Tips for Healthy Mexican Foods

Here are a few tips, hints and general suggestions to counter-act the onslaught of so much bad Mexican food we find today.
Authentic Mexican food is healthy by definition. Really good tasting and healthy Mexican food starts with fresh ingredients!  The ancient Mayans foods were fresh, organic, naturally processed, had no preservatives or “flavor enhancing” chemical additives. In fact, they were known for the variety of their intense flavors, colorful decorations, and wealth of natural spices. Hopefully these tips will help us regain the original healthy aspects of Authentic Mexican food. Our goal is to eliminate or minimize the effects of our modernization in mechanical processing, preserving, packaging, and storing of Mexican foods or any foods for that matter. Viva healthy Mexican food. Ole!

The cultural changes in Mexican food brought about by the invasions of the Toltecs, Mixtecs, the Aztecs, the Spaniards, mingling with the Texans, the Californians and the New Mexicans give us a great variety of popular Mexican food. Sadly, the modernization also brought the melted cheese that blankets many dishes, fried or deep fried foods with their saturated fats, preservatives, and the fat-rich sour cream and cream sauce toppings that can endanger our health.
 

  • First, make an irrevocable commitment to yourself to do everything in your power to start eating and living healthy. Make it a commitment that you cannot and will not break. This is the most important aspect of any health management program.  How much you make this tip part of your lifestyle directly determines the success you will have in achieving your health goals.
  • Eat a good breakfast: Healthy people eat breakfast. Breakfast skippers are subject to binge eating, loss of energy later in the day, and even obesity. All of those contribute to poor health.  If you are too busy to eat a healthy breakfast...you are too busy!
  • Take a good multi-vitamin: It is becoming more difficult to get all the vitamins, minerals and trace nutrients from our foods due to over-producing our farmland and then chemically enhancing our farm products to put the nutrients back.  We must put them back.
  • Drink water: Water is the best drink for us. Watch out for the sugar in flavored water and soft drinks, including diet soft drinks. We need one ounce of water for every two pounds of body weight each day. Your kidneys will thank you.
  • Read nutrition labels: 
    • Cut out or minimize salts {sodium, nitrates, nitrites, MSG (Monosodium Glutamate), etc.} Nitrates and nitrites are known to have strong links to cancer and cause our body to retain water.  Choose your salt wisely.  Use the one with the lowest sodium content per 1/4 tsp serving.
      • Sea salt -390 mg
      • Kosher salt - 480mg
      • Iodized salt - 590mg.
    • Cut out or minimize sugars (glucose, sucrose, maltose, dextrose, fructose, high fructose corn syrup, syrup, etc).  This is especially important for those with high blood sugar levels and those who are diabetic.
    • Avoid artificial sweeteners (saccharin, aspartame, etc). Splenda or Stevia may be good substitutes.
    • Eliminate all trans fats and trans fatty acids (Hydrolyzed..., Hydrogenated..., Partially hydrogenated..., emulsified..., etc).  If these words are in the list of ingredients, do not buy them!  Find a better alternative.  Use Canola oil or better yet, Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  Better yet, get first pressed EVOO.  It has the most nutrients and best flavor.
  • Eat whole grains: They are loaded with extra fiber and nutrition that your body needs.

  • Eat fruits and vegetables: Raw or cooked,  but raw is best! If you eat the vegetables and fruits first, their fiber will make you feel full and you will not eat as much.  That could help you lose a few pounds?   Wouldn't that be nice?  We need two servings of either per meal and one serving of either per snack every day for our minimal nutritional requirements.

  • Avoid fried or deep-fried foods: a low-fat alternative is to use an oil spray and bake or broil foods to minimize the fats.  Tip: In place of warming tortillas in oil to soften them for enchiladas , soak them in the enchilada sauce for a more exciting and intense flavor. 
  • Avoid melted cheese toppings: Sprinkle a good quality, freshly grated, cheese on foods after baking or broiling. You'll get the flavor without the calories and fats.  
  • Replace sour cream or cream sauce toppings with guacamole: The guacamole contains heart-healthy mono-unsaturated fat that raises the “good” cholesterol, provides vitamin B6, and potassium. Used sparingly it is a good, healthy substitute.