I had always thought that burritos and Mexican food in general was very healthy. I had the impression that since they had some vegetables, and beans, and not a lot of meat they were a better food choice. That was until I did some research on exactly what went into burritos, and the calorie and fat counts of some of them.

I checked the calories and nutritional facts on a leading restaurant burrito. For a burrito with these ingredients: 13″ Tortilla,Rice,Black Beans,Tomato Salsa,Corn Salsa,Fajita Veggies,Carnitas (4oz),Cheese,Sour Cream,Guacamole (4oz) it is, are you sitting down…

1220 calories, with 550 of those calories from fat!

That is the equivalent of a whole day of calories for someone trying to lose weight, on a 1,200 calorie a day food plan. That’s just one burrito! And for some people, that’s merely a snack!

Here are some ideas for substituting ingredients, to make the delicious Mexican burrito meal a bit healthier.

— It’s the meat, dairy, cheese and avocado that puts in most of the calories. Use less or avoid them.
— Use more lettuce, tomatoes, chopped green peppersand onions instead of the heavy meats, cheese and avocado.
— Refried beans contain a lot of fat. Use regular beans (black, pinto, navy – canned or homemade, whatever you like). Use the whole beans, or mash them in a saucepan, just don’t add butter or oils.
–Forget the cheese. It doesn’t add much flavor for the huge amount of extra calories it adds. If you want the flavor of cheese, use a low-fat or non-fat variety. Or baked tofu, or soy “cheese.”
–Forget the sour cream. Or use a non-fat variety.
— Instead of guacamole, which is almost pure fat (although non-saturated fat it’s still high calorie), add some tomato or tomatillo salsa for flavor.
–Use a whole wheat tortilla, and dont butter the grill or skillet. No need!
–Make the burrito at home, instead of going to a restaurant or fast-food place. That will save a lot of calories and lower the fat automatically. Restaurants and the food industry have trained us to think that high fat, salty and sweet foods taste better. Don’t fall for it!

Do YOU have some ideas for burritos that are healthier? Please post them below.
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