Eating Healthy, Mexican Style

America is ravenous for Mexican food. Salsa now outsells ketchup, and more people buy tortillas than hotdog buns. Mexican-style fast foods are especially popular as time-pressed diners look for something besides burgers and fries.

But like other kinds of restaurant food, many Mexican dishes have lots of saturated fat and salt. Fortunately, you can prevent a diet disaster by being a savvy diner.

Many Mexican restaurants put chips and salsa on the table before you’re even comfortably seated. Chips are fried and salted tortillas—just a dozen can weigh in at 300 to 350 calories, and most of us can’t eat just one. Unless you have iron willpower, tell the server you’ll pass on the chips.

Margaritas may be your next temptation. Don’t let the tart, fresh taste fool you. The mixes in these drinks are loaded with sugar. A big frozen margarita can have 500 to 700 calories. A small, on-the-rocks margarita has closer to 200 calories. Opt for the small with light or no salt.

When it comes to your entrée, it pays to be picky. Many Mexican dishes are high in fat even without gobs of add-ons like sour cream, cheese and queso. Olives and guacamole are also high in fat, as well as sodium.

If you’re ordering dishes like fajitas, tostadas and burritos that usually come with toppings, ask the server to leave them off or put on the side. Instead, use salsa or pico de gallo to spice up your meal. This swap can make a big difference. For example, a Chipotle steak burrito with white rice, pinto beans, salsa, cheese, guacamole and lettuce has 1,115 calories, 48 g of fat and 2,705 mg of sodium. Leaving off the guacamole and cheese brings that down to 815 calories, 22 g of fat and 2,185 mg of sodium.

Except for rare splurges, avoid fried dishes like chimichangas and the fried tortilla shell in a taco salad. Look for grilled items and skip the fattening extras.

Side dishes can also be diet wreckers. For instance, refried beans are often cooked with lard. A single serving of refried beans at On the Border Mexican Grill and Cantina has 210 calories, 8 g of fat and 600 mg of sodium, compared with 170 calories, 1.5 g of fat and 500 mg of sodium for an order of black beans.

Beware of Mexican rice, too, which can be fried and heavily salted. A serving at On the Border has 280 calories, 4.5 g of fat and 620 mg of salt. Instead, order grilled vegetables, and you’ll get only 50 calories, virtually zero fat and only 25 mg of salt.

Instead of ordering a combo platter, try ordering a la carte. The chicken taco al carbon at El Pollo Loco, for example, has just 160 calories and 260 mg of sodium. Or, if you’re eating with a friend, split an order, which will automatically cut the fat, salt and calories in half. Most restaurants post nutritional information online, so read up on your favorite dishes before you make a run for the culinary border.