What Should You Order At A Mexican Restaurant When Trying To Lose Weight?

Posted on: 10 January 2022

When you're trying to lose weight, you want to choose restaurants wisely. Mexican restaurants actually tend to be a good choice for dieters. While you'll surely want to stay away from the cheesier dishes like loaded nachos, there do tend to be plenty of lighter, lower-calorie options on the menu. Here are a few key dishes to consider.

Burrito Bowls

While a whole burrito tends to be pretty high in calories, burrito bowls tend to be a lower-calorie choice. Usually, these bowls contain all of the ingredients used to fill a burrito, but they don't have the tortilla, which tends to be a source of extra calories and empty carbohydrates. To keep the calorie content even lower, you can order your bowl without cheese and sour cream. Add plenty of black beans for filling, low-calorie fiber, and protein.

Chicken Tacos

Tacos aren't always the lowest-calorie choice, but chicken tacos tend to be pretty good. Chicken itself is lower in calories and fat than most other meats. Plus, taco shells are smaller than burrito tortillas, which helps keep the calorie content low. Try ordering two or three tacos — no more — and asking for them to be filled with extra lettuce and tomato. This way, you'll have plenty of food to eat, but lots of it will just be veggies.

Pozole

If you go to an authentic Mexican restaurant, especially in the winter months, there is a good chance you'll find pozole on the menu. This is a thick stew made with pork and veggies. It tastes very hearty and satisfying, but since it contains so many veggies, it tends to be lower in calories than you'd think. Just make sure you don't over-indulge in any bread or chips that come with it. You can always ask your server to only bring out a few chips or one piece of bread if that's all you want to eat!

Fajitas

Fajitas are usually served in large portions. But if you can manage to keep your portion size down — maybe by splitting an order with a friend — they are actually pretty healthy and low in calories. Just make sure you load them up with peppers and onions and opt for chicken rather than beef.

A Mexican restaurant can be a good place to enjoy a healthy, lower-calorie meal. With the options above, you don't have to blow up your diet to enjoy a meal out.

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