Are Tacos Good For Your Health?

You would rarely hear people telling you about the health benefits of tacos. Most restaurants selling tacos make them lip-smacking no doubt, but load them with calories and fats. This delicious traditional Mexican food item is popular throughout the world and you can customize its preparation using a blend of ingredients. But if you think how far tacos are nutritious as much as they’re enjoyable- they can be healthy too, only if you keep the assortment of ingredients proper. Take a look at how you can make the most of tacos in your daily diets.

Quick And Hassle-Free Option

Apart from scoring high on the taste front, tacos are quite convenient to carry and don’t hurt your pocket much either. So when you’ve to head towards work, this easy option you find should be the perfect fit. Using proper ingredients, tacos would be fresh, nutritious, and filling. Just ensure you keep only healthy options for the tacos.

Keep Proteins Handy

To satiate your hunger pangs, make a fresh filling for the tacos using proteins. Some common options are beans, the low-calorie options offering adequate fiber. Then there are lean ground turkeys, eggs, chicken, and fishes too. Note that you incorporate only salt-free seasonings, for excess fats and sodium can meddle with digesting. The latest findings in the US suggest that top sources of calories and proteins are gained from consuming tacos! Even vegetarian versions provide no less than 6 to 13 grams daily, out of 46 to 56 grams of the total intake of proteins on an average for an adult.

Be careful to see that only healthy proteins are included in tacos if you wish to concentrate on the nutritional value. For example, beef proteins will offer healthy micronutrients too besides proteins, like selenium, vitamins B6 and B12, iron, and zinc. Grass fed-beef will additionally offer healthy fats and few other nutrients like vitamins A and C, omega-3 fatty acids, CLA, etc. Similarly, chicken is a good option much like beef, if you wish to obtain all such nutrients as stated. Seafood like fishes and shrimps are great sources of lean proteins, though the content of Omega-3 isn’t as high as meats.

Fruits And Veggies Are ‘Nutrient-Dense’ Options

The more you add a healthy and nutritious topping like lettuce, onions, and tomatoes, the better your tacos will taste. Had it not been for such options, you would have never known that tacos can indeed make for a very healthy diet. Including fruits and veggies implies choosing essential fiber vitamins, minerals, and plant compounds like antioxidants and polyphenols.

In addition to these tomatoes and onions, you can also try cilantro, cabbages, bell peppers, corns, radishes, mushrooms, black beans, jalapenos, avocados, peaches, pineapples, apples, and the very popular lime juice. Also, these toppings work great in not only contributing to the taste bit but even reduce the chances of chronic diseases like cancers, diabetes, heart diseases, and more.

Be Careful Of The Shell

The type of taco shell you choose influence the calorie content in the final product. In other words, keep a non-fried corn tortilla with you instead of the flour or fried counterparts – if you wish to stay safe. In frying the shell, you lose out on a lot of essential calories and fats. Besides, corn tortillas are way more filling and even contain lesser calories. For crispy options sans calories, try steaming a few to increase flexibility, fold and bake them in the oven or at a high temperature for a few minutes, and the result will be there for you. Now add the choice of toppings you would prefer.

Ingredients To Avoid

To render the best tacos for yourself and your families, be cautious about the fat, salt, and calorie content. Use ingredients that contain a high percentage of these, only in moderate amounts, or simply avoid them. For instance, keep away from fried veggies, cheese or queso sauce, sugary salsa, sour creams. Mayonnaise-based sauces, fried options in meats, seafood, beans, avocados, and such.

Tacos are known for being the classic dish that people all over the world love. You can make them the way you want, but keep in mind what you must include and avoid and you’ll never have to worry.