http://www.nycdailydeals.com/2009_01_01_archive.html
Mexican food. When it's good, it's great. All that cheese, chips, burritos, quesadillas... yum. Unfortunately, if you don't live someplace close to the border, or in the southwestern regions, quality Mexican food is hard to find. Where I live, we have Taco Bell and Don Pablo's. It never seemed like a big deal to me to swing by there, and pick up some chips and a taco or a quesadilla. But, just recently when I started my healthy eating, I got curious as to what I would be consuming in those swing-by's.
**Keep in mind that people who are trying to lose weight should keep their calories-from-fat around 15 per meal, and people who are trying to maintain the weight where they're at should still only have around 35-40 calories-from-fat per meal**
1.
Taco Bell's 7-Layer Burrito
http://theangrytiki.com/2009/01/life-outside-bun-tribute-to-taco-bell.html
Here we have the famous 7-Layer Burrito (which, by the way, they've improved to the 7-Layer CRUNCH Burrito). This big boy comes packed with rice, seasoning, a three-cheese blend, guacamole, lettuce, tomato, sour cream, and plenty of beans. It also comes packed with calories - an additional 520 calories (189 from fat) added to your daily allotment when you've finished this off.
2. Taco Bell's Grilled Stuffed Chicken Burrito
http://www.ehow.com/how_5277711_make-grilled-stuffed-burrito.html
This thing is HUGE. Seriously, much more food than a person needs for a lunch break. Inside this planet-esque burrito, you will find sour cream, an incredible amount of half-shredded chicken, beans, lettuce, tomato, 3 different varieties of cheeses, and lots and lots of seasonings. Oh, and also 670 calories, 225 of which are from fat. One time in Taco Bell (I've only been twice) I was behind a man who ordered three of these. Understandable if he had a family to feed, but he took them to a table for one, began eating the first one as he multitasked by opening the second one AND third one, readying them for eating. Just to do a quick calculation... that man consumed 2,010 calories, 675 of those being from fat, and that's not including his plus-sized fountain drink and container of chips and salsa. In one meal. At the end of the day. (Approximently 3,000 calories go into gaining a pound).
3. Taco Bell's Cheesy Gordita Crunch Supreme
http://www.foodfacts.info/blog/labels/Taco%20Bell.html
Where to begin. Maybe with, "This guy has, in the FIRST taco shell, tons of meat, cheese, sour cream, shredded lettuce, and cheese. And in the SECOND taco shell, if you can believe it, THREE MORE TYPES OF MELTED CHEESE!" Or maybe with, "This guy has, altogether, 610 calories, 333 of which are from fat." So more than half are from fat. By the way, since the average calories from fat of a person maintaining their weight should be, like I mentioned earlier, around 30 calories, the fat content in this thing is the same as 11.1 meals with the RIGHT calorie from fat content.
4. Tortilla Chips
http://www.sogoodblog.com/2007/11/07/would-you-rather-candy-bars-vs-tortilla-chips/
They seem so innocent, placed in brightly colored baskets with bowls of salsa beside them, just waiting to be eaten. Plus, they come with the meal, so you might as well have a few, right? Well. I heard once that, as humans, we were hardwired from the beginning to LOVE fats, sweets, and salts, because back in the day of the caveman those were extremely hard to come by so we'd eat as much as possible whenever we had the opportunity. Today, food industries make sure we get more than enough of those things in everything we eat, but our genetic hardwiring to eat as much of those as possible hasn't changed. So one chip turns into two, which then makes three, and soon the waitress is bringing another basket. These are the worst to eat before you chow down on a quesadilla, because on average tortilla chips are 140 calories, with 63 from fat, per OUNCE. The numbers add up fast, and you haven't even reached your entree yet.
5. Don Pablo's Plain Cheese Quesadilla
http://www.florenceroundhouse.com/special.html
I LOVED these as a kid, when I used to be scared of anything that had been in the vicinity of a pepper. It's just melted cheese pressed between two tortillas, how could anyone resist? Earlier today when thinking of Mexican foods for this blog, I remembered the cheese quesadilla days at Don Pablo's. Interested and not expecting much, I looked up the calorie amount on a great website called caloriecount.about.com, and my stomach dropped. 1 large (8 pieces) plain cheese quesadilla from Don Pablo's is 1,597 calories, 891 of those from fat. Trying to fight back the nausea that had taken over, I looked up the calorie amount for the half (4 piece) portion... 840-something calories, with the calories from fat being in the 400 neighborhood. Yikes.
6. Don Pablo's Guacamole
http://treataweek.blogspot.com/2009/05/simple-guacamole.html
In the summer, nothing is better than some fresh guacamole. Unfortunately, restaurant brands like Don Pablo's are 83 calories for 2 ounces... 73 of those calories from fat. So pretty much, 95% of restaurant and fast food guacamole is solid fat... not very appetizing. If you go to the link under the picture, however, you will find a great blog with recipes for FRESH guacamole, which is much less processed and much more healthy.
To sum it up. It is NOT HARD to make burritos, quesadillas, and the like at home. You can choose ingredients that are much more low-fat and end up with a delicious meal that is much more low-cal, and not to mention a lot fresher! Bring the border to your home and go to the store to find the best seasonings. Cooking with your family, and creating good, healthy food, is a lot more rewarding and healthy than sitting around a fast-food restaurant table for dinner.
**credit for the calorie amounts goes to caloriecount.about.com**
