Mexican Meals For Dieters - Making Good Choices

By Christine Szalay-Kudra

By planning ahead and being aware of what is healthy and what is not, you can enjoy all your favorite traditional Mexican foods without having to go hungry or feel like you are missing out. Whether you are thinking about making a Mexican food recipe at home or ordering at a restaurant, a little background knowledge about low fat and low calorie choices can mean the difference between a healthy meal and an unhealthy one.

For many people, their idea of authentic Mexican food recipes would be deep fried tortillas filled with meat, cream, and lots of cheese, tortilla chips, guacamole, and creamy dips. If you were to visit Mexico, you might be surprised about what the locals actually eat. If they were to eat what some westerners think they do, they would all be obese!

Traditional Mexican Foods

A lot of the meals do contain cheese and some contain cream or are deep fried, but Mexico's diet is more versatile and varied than some people give it credit for. We might go to a restaurant and order fried items with creamy dressings and then a rich chocolate dessert. A Mexican meal is more likely to consist of meat, chicken or fish with a selection of fresh vegetables, fresh herbs, and a tomato-based sauce or some kind of dressing.

Tortillas feature on the Mexican table at most meals but they are not the deep-fried, bright yellow, U-shaped ones you get at fast food joints; rather they are simple flour or corn ones, which can be eaten as a meal accompaniment, used to scoop up soup or stew or filled with chicken, meat, vegetables, cheese or eggs and enjoyed like that.

Western restaurants cater for the western palate. Most Chinese restaurants use a lot of sugar in their entrees, to make them more palatable to westerners, who find it hard to believe that the typical Chinese diet is rather plain in comparison.

A simple mixture of rice, fish or meat and vegetables is the daily diet in many Asian homes. So why do people not realize that Mexican food is not what you get at junk food restaurants, Tex-Mex restaurants or most non-authentic south of the border eateries?

Healthy South Of The Border Choices

The truth about traditional south of the border meals is that they are generally quite healthy. Take Mexican stew or casserole, for example. This would be a combination of beef, pork, or chicken with all your favorite vegetables and a mouthwatering sauce made with chilies, tomatoes, garlic, fresh cilantro or parsley, lime juice and cumin.

The aromatic flavors work well with the meat and vegetables and because this is so healthy, you can balance it out with some grated cheese on top or sour cream on the side. Such a meal would be more filling and tasty than a greasy, deep fried dish which is slathered in molten cheese.

By all means, you can order sour cream or guacamole on the side, or sprinkle some cheese over your food, if you select a nutritious entree. Choose a soup or salad for your appetizer and a fruit-based dessert and your whole meal can be nutritious yet very filling and enjoyable. You do not have to deprive yourself altogether of the tasty dips or creamy side dishes if you choose your meal wisely.