Eating Healthy - Mexican Style

Is there really such a thing as a healthy item on a Mexican restaurant's menu?  This is a dilemma to me, because living in Colorado gives me access to numerous Mexican cuisines on a daily basis!  In fact, the building I work in has a burrito place, and a Chipotle and Qdoba are each  within two blocks of this building!

I know there is healthy Mexican food - in fact, I could simply throw some rice, tomatoes and black beans into a tortilla and call that a healthy burrito!  But that's in the comfort of my own home.  When I eat out, I'm faced with a menu filled with items that are fried, smothered with cheese and chili, and topped with sour cream - AND all served in larger portions than we should ever encounter!  There is no option to have steamed veggies on the side, nor is there a salad menu (yeah, a taco salad is NOT healthy...).  I feel doomed every time!

I cannot find it in me to recommend cutting back on the tequila though....

So I did a little research online and created a list to share with you guys!  Here's some tips for finding healthier options at a Mexican restaurant:

- NO queso/cheese dip for an appetizer
- No more that about 10-12 chips dipped in salsa (that is one serving size that equals around 200 calories).
- Nothing deep fried (taquitos, chimichanga, etc)
- Black Beans instead of Pinto or Refried
- Brown instead of White Rice
- Grilled Chicken instead of Beef
- Soft Shells instead of Hard (hard=fried)
- Corn instead of Flour Tortillas (less calories)
- Or even better, go naked!  No Toritlla at all!
- Hold the cheese, sour cream and avocado/guac (avocados are healthy, but are high in calories which you won't want with a meal that's already bursting at the seams!)
- And, of course, only order water with your meal instead of a soda:)

I'm hoping this will help for the next time you go out for Mexican!  My next time is in about 50 minutes with some co-workers...wish me luck!