You want to give your favorite Mexican recipes a healthy makeover for the heart? By making a few simple changes, you can reduce fat and salt and still keep the flavors you like.
Mexican dishes use a lot of fresh, healthy ingredients, and it is easy to switch to other non-self healthy choices for healthier options.
Go for fruit and vegetables
vegetables play an important role in many Mexican favorites. Take a look at the recipes you do most often, and you'll probably find :.
- Tomatoes packed with lycopene, folic acid, potassium and vitamins A, B, C and E, tomatoes offer a lot of flavor and nutrients. Consider making your own salsa, or just adding more diced tomatoes to your meals.
- Peppers. With a wide variety of sweet spicy peppers can get the flavor and also add vitamins A and C, potassium, folic acid and fiber. Large peppers tend to be mild, while small peppers turn heat.
- Avocados. Although high in calories and fat, avocados offer a healthier type of fat that can help lower LDL, or "bad" cholesterol when eaten in moderation. Just keep an eye on portion sizes enjoying guacamole or adding avocado slices to your recipes.
- Beans. Manager of protein, minerals and fiber, beans are a great addition to many classic Mexican dishes. . Be sure to drain and rinse canned beans before using
Beyond these nutrient-rich foods, consider adding new flavors to your recipes tried and true, such as:
- Jicama. This root vegetable can be peeled, sliced and tossed in salads and salsas for an extra kick of vitamin C, fiber and potassium.
- Nopales. These pads of prickly pear (without thorns, of course) are loaded with fiber.
- mangoes. One cup of mango is only 100 calories and can sweeten your food without adding fat.
Get Spicy
to add more flavor to your recipes, look beyond the saltshaker. You can spice things up by choosing
- Lemon juice or lime juice
- Coriander
- Cumin
- Chiles
make healthy swaps
Keep the fat, salt and calories in your favorite recipes low by making healthy swaps.
- broil, bake or grill instead of frying.
- Choose corn tortillas instead of flour.
- Go to sour cream or low-fat cheese, and always keep an eye on your portions.
- Select fajitas with lots of vegetables instead of quesadillas.
- Boil the beans and crush them with low-fat milk or low-sodium vegetable broth to a texture similar to fried beans.
- If you have taco salad, skip the fried shell
dietitian -. a food and nutrition expert - can help you find even more ways to make your favorite Mexican recipes low in fat and calories. For more information, visit the Heart and Vascular Institute at UPMC or call 1-855-UPMC-HVI (876-2484) .
0 Komentar