Don't Max Out on Mexican Food

First things first. I love Mexican food. I mean,
I L-O-V-E love it. When my cheat meal rolls around, 9 times out of 10 I will choose tacos or enchiladas or both to satisfy my cravings for the bad.

But you know as well as I do that Mexican food is laden with saturated and trans-fats that go straight to the thighs and arteries. While the mouth says "Yes, more please," the body says "You can't be serious! This is a heart attack in a tortilla!"

If , like me, you treat yourself to a number two combination plate only occasionally, you may not need to alter your ordering habits at your favorite Mexican restaurant.

On the other hand, if you find yourself eating at Mexican eateries quite often, you may want to consider these suggestions to limit your fats and save your waistline:

1. Share. The average combo plate has 2000 calories, Share with someone to cut the calories in half, or take half home to eat for lunch tomorrow.
2. When ordering fajitas, ask for less oil and no cheese.
3. On tacos and tostadas, ask them to hold the cheese.
4. Ask if the restaurant has black beans. Black beans typically have half the calories of refried.
5. Limit yourself to one tortilla and skip the butter.
6. When ordering a combo plate, limit yourself to two items. Your best choices are a soft taco and a tostada. Tamales and cheese enchiladas are your enemy.
7. Use willpower when the chips and salsa arrive at your table. Half a basket of chips is roughly 250 calories.
8. When ordering an appetizer, opt for fresh guacamole. It contains the "good fats" that your body needs. Just don't overdo!
9. Choose chicken or fish over beef or cheese. They are likely to have less calories and fat.

If you have an On the Borders Restaurant near you, give them a try. The Border Smart menu is full of dishes that are in the 500-calorie range and all quite good.

So, the next time you crave Mexican food, remember these tips. Ole!

The Skinny on Fats & Oils

How much do you know about fat? Good fat. Bad fat. Saturated fat. Your body needs fat in the diet, but do you know what kind or how much?

Dietary fat is very easily converted to body fat (at any age), so controlling your fat intake is crucial to control the weight gain associated with ageing. Each gram of fat you eat contains nine calories, regardless of what type of fat it is.

A tablespoon of vegetable oil contains 14 grams of fat and 125 calories. That can add up! You must avoid any foods that are higher than 30 percent fat content. Items high in fat and saturated fat are lard, animal shortening, oils, butterfat, whole-milk solids, shortening and margarine. You should focus on eating fresh, wholesome foods and avoid processed foods as much as possible.

There are fats that are good for us however. Fatty acids are necessary for good health, and some fat-soluble vitamins require fat for absorption into the system.Fat also helps to keep us insulated and warm. Elderly persons who have lost weight due to reduced appetite need to consume a moderate amount of dietary fat to maintain a healthy weight. Unsaturated fats, especially the monounsaturated ones, are considered "the healthy fats." These fats can be found in oils such as olive and sunflower, seeds, nuts, avocados and even in some margarine products.

Polyunsaturated are fats that can have a beneficial effect on your health when consumed in moderation and when used to replace saturated fats or trans fats. Polyunsaturated fats can help reduce the cholesterol levels in your blood and lower your risk of heart disease. They also include essential fats that your body needs but can’t produce itself – such as omega-6 and omega-3. You must get essential fats through food. Omega-6 and omega-3 play a crucial role in brain function and in the normal growth and development of your body. Most foods contain a combination of fats. Foods high in polyunsaturated fat include a number of vegetable oils, including soybean oil, corn oil and safflower oil, as well as fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, herring and trout. Other sources include some nuts and seeds such as walnuts and sunflower seeds.

Saturated, or "unhealthy fats," are found in red meat, dairy products (cheese, butter, ice cream) and lard. They are generally solid at room temperature. These fats contribute to higher blood cholesterol levels, thereby increasing increasing risk of heart disease. Certain vegetable oils such as palm and coconut contain large amounts of saturated fat, so use in moderation as much as possible. As for red meat, try ground white turkey breast instead. With the right seasonings you can't tell the difference!

Unlike other dietary fats, trans fats are not essential, and they do not promote good health. The consumption of trans fats increases one's risk of coronary heart disease by raising levels of "bad" LDL cholesterol and lowering levels of "good" HDL cholesterol. Trans fats from partially hydrogenated oils are more harmful than naturally occurring oils. Trans fats can be found in many foods – but especially in fried foods like French fries and doughnuts, and baked goods including pastries, pie crusts, biscuits, pizza dough, cookies, crackers, and stick margarines and shortenings. You can determine the amount of trans fats in a particular packaged food by looking at the Nutrition Facts label. You can also spot trans fats by reading ingredient lists and looking for the ingredients referred to as “partially hydrogenated oils.”

Several large studies indicate a link between consumption of high amounts of trans fat and coronary heart disease, and possibly some other diseases. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and the American Heart Association (AHA) all recommend that people limit their intake of trans-fat.

Following is a table with the most commonly used fats and oils and their corresponding saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated percentages:

 

Type of Oil or Fat	Saturated	Monounsaturated	Polyunsaturated
Butter	66%	30%	4%
Clarified butter	65%	32%	3%
Canola oil	6%	62%	32%
Coconut oil	92%	6%	2%
Corn oil	13%	25%	62%
Cottonseed oil	24%	26%	50%
Grape seed oil	12%	17%	71%
Lard	41%	47%	2%
Margarine, hard	80%	14%	6%
Margarine, soft	20%	47%	33%
Diacylglycerol (DAG) oil	3.5%	37.95%	59%
Olive Oil(Extra Virgin)	14%	73%	11%
Olive oil (Virgin)	14%	73%	11%
Olive Oil (Refined)	14%	73%	11%
Olive Oil (Extra Light)	14%	73%	11%
Palm oil	52%	38%	10%
Peanut oil	18%	49%	33%
Rice bran oil	20%	47%	33%
Safflower oil	10%	13%	77%
Sesame oil (Unrefined)	14%	43%	43%
Sesame oil (Semi-refined)	14%	43%	43%
Soybean oil	15%	24%	61%
Sunflower oil (Linoleic)	11%	20%	69%
Sunflower oil (High Oleic)	9%	82%	9%

Hopefully this helped you to get a basic understanding of the types of fats and which ones you should be sure to add to your diet. A word to the wise: too much of any fat, even good fat, will make you fat. Being cognizant of how much fat you are consuming will go a long way to help you lose weight and keep it off.