Mexican restaurant

angela11pitts
angela11pitts Posts: 3 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Is there anything low cal at your local chain mexican restaurant? What is your go to if you are going out to eat at a Mexican restaurant?
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Replies

  • Get_Back_To_Feeling_Good
    Get_Back_To_Feeling_Good Posts: 497 Member
    fish taco maybe if they have one
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,937 Member
    Chicken tostada is my go-to. Not the tostada "salad" because it's in a fried bowl. I don't eat the sour cream usually.

    The biggest thing for me to avoid is the basket of chips and salsa that shows up at the table as soon as I arrive. I can easily eat 300-500 calories in chips waiting for my food.
  • penguinmama87
    penguinmama87 Posts: 1,158 Member
    I don't go out to eat very often, so when I do, I make sure to get something I enjoy, even if it's higher calorie than what I would normally eat.

    That said, it's hard to beat fajitas. I usually skip rice and only eat the chips if they're actually good, not just because they're there. One place nearby has excellent fresh chips and I will make room in my calorie budget for them, as well as the guacamole. :yum:
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
    edited June 2021
    I live in New Mexico and Mexican and New Mexican restaurants are abundant (chains don't really exist here though with so much good local). True Mexican food, there are many options that don't break the bank calorie wise and I will often go for the barbacoa tacos. True Mexican food is actually pretty light fare.

    New Mexican is a bit harder as portions are huge and pretty much everything is smothered in cheese. I usually go for the carne adovada because it's pretty much just pork slow cooked in red chile...side of rice and beans.
  • chrisalexander851
    chrisalexander851 Posts: 14 Member
    I went yesterday and had a steak and guacamole salad. But it was torture to sit and watch everyone else eat chips and salsa.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    I don't go out for Mexican nearly as much as I'd like, so I'm likely to order what sounds best and then just make sure stay within the portion that I want. If I was eating it frequently, I'd probably do something like a vegetable fajita salad with salsa for dressing. I am a huge chips and salsa fan, so I'll always have a few . . . but I count them out to make sure I stay with just one serving instead of nine.
  • AndreaTamira
    AndreaTamira Posts: 272 Member
    Well, I am pretty sure my local "Mexican" food chain makes food that is not Mexican at all, but their cauliflower burito bowl is pretty good and has low-ish calories.
  • RunsWithBees
    RunsWithBees Posts: 1,508 Member
    edited June 2021
    My local place has a vegetarian burrito that is so delicious! Of course, the carnitas burrito is also amazing :p I usually save eating out at a restaurant for a day when I go for an early 6 mile run so I can earn extra calories (I’m in maintenance now, not trying to lose weight) if you want you can have them make it a “bowl” instead of a burrito and that eliminates the calories of the tortilla.
  • wilson10102018
    wilson10102018 Posts: 1,306 Member
    There is a reason why Mexico distinguishes itself as the most obese country in the World. Its their diet.
  • wunderkindking
    wunderkindking Posts: 1,615 Member
    edited June 2021
    Honestly, whenever I eat out anywhere I basically decide I'm going to be getting my calories for my day from that meal, eat VERY lightly otherwise and take a long after meal walk. Then I eat what I want. Mexican though? Probably still doing fajitas because they're my favorite. I am also eating the chips, though :P

    But eating out beyond hitting a drive through because we're stupid busy at most a once a month thing. And I know how to eat within my calories at a fast food place.
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 7,403 Member
    Ask for a bowl of bell pepper strips to dip in salsa.

    I’ve sat down and calculated the calories on chicken chilaquiles, and if I divide the plate into half and eat the rest the next day, they’re not bad at all.

    My local serves a delicious mango/chicken salad that comes in well under 400 calories for a generous plate.

    My current favorite is a grilled mango habanero chicken plate. With a side of rice and a side salad, I figure it’s about 7-800 calories. A good bit of that is the sauce. Next time I’m going to ask for “half sauce”.

    Btw, I generally still allow myself some chips, but the bell pepper strips both prevent me from scarfing a whole bowl, and fill me up some before the main course is served.

    Soft corn tortillas are lower cal than flour ones, because they usually serve the small “street style” corn tortillas, whereas the flour are usually the big plate sized ones.

    It’s the meals that come with rice and beans that are particularly dangerous. Im going to start asking for a side salad like they do on the mango habanero dish. Don’t know why I never thought of that before. 🤦🏻‍♀️
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    wilson10102018 wrote: »
    There is a reason why Mexico distinguishes itself as the most obese country in the World. Its their diet.

