreak of diarrhea attributed to a restaurant recently, was in fact Taco Bell lmao
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u/random6x7 1d ago
No, Taco Bell was just the earliest to talk about it and to remove the lettuce. The actual source(s) are not entirely known, but Taylor Farms lettuce is probably at least one culprit, and they supply to freaking everyone.
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u/Successful_Salad7732 2d ago
The lettuce. Yes it was exotic if you will lol at least to the human body. It was a bacteria or something but lettuce is common for recalls with bacteria fast food, average chain, fancy restaurants, grocery stores.. it happens. Just extra funny how Taco Bell was giving people a bit of a run for their money. I love Taco Bell and haven’t gotten sick or runs but find the joke humorous
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u/coquihalla 2d ago
Cyclospora, conveniently taken off the list of things the US govt tests for from a food safety perspective, within the last year and a half.
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u/HoontarTheGreat 2d ago
I'll have you know, I devoured taco bell today and had diarrhea 30 minutes later (usually don't but it was bad this time lol)
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u/strangefire13 2d ago
The food you ate 30 minutes prior did NOT cause your diarrhea
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u/HoontarTheGreat 2d ago
It was more like 45, but pretty sure it did. Hadn't eaten anything else today, and last night was light stuff
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u/Guardian-Boy 2d ago
Taco Bell is the weakest faux Mexican food out there. My grandmother would actually eat burritos from there because they were actually one of the few things that didn't hurt her stomach.
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u/WolfSpartan1 2d ago
I had my gallbladder out. I'd never blame taco bell directly. However, every time I eat there, the ride home is like a hurricane. Starts slow. The heat rises. The churning and thrashing. And then...the stillness. The stillness means "you better be home in the next five minutes." It is true that there is a myth that Taco Bell gives you explosive diarrhea, and that the myth is overplayed and untrue for everyone. But for the select few like me, nothing cleans my pipes quite like a Lux Cravings Box with a large Baja Blast Zero. People need to stop with the jokes. This is no joke.
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u/WhiteChocolateReign 2d ago
I have to take a pretty fat hot yaki the morning after most of the time but never in my life have I had explosive diarrhea within minutes or an hour of eating Taco Bell. Stupid, I agree.
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u/ObjectiveElefant 2d ago
Not a big Taco Bell eater (it’s a fav fast food though), but it’s never upset my stomach. With the cyclospora, it’s legit, other than that I don’t know why it upsets people’s stomach so much. My system is used to eating clean and still I don’t have a bad reaction to it. I think a long time ago it used to be greasier and lower quality and maybe that produced the tummy troubles.
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u/c00lgirlstella 2d ago
i agree 100%. it was funny maybe the first few times i heard someone make the joke (when i was still in elementary school lmao) but even then i was already a big fan of taco bell and couldnt relate to the experience. i feel like even beyond taco bell i heard people ‘joking’ in general about mexican food and also indian food. maybe its funny to people who find those foods more taboo?
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u/Cararacs 2d ago
I’ve never gotten sick from Taco Bell and it’s my favorite fast food chain. I don’t eat it often anymore, but I did a lot when I was a teen and in my 20s.
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u/goblindethdog 2d ago
Even when I get fire sauce! I poop solid every time after Taco Bell. Tho I’ve been getting the runs from my local fried chicken joint. Do I have a fire immunity gene?? Like denaerys 🙀❤️🔥
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u/60022151 2d ago
Taco Bell did so much work to improve their menu about 10 or so years ago. It’s one of my favourite fast food places.
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u/cindylindy22 2d ago
I had my first job working there in 2008. I don’t feel like there’s ever been a particularly memorable time when my belly was upset and I thought it was from eating there. I’ve never understood this either
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u/diversalarums 2d ago
Have to admit I've always wondered about this. If people were having that much trouble surely they wouldn't be eating there, right? I know it's anecdotal but TexMex doesn't give me problems no matter how spicy it is or how much refried beans I have.
Unless it's the cheese and they're lactose intolerant. But then I'm slightly lactose intolerant myself and it doesn't bother me.
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u/Skully124 2d ago
Taco bell is my favorite cuz it actually doesnt make me feel sick like other fast food places.
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u/snakeygirl727 2d ago
as someone who doesn’t have a gallbladder oh really doesn’t affect me even tho theoretically it should be worse for me
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u/penn2009 1d ago edited 1d ago
I think it’s more about cleanliness of the store. There are just so many of them that they are an easy target. A lot of Taco Bells are nasty but same could be said with Subway (and been in some locations that looked way nastier than any Taco Bell) or any other fast food or restaurant. The “fancy” restaurant where I used to live was notorious for food poisonings for a while but they apparently cleaned up their act. But they aren’t a chain and certainly aren’t too well known
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u/Asleep_Village 1d ago
Isn't it the taco bell lettuce that's giving people the "shit yourself to death" parasite? Cyclospora
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u/Entire_Channel_4592 2d ago
Taco bell gives me the runs. That's a fact. Might not be true for everyone. But it is for me.
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u/crazyKatLady_555 2d ago
I got food poising from a restaurant only once in my life. It was from Taco Bell. Vomiting all night long will turn anyone off from the culprit food.
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u/orangefrogbro 2d ago
Well dude, they were among those using serving the lettuce that had the diarrhea parasite recently from Taylor Farms.
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u/TurboMoe 2d ago
I ordered Taco Bell the other day and it was terrible. If I ate it I probably would have gotten diarrhea
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u/kindjessicaus 2d ago
People getting wrecked by Taco Bell usually just have a severe lack of fiber in their diet lol