Rating

	My Rating: 1 ratings 5 stars (1) 4 stars (0) 3 stars (0) 2 stars (0) 1 stars (0)

Email

	Email this page to a friend Friend's Email: Your Name: Your Email: Enter the code shown: Submitting Send Email

Love Mexican food? Try these blood-sugar safe swaps

By Rachel Meltzer Warren, MS, RDN

Mexican may be the ultimate comfort food, but eating south of the border-style can also mean loads of carbohydrates from the rice, corn and tortillas, not to mention extra fat and calories from the lard used in traditional preparations. You’ll do best if you stick with options that feature just one starch instead of many — like getting a (tortilla-free) burrito bowl instead of a burrito, so your major carb source is the rice. By playing up fiber-rich vegetables and beans, and staying away from greasy, lard-laden dishes, you can enjoy your Mexican food meal, guilt free. Here are some smart swaps to try!

Choose Chips with Salsa and Guacamole Instead of Nachos

“Nachos are generally loaded with saturated animal fats [from all the lard, cream and cheese]. By choosing chips with guacamole and salsa, you’ll get a boost of ‘good’ plant-centered monounsaturated healthy fats instead,” says Jackie Newgent, RDN, CDN, culinary nutritionist and author of The With or Without Meat Cookbook. Don’t forget, portion size still counts, and tortilla chips and guacamole aren’t low-calorie foods. “Portion out up to 12 chips onto a salad-sized plate so you won’t be tempted to keep reaching into an ‘endless’ bowl of chips,” says Newgent. “Then rotate the toppings — enjoy a chip with guacamole, then one with salsa, and so on.”

Choose a Bean Burrito Bowl Instead of a Burrito

“It’s tortilla-less, so it helps you keep total carbohydrates in check," says Newgent. "And beans provide a duo of protein and fiber, which creates satisfaction and can be beneficial for blood sugar management,” she adds. When ordering, ask your server to limit your starchy ingredients — like brown rice and corn — to one scoop, then go big on non-starchy veggies, like lettuce, bell peppers, and fresh salsa, she suggests.

Choose Shrimp Fajitas Instead of Chimichangas

“Chimichangas are traditionally deep fried; fajitas are made with fresh, not fried, tortillas, which will help you better manage overall calorie intake,” says Newgent. Plus, shrimp is a low-fat, high-protein pick. To make shrimp fajitas an even better choice, skip the sour cream and cheese to cut the saturated fat and calories, and ask for soft corn tortillas, which are higher in fiber than the typical flour ones.

Hungry for more? Try these diabetes-friendly Chinese dishes and diabetes-friendly Italian dishes! 

Published on May 25, 2016. 

Rachel Meltzer Warren, MS, RDN is a New York City-area nutrition writer, educator and counselor.