A flour tortilla is nutritionally sound, but roll it around a filling and deep-fry it, and you have a high calorie diet buster. The good news for dieters is that Mexican cuisine places minimal emphasis on meat protein.
The bad news is that most Mexican food is fried or cooked in abundant amounts of fat. Many of the national Mexican food chains don’t use lard or animal fat drippings, which is typical in many independent restaurants, but they do use plenty of vegetable oil. As far as calories are concerned, there’s no difference between animal fat and vegetable fat.
Use salsa instead of salad dressing, guacamole, or sour cream on entrees. Ask for cheese toppings to be omitted or ask if lowfat sour cream and cheese are available.
Choose more of these:
Black bean soup
Ceviche (fish or scallops marinated in lime juice)
Chili
Enchiladas, burritos, or soft tacos (skip the sour cream, guacamole, and most of the cheese)
Fajitas
Gazpacho
Mexican salad minus the fried taco shell
Eat less of these:
Chimichangas
Extra cheese
Refried beans
Sour cream
Tortilla shells
