Who doesn’t love a flavoursome Mexican dish on Taco Tuesday? They’re quick and easy and generally a pretty budget-friendly meal, making them an all-around winner. However, some of the ingredients we commonly use such as corn chips, sour cream, cheese and guacamole can often add up when it comes to fat and energy content, not to mention those little taco shells not leaving a lot of room for salad ingredients. This means our beloved Mexican dishes may not always be suitable as a dinner staple for someone who is trying to manage their weight. So, we have come up with a few tips to make your Mexican nights as healthy as possible, without compromising on flavour 😉
Choose Your Tortilla Wisely
Choosing a whole grain tortilla over the white variety will help keep you fuller for longer due to the added fibre content.
- Try choosing a small wrap as this may help lower your energy intake (e.g. roughly 500-600kj per wrap). Two small wraps instead of 2 large could save you up to 1000kj.
- Serve with a small bowl of salad to help fill up on fibre and prevent overindulging in tacos or tortillas
Skip the Sour Cream
If you like the creamy texture that a dollop of sour cream adds, try using these alternatives to lower the energy and fat content of your dish:
- Choose a light sour cream and stick to 2 tsp per taco/burrito
- Swap to a light ricotta cheese or thick Greek yoghurt
- Use avocado or tomato salsa instead
Bump Up the Veg
This can be a great way to increase the fibre content of the meal helping keep you fuller for longer and help with reducing the meat portion to lower total energy and fat content.
- Halve your meat portion and add 2x grated carrots towards the end of cooking
- Halve the meat portion and add in a 400g can of kidney beans
- Try serving as a burrito bowl instead of in a wrap to increase the number of veggies you can fit in. Some good combinations include corn, capsicum, cherry tomatoes, lettuce and avocado.
Other Tips
- Swap to a low-fat shredded cheese and limit to 1 Tbs per taco or tortilla
- Limit dishes such as tostadas, enchiladas and quesadillas which generally have more cheese
- Choose a low-fat mince over regular mince
- Try a fish taco using grilled white fish instead of meat to lower the energy and fat content
Mexican dishes can be made to be a very healthy and easy dinner staple. By following some of our tips above, these dishes can fit in with your weight loss goals so there’s no need for you to miss out on Taco Tuesday.
If you’d like to know more or want individual advice, head to the link to speak with one of our dietitians.
