Are fajitas a healthy choice at a Mexican restaurant?
Fajitas. Grilled food like Fajitas tend to be healthier compared to those that are deep-fried. Deep-fried entrees carry extra oil and fats that are not exactly healthy. Other than this, a great thing about fajitas is that you can choose the base ingredient you want.
Opting for steak fajitas with just the steak and grilled vegetables can be a healthier choice at a Mexican restaurant. By skipping the refried beans, rice, and other toppings, you can reduce the overall calorie and carbohydrate content of the meal.
If you're looking for the most nutrient-dense option at a Mexican restaurant, grilled proteins like seafood, chicken and steak are usually your best bet. Accompany them with sides of black beans or sautéed vegetables to get optimal nutrition without sacrificing flavor.
Chicken fajitas in their most basic form: grilled chicken, onions, peppers and tortillas aren't bad for you if you go light on the oil. It's when you start piling on the cheese, sour cream, and chimichurri sauce that things take a turn for the worse. Good bye diet!
Beef Fajitas is Grade A food. It contains most of the vitamins and minerals that your body needs. It contains very high amounts of vitamin B6, vitamin B12, Vitamin C and a good amounts of vitamin A. Beef Fajitas wraps are also very high in iron.
On average, a serving of chicken fajitas at a Mexican restaurant contains approximately 600-800 calories. However, it's important to note that this calorie count can significantly increase if you opt for larger portion sizes or add high-calorie toppings.
A great way to eat healthily at a Mexican restaurant is to choose grilled foods. Instead of ordering a chimichanga or taquito, opt for steak, chicken or shrimp fajitas. Fajitas are much healthier than fried items but are just as filling; they taste even better when flavored with peppers and onions.
We Recommend. At Chipotle Mexican Grill, a fajita made with a taco-sized flour tortilla, fajita vegetables, chicken and tomato salsa has 475 calories, 15 grams of total fat and 3.5 grams of saturated fat. However, if you add guacamole to your fajita, the calories jump to 705 and the total fat content rises to 37 grams.
Two: | Has a PointsPlus value of: |
---|---|
Pork fajitas | 13 |
Beef fajitas | 13 |
Chicken fajitas | 10 |
Grilled proteins are typically some of the lowest-calorie foods you will get at a Mexican restaurant as long as they are paired with the side smart dishes. Choose grilled seafood, chicken, or steak with a side of black beans, grilled or sauteed vegetables.
What are the healthiest fajitas to eat?
Best: Fajitas
Start with lean sources of protein like grilled chicken, fish, or shrimp. Then pile on the veggies. Onions and peppers are loaded with fiber and vitamin C. Because flour tortillas have about 100 calories each, swap them for the corn kind or have only two.
Fajitas, deconstructed.
Keep the chicken, shrimp or lean beef with all of the veggies, and, perhaps the beans, depending on how they're prepared. Use guacamole as a 'sauce' instead of sour cream. Limit the tortillas, rice and refried beans to minimize the calorie-dense ingredients that aren't as nutrient-rich.
- Choose lean cuts of meat. Traditional fajitas were made with skirt steak, which is lean but not very tender. ...
- Extend the meat by mixing with healthier sources of proteins; black, red, pinto, even white kidney beans add fiber and taste. ...
- Bulk them up with veggies. ...
- If you're using a tortilla, skip the rice. ...
- Spice it up.
The quality vegetables added to the Chicken Fajitas provide a super boost in anti-oxidants and vitamins that improve eyesight and digestion. Peppers have tremendous cancer reducing properties along with several key vitamins the body needs daily for proper health!
Both dishes are loaded with various nutrients. The amount of folate, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, and Vitamin B5 are higher in burritos while Fajitas contain more Vitamin B3 and Vitamin B6. However, both food contains an equal level of Vitamin 12. Burritos are higher in fats as compared to Fajitas.
When you're ready to eat, hold the fajita with one or two hands, using your pinkies to keep the bottom fold of the tortilla in place. Eat your fajita normally, ending your last bite with the folded up end. Use a fork to eat any ingredients that fall onto the plate.
You can use either skirt steak or flank steak for fajitas. Although the two cuts come from different parts of the cow, both skirt and flank steak soak up marinades well, cook quickly, and, when sliced thinly against the grain, taste tender and flavorful.
The taco or fajita shell usually contains little sodium, whether hard or soft; it is the meat that carries the greatest volume of sodium. A 3 tbsp. serving of seasoned ground beef for tacos or a 3 oz. serving of chicken for fajitas can contain up to 400 mg of sodium.
One of the most common questions I hear as a dietitian is, “Is Mexican food healthy?” Yes, Mexican food can be very healthy. This is thanks to its base of corn, beans, tomato, and squash. The abundance of fresh produce and spices also helps make Mexican food very nutritious!
Fajitas, like several other Mexican dishes, make an ideal keto meal as long as you skip the tortillas. Choose a simple meat entree. Choosing a high fat, high protein meat dish as your main course means you may not have to make many special requests to keep your meal keto-friendly.
Are Mexican chicken tacos healthy?
Chicken tacos are some of the highest in protein. They're often lower in fat than red meats as well ( 22 , 23 ). Plus, studies have found that eating lean cuts of white meat, like chicken, are not associated with an increased risk of chronic disease ( 24 , 25 ).
If you eat a taco salad plain and without any taco sauce or guacamole or other items, then it can be healthier for you than a taco. Unfortunately, if you eat a taco salad, you are likely to add a lot of ingredients and toppings for taste reasons, which will reverse any healthier benefit.
Fajitas can be a tasty and healthy Mexican dish. Make sure that you use grilled chicken or shrimp instead of beef to help lower the cholesterol content. Fajitas don't come with cheese, so the dish is fairly low in cholesterol.
The unhealthiest dish you can order at a Mexican restaurant is… the chimichangas. A chimichanga is essentially a deep-fried burrito. It is a Tex-Mex dish made with a large tortilla stuffed with multiple servings of rice, beans, cheese and meat.
Chicken fajita (1 each - 6" diameter tortilla) contains 21.3g total carbs, 19.2g net carbs, 10.6g fat, 14.7g protein, and 240 calories.
References
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- https://www.livestrong.com/article/352710-fajita-nutrition-guide/
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- https://www.quora.com/Are-steak-fajitas-a-healthier-Mexican-restaurant-order-if-I-opt-to-just-eat-the-steak-and-grilled-vegetables-not-the-refried-beans-rice-or-other-toppings
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