How To Eat Out: Mexican Cuisine Edition

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by Dana Klose

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Enjoy Mexican Food WITHOUT sacrificing your health and fitness goals!

 

Are you afraid to ask your server questions? Don’t be!! Knowledge is power, especially when it comes to your food. It is important to know what you are eating, SO ASK!!!

SOME GENERAL TIPS:

Let’s face it butter and oil make everything taste better so of course when dining out foods will be sauteed in oil/ butter/ lard, so you will want to ask for yours to be prepared “dry”. Add salsa, lemon/lime juice, jalapeno/cilantro to boost flavor.

Instead of  proteins that are fried or sauteed, chose grilled. Look for words: ‘a la parilla’ or ‘asada’, baked, roasted, or steamed. Fried foods are not our friends as sad as that is. So, avoid chimichangas, gorditas & taquitos.

APPETIZERS:

Please don’t shoot the messenger here; I hate to be the bearer of the bad news. There is NO solution to eating tortilla chips when dining at a restaurant. So, if this is a trigger food for you then ask that they not be brought to the table. If you are able to stop then put a counted portion of 10 chips on a plate and enjoy the hell out of bad boys. Best option portion out guac by the tablespoon and ask for fresh veggies to eat it with. My favorite are green and red peppers.

SALADS:

We always seem to gravitate towards salads, but they typically come loaded with ground beef, tortilla strips, cheese, sour cream & beans and it’s all nicely placed inside a throne of fried tortilla–registering at around 50g of fat and 60g of Carbs. EEEEKKKKK!!!! Swap beef for lean sirloin, grilled chicken, shrimp or fish. Order salad in a bowl (not a taco shell sorry to disappoint), and ALL toppings/dressings on the side. Salsa makes an awesome dressing.

TACOS & FAJITAS:

Avoid hard shell & choose corn over flour. Try lettuce wrapping tacos, toppings on the side, sub avocado & salsa for cheese & sour cream. Get double meat on one taco! Street style tacos usually contain grilled meat–have them made on 1 corn tortilla instead of the usual 2. Order fajitas and build yourself using grilled meats; grilled veggies. And ask to sub out the tortillas for lettuce and build your own salad.

SIDES:

Choose black or pinto over refried beans or rice (sadly they are usually cooked in lard and that’s why they are so delicious).

DESSERT:

This may come as a surprise but desserts are decent on macros, opt for Churros, sorbet or flan.

Tip and waistline preserver:  Order ONE dessert and ask for a spoon for everyone at the table.

With so many Family owned local restaurants I hope these tips help you feel confident when dining out.

 

Below you will find some national fast-casual dining chains with their Macro breakdown and our recommendations.

 

 

*Recommended Items

TACOS

  • Beer Battered Fish Cal 230/12F/26C/7P
  • Street:
    • Carne Asada Cal 180/7F/ 20C/ 11P
    • Chicken Cal 170/7F/20C/10P
  • Flatbread:
    • Carne Asada steak Cal 350/15F/34C/17P
    • Chicken Cal 320/15F/34C/16P
    • Grilled Chicken Cal 210/12F/16C/12P
  • The Turkey Del Taco
    • Crunchy Cal 280/16F/15C/17P
    • Soft Cal 270/15F/17C/18P
  • Value Tacos
    • Crunchy Cal 130/8F/9C/6P
    • Soft Cal 150/7F/15C/7P

BURRITOS

  • Del Beef Cal 500/24F/40C/27P
  • Jacked Up Value Bean, Rice & Cheese Cal 280/8F/40C/12P
  • Chicken Roller
  • Chipotle Cal 280/12F/29C/14P
  • Original Cal 250/9F/30C/14P
  • Ranch Cal 280/12F/29C/14P

MISC

  • CrunchTada Tostada Cal 330/14F/38C/12P
  • Pollo Asada Avocado Bowl Cal 570/23F/61C/31P
  • Cheddar Quesadilla Cal 460/26F/31C/22P

Mini Quesadillas

  • Bacon Cal 170/9F/14C/8P
  • Cheddar Cal 130/6F/14C/5P
  • Nachos Cal 300/19F/30C/5P
  • Mexican Chopped Chicken Salad Cal 510/23F/39C/31P
  • Potato Poppers (6pc) Cal 360/21F/30C/11P

BREAKFAST

  • Rollers
    • Bacon Cal 340/17F/28C/15P
    • Chorizo Cal 310/15F/20C/13P
    • Egg & Cheese Cal 290/13F/28C/13P
  • Burritos
    • Regular Cal 430/21F/38C/20P
    • Carne Asada Cal/500/24F/40C/28P
  • Tacos
    • Bacon Cal 230/14F/15C/11P
    • Carne Asada Cal 240/13F/16C/15P
    • Chorizo Cal 240/15F/16C/11P
    • Egg & Cheese Cal 190/11F/15C/9P

Be mindful and be careful of adding on the Secret Sauce because it will cost you!! There’s no nutrition info provided and because it is mayo based, 1 Tablespoon runs at least 9g of fat!!

 

 

At Chipotle, there are many combinations to choose from. Listed below, based on a typical portion size (you can request extra or light), are the calorie and macronutrient breakdowns for each item. From this, you can create infinite combinations for favorite items.

Chipotle also offer the option to “build your own” on their website with their Nutritional Calculator

 

*Recommended Items

PROTEIN:

  • Carnitas Cal 210/F12/P23
  • Barbacoa Cal 170/F7/C2/P24
  • Chicken Cal 180/F7/C0/P32
  • Steak Cal 150/F6/C1/P21
  • Sofritas Cal 150/F10/C9/P8

RICE AND BEANS

  • White Rice Cal 210/ F4/C40/P4
  • Brown Rice Cal 210/F6/C36/P
  • Black Beans Cal 130/F2/C22/P8
  • Pinto Beans Cal 130/F2/C21/P8

TOPPINGS

  • Romaine lettuce Cal 5/C1
  • Shredded cheese Cal 100/F9/P6
  • Guacamole Cal 230/F22/C8/P2
  • Fajita veggies Cal 20/C5/P1
  • Tomatillo Green Chili Salsa Cal 15/C4
  • Tomatillo Red Salsa Cal 30/C4
  • Sour Cream Call 100/F9/C2/P2
  • Flour Tortilla Cal 320/F9/C50/P8

APPETIZER

  • Chips and Guac Cal 770/F47/C81/P9
  • Large Chips and Guac Cal 1270 F82/C126/P15

 

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