What to order at a Mexican restaurant

jbrooks3645
jbrooks3645 Posts: 76 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So we are goin out to eat Mexican this weekend does anyone know of something I could order that won't blow all my calories on that one meal?
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Replies

  • mutantspicy
    mutantspicy Posts: 624 Member
    edited April 2018
    Pretty everything on the menu is going to be tough. Street style tacos or fish tacos might be ok, and fajitas as mentioned. Watch out for those flour tortillas and guac. But maybe you should just consider being a fat kid for one night, just log everything so you know what you did. I was once married to a Mexican that's how I got fat. Good Luck! ;)

    edit : Tostada's might not be too bad
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    I was in a nutrition class recently where they suggested that you request carrots and cucumbers, rather than chips. Please do this, as I have never seen carrots nor cucumbers at a Mexican restaurant and am dying to know if this is really a thing!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
    If it were me, I'd just get whatever it was that I wanted. I live in New Mexico and we might go out for New Mexican food maybe once every 2-3 months, so it's a treat and I'm going to get whatever it is that I'm wanting to get.
  • nooshi713
    nooshi713 Posts: 4,877 Member
    I had Mexican last night. I had shrimp tacos and a salad. It was great. Shrimp cocktail, tacos, and fajitas are good options. I substituted my rice and beans for a salad.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    Be careful with the fajitas. Some Mexican restaurants use a ton of oil. I know, I experienced this very recently.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,182 Member
    Ensalada Camarones.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
    NovusDies wrote: »
    Be careful with the fajitas. Some Mexican restaurants use a ton of oil. I know, I experienced this very recently.

    I don't know of a Mexican restaurant that doesn't...that's how those things come out all sizzling.
  • toxikon
    toxikon Posts: 2,384 Member
    If they have ceviche, that would be a nice option.
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    salad with dressing on the side. with grilled chicken may be a good option-may
    fish tacos
    soup

    of course, this is not knowing their recipes but it's a good bet
  • amgreenwell
    amgreenwell Posts: 1,268 Member
    If you get something with tortillas make sure they are corn. Try not to order anything with tortillas, don't eat the chips. I usually get a fiesta bowl which is black beans, chicken, pico, little shredded cheese and salsa.
    If you are really worried then only eat half of whatever they bring out to the table.
  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,572 Member
    toxikon wrote: »
    If they have ceviche, that would be a nice option.

    Yes. Ceviche is a savior.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
    Shrimp or fish tacos can have a ton of calories as they typically add some sauce to them too. Fajitas can actually be really high calorie because of the oil, as people mentioned. Honestly, plain corn tacos are usually your best bet, it's hard to stuff more than 300 calories of things in one.

    Taco salads are not bad as long as you don't have the fried tortilla bowl with it (and it's low on cheese/guacamole and you don't use dressing).
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    Where are you? Tex-mex is very different from Cali-mex is very different from genuine Mexican food.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,742 Member
    Lately I get 2 tamales a la carte and a side of avocado. Not low cal really but very delicious!

    Sometimes I go for chile rellenos with red sauce and beans.

    Or this dish with fajita chicken and steamed veggies on a bed of rice...it's supposed to come with queso on top but I have them hold the queso and don't finish the rice. So good.

    Spinach enchiladas, red or green sauce instead of cheese sauce.

    I personally don't love chips so I just don't START with the chips and salsa...helps cut the calories of my meal more than you may think!
  • RadishEater
    RadishEater Posts: 470 Member
    I wouldn't say fajitas as an option unless you are skipping a sizable amount of the meal. My prelogged meal for a generic mexican restaurant if you subtract out the margarita is ~ 800 calories and that is with no sour cream, no cheese, no tortillas. Then again I eat round ~400 calories for dinner typically

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  • maddiespahr
    maddiespahr Posts: 1 Member
    My nutrition teacher said the chips and salsa are the biggest thing to watch out for at a Mexican restaurant. She recommended us go into it with a limit of how many chips to eat such as 8 and stop yourself after that. I usually look for grilled fish or shrimp at Mexican restaurants. You can also order tacos and just eat the filling with a fork and avoid the tortillas. Cheese is great but if you want to make sure you stay within your calories goals I'd recommend avoiding it for that meal and loading up on pico de gallo instead.

    Before I go out, I usually look up the menu beforehand and look up the average calories for that dish on myfitnesspal or the internet.
  • brightresolve
    brightresolve Posts: 1,024 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    If it were me, I'd just get whatever it was that I wanted. I live in New Mexico and we might go out for New Mexican food maybe once every 2-3 months, so it's a treat and I'm going to get whatever it is that I'm wanting to get.

    Lucky you ... just came back from my first trip to NM - it will NOT be my last, adored the food and fell in :heart: with green chile sauce.
  • __TMac__
    __TMac__ Posts: 1,665 Member
    I just returned from Mexican lunch. Supreme steak burrito, mole on the side, chips, salsa verde, two margaritas (from scratch, not a mix, and not too bad calorie-wise), and an accidental tequila shot (gift from the server).

    As you can see, I am not skilled at choosing wisely, so I make it more about “context” than “dosage.” I skipped breakfast and will have a light dinner. And will run tomorrow. Totally worth it.

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