How to Eat Mexican and Still Eat Healthy

One of the most difficult things about sticking to a healthy diet is missing out on some of your favorite treats, like Mexican food. The best way to eat healthy for life is to make sure you don't take your favorite foods out of your diet. You can limit your intake of certain foods. With others, you can simply alter your approach.

Part of using this method is getting over the idea that you have to go all-out every time you give yourself a treat. The reason people tend to go all-out in the first place is that they've given themselves a famine mentality by telling themselves, "After today, you can't have this anymore." No wonder they want to pig out. They've convinced themselves they'll never be able to have their favorite foods again.

If Mexican cuisine is your weakness -- or your friends' weakness, which can be just as bad -- simply change a few things about how you order. After all, Mexican cuisine is full of things like tomatoes, beans, lettuce and other things that are good for you. The next time you order, focus on enjoying more of those things and less of the things that can derail your supermodel career.

Beware of meats, sour cream and guacamole. Since I'm a vegetarian, meat is never a problem for me when I sit down, but I love sour cream and guacamole. However, I don't always order them. Try ordering something with beans and one other topping like a little sour cream or just a little cheese for flavor. Don't ask for extra and you can even scrape some of it off. Then give away the unused portion or put salt on it so you won't change your mind later and gobble it anyway.

Watch your portions. Instead of ordering a big combo meal, order something a la carte. Many restaurants let you order just a burrito or a set of two or three soft tacos. Decide ahead of time how much of it you are going to eat and immediately ask the waiter to wrap up the rest so you can have it to go.

Don't eat the chips. Extras are simply a bad idea for anyone trying to be healthy. When I go to my favorite restaurant, I limit myself to three chips so I can enjoy some of the salsa. I eat them slowly. I don't eat half a basket. If you do eat a couple of chips, stick to the salsa and let your friends deal with the cheese dip, guacamole and sour cream. Tell yourself you will have them at a later date.

The secret of healthy eating is to simply make it a reflex so that you can still enjoy your favorite treats, but not in an apocalyptic, famine-starts-tomorrow kind of way. You may discover that you actually prefer eating a simpler Mexican meal more often than not, and that you simply don't really want all that fatty stuff as much as you thought you did. It's worth a try. And you will be happier for it.