Low Calorie Mexican Food

Written by Sky Taylor, Diet Bites


Good Options for Dieters Craving a Mexican Meal

A delicious Mexican meal doesn't have to be time consuming OR more importantly, loaded in calories. You are less than ten minutes away from experiencing low calorie yummy Mexican cuisine.

How so? With a El Charrito Cheese Enchilada Dinner by Don Miguel that can be plucked from the frozen foods section at your local market. And it's easy on the budget - as well as the waistline.

The dinner includes 2 cheese enchiladas with sauce, refried beans and Spanish rice - all provided in generous portions and all for 380 calories. We recommend topping the dinner with your favorite salsa. Here is the rest of the nutrition breakdown:

Nutritional Values for El Charrito Cheese Enchilada Dinner by Don Miguel

Calories - 380, and this is a very nominal amount for a Mexican meal in today's world. This reasonable amount can fit into most weight loss plan.

Calories from Fat - 100,so about one-fourth of the kcals are derived from fat.

Total Fat - 11 grams, again - quite impressive where cheese is involved in the recipe.

Saturated Fat - 4.5 grams; this is about half as much saturated fat as found in many cupcakes.

Trans Fat - 1.5 grams; this isn't a good element of this entree and one area which we consider its downside. We'd like to see the Trans eradicated from the recipe - and it can be accomplished.

Cholesterol - 10 mg


Sodium - 1010 mg; this area is excessive as tends to be the case with about 99.9% of commercially processed foods.

Total Carbohydrates - 64 grams

Dietary Fiber - 9 grams; another stellar element of this entree.

Protein - 11 grams; these will assist in keeping you full until the next meal time.

Sugars - 4 grams

Percentages below based on 2,000 calorie daily diet:

Vitamin A - 20%
Calcium - 15%

Iron - 20%

Vitamin C - 6%

Carbs, Saturated Fat, Sodium & Other Nutritional Notes

Granted, this enchilada dinner is pricey when it comes to carbs, saturated fats and sodium AND it does contain undesirable Trans fat.

However, when compared to the A-Typical Mexican dinner, the El Charrito Cheese Enchilada Dinner is hard to beat when it comes to these nutritional issues, including total calories.

In addition, the dinner provides a healthy dose of fiber, protein, iron, Vitamin A, calcium and even Vitamin C. This Mexican Dinner is quick and easy to prepare, it's satisfying, generous and helps keep serving sizes under control. The disposable serving tray is an additional perk whether dieting or not.

Restaurant, Mexican Food Calories

Below are examples of the A-Typical restaurant enchilada, beans & Spanish rice nutritional breakdown for comparison purposes.

Keep in mind that nutrition information is based on ONE cheese enchilada.

Cheese Enchilada, Nutrition Facts

Based on 1 Cheese Enchilada

310 calories
18.8 total fat grams
10.6 saturated fat grams
44 milligrams of cholesterol
784 milligrams of sodium
9.63 protein grams
28.5 carbohydrate grams, total
0 dietary fiber grams

Refried Beans, Nutrition Facts

Based on 1/2 cup of Refried Beans

116 calories
1.59 total fat grams
0.60 saturated fat grams
5 milligrams of cholesterol
376 milligrams of sodium
7 protein grams
20 carbohydrate grams, total
6.7 dietary fiber grams

Spanish Rice, Nutrition Facts

Based on 1/2 cup of Spanish Rice

150 calories
3.5 total fat grams
2 saturated fat grams
0 milligrams of cholesterol
425 milligrams of sodium
2.5 protein grams
22 carbohydrate grams, total
0 dietary fiber grams

Mexican Meal, Nutritional Comparison

Let's add up the totals to see how a traditional Mexican meal which is served at a restaurant compares to the Don Miguel Mexican meal - which by the way, mirrors many other options found in the frozen section of the market. Take note that total nutrition isn't all about the caloric values of the foods and drinks that we consume throughout our day. In looking at the nutritional totals below, we see that there is about a 200 calorie variance BUT in looking at the fatty acid distributions as well as salt content and dietary fiber, we see that one side is significantly more nutritious than the other.

Don Miguel's Mexican Meal Nutrition Totals

Based on 1 Entree Containing 2 Cheese Enchiladas, servings of refried beans & Spanish Rice

380 calories
11 total fat grams
4.5 saturated fat grams
10 milligrams of cholesterol
1010 milligrams of sodium
11 protein grams
64 carbohydrate grams, total
9 dietary fiber grams

Traditional Restaurant Mexican Meal Nutrition Totals

Based on 1 Cheese Enchilada, 1/2 cup of Refried Beans & 1/2 cup of Spanish Rice

576 calories
23.89 total fat grams
12.66 saturated fat grams
49 milligrams of cholesterol
1585 milligrams of sodium
10.13 protein grams
70.5 carbohydrate grams, total
6.7 dietary fiber grams

 

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