    What is the source for this? When I look it up, their obesity rate isn't even in the top ten and it's below the US.
  • JCT1000
    JCT1000 Posts: 19 Member
    I just looked at the World Factbook and the U.S. came in 12th at 36% obesity. Mexico came in 29th at 28.9%, similar to Canada and Australia. Most of the top 10 were South Pacific islands like the Marshall, Cook, Palau, Nauru, Tuvalu, all above 50%.
  • wilson10102018
    wilson10102018 Posts: 1,306 Member
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    wilson10102018 wrote: »
    There is a reason why Mexico distinguishes itself as the most obese country in the World. Its their diet.

    What is the source for this? When I look it up, their obesity rate isn't even in the top ten and it's below the US.

    Jane, I was just starting to think you made some sense in your posts. But, you obviously cannot help yourself.

    Mexico ranks the most obese country in the world in adult obesity (as of 2013), and first for childhood obesity with about 4.5 million children diagnosed as such. Mexico passed the United States as the most obese country in the world.[4] The prevalence of overweight and obesity is 16.7% in preschool children, 26.2% in school children, and 30.9% in adolescents. For adults, the prevalence of overweight and obesity is 39.7 and 29.9%, respectively . . .

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obesity_in_Mexico#cite_note-who.int-4
  • nicsflyingcircus
    nicsflyingcircus Posts: 2,382 Member
    https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/most-obese-countries

    Mexico weighs in at 28.9% obesity... Which puts it outside the top 25.
  • wilson10102018
    wilson10102018 Posts: 1,306 Member
    nicsflyingcircus wrote: »
    https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/most-obese-countries

    Mexico weighs in at 28.9% obesity... Which puts it outside the top 25.
    Your source is a travel blog. Wiki's source cited above is the WHO.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    edited June 2021
    wilson10102018 wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    wilson10102018 wrote: »
    There is a reason why Mexico distinguishes itself as the most obese country in the World. Its their diet.

    What is the source for this? When I look it up, their obesity rate isn't even in the top ten and it's below the US.

    Jane, I was just starting to think you made some sense in your posts. But, you obviously cannot help yourself.

    Mexico ranks the most obese country in the world in adult obesity (as of 2013), and first for childhood obesity with about 4.5 million children diagnosed as such. Mexico passed the United States as the most obese country in the world.[4] The prevalence of overweight and obesity is 16.7% in preschool children, 26.2% in school children, and 30.9% in adolescents. For adults, the prevalence of overweight and obesity is 39.7 and 29.9%, respectively . . .

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obesity_in_Mexico#cite_note-who.int-4

    I'm honestly confused about why you're making this a personal thing when all I asked was where you got that information. Not many other sources seem to agree with the particular Wikipedia article that you cited.

    Here's a list from Wikipedia that shows Mexico at 29% obesity, which is outside the top 25: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_obesity_rate

    It's based on information from 2020 and the US is higher than Mexico.

    Here's another source with more recent data from the WHO, showing Mexico tied for 28th place with Malta:

    https://obesity.procon.org/global-obesity-levels/

    I think what we can safely say is that Mexico, like many countries, struggles with obesity. But it's hard to see a good case that they are the most obese nation in the world.
  • wilson10102018
    wilson10102018 Posts: 1,306 Member
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    I'm honestly confused about why you're making this a personal thing when all I asked was where you got that information.

    Jane, you're an adult, conversant in interpersonal communications, right? Do you think it is normal to search out alternative sources to dispute a current and recently cited World Health Organization statement when whether Mexico is first or second is utterly collateral to the subject. Do you think Mexicans would be eating more healthy if Mexico was number 2?
    No, you are just a person who want to one up the next guy to show how smart you are. Guess what, the opposite is proven. Now leave me alone.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    wilson10102018 wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    I'm honestly confused about why you're making this a personal thing when all I asked was where you got that information.

    Jane, you're an adult, conversant in interpersonal communications, right? Do you think it is normal to search out alternative sources to dispute a current and recently cited World Health Organization statement when whether Mexico is first or second is utterly collateral to the subject. Do you think Mexicans would be eating more healthy if Mexico was number 2?
    No, you are just a person who want to one up the next guy to show how smart you are. Guess what, the opposite is proven. Now leave me alone.

    I'm just a person who was surprised to read that Mexico was the most obese nation in the world when I had never heard that before. I understand that it may be unusual for people to want to verify information, but it's something I personally like to do before passing things along. It's not an issue of quibbling over whether Mexico is first or second. There's a relevant difference between the claim that Mexico is the most obese country in the world and the reality -- which is that Mexico is 28th on the list, and under the United States.

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