How to Eat Healthy at a Mexican Restaurant

If you enjoy spicy Mexican food but still want to eat healthy, you'll be happy to know you can do just that! By making the correct choices at your favorite Mexican restaurant, you can enjoy a delicious and healthy Mexican meal. Here's how to make your Mexican rrestaurant experience a healthy one:

1. Pass on the ubiquitous fried tortilla chips. Although they're served warm and smell delightful, they're are usually swimming in oil and fat and are best avoided entirely if you're interested in maintaining the health of your heart. The salsa served with the tortilla chips is usually quite healthy due to the high tomato content. Ask for some unfried corn tortillas to eat with the salsa instead. Corn tortillas are usually fat free and lower in calories.

2. Go light on the meat. If you must order meat with your meal, choose grilled chicken and opposed to beef, pork, and ground beef. Grilled poultry and fish will almost always be lower in calories and fat.

3. Watch your cheese intake. We all know most Mexican dishes emphasize the cheese. Do yourself a favor and order fajitas instead of the higher calorie enchiladas. Enchiladas tend to be loaded with melted cheese which adds unwanted fat to your diet. Ask for extra vegetables on your enchilada to boost your antioxidant intake.

4. Add some beans to your Mexican meal. Most of the refried beans have added fat added during the preparation process. Ask the chef if he can use whole beans without added fat to prepare your entrees. Many Mexican restaurants are quite willing to accomodate you on this.

5. Hold the high calorie, high fat sour cream. Salsa makes an excellent and tasty substitute on your burritos and fajitas. Plus, you'll have the added benefit off heart healthy lycopenes.

6. Don't order the alcoholic, specialty Mexican drinks. Most of these drinks are loaded with sugar and calories and are not a good choice for the health conscious eater.

7. Pass on the Mexican dessert offerings. The majority of Mexican dessert choices are rich in fats and sugars. Stop for a low fat ice cream treat at your local ice cream store on the way home.

8. Leave with a doggy bag. Mexican restaurants are usually extremely generous with portion sizes and you can get the calorie equivalent of two meals in one dinner. When your entree arrives, place half of it into a doggy bag to take home for another day. You'll consume less calories and feel less heavy when you finish your meal.

Now you can eat at your favorite Mexican restaurant without feeling guilty. A well chosen meal at a Mexican restaurant can be quite healthy and satisfying. Just be sure to make the right choices!