Mexican food is popular because of its savory and delicious taste. But did you know that it also has tons of health benefits? Looking into certain Mexican food ingredients, you can stay healthy while enjoying your all-time favorite Mexican food like tacos and burritos.
In this post, you’ll learn the health benefits of eating Mexican food, so you can choose the right ingredients for your next recipe on Recipes.net, without ruining your diet goals.
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Mexican Food Boosts Your Immunity
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You can find essential vitamins and minerals in, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and other vegetables commonly found in Mexican food to improve your health. Help boost your immunity by eating Mexican dishes with lots of tomatoes and onions, which are good sources of vitamin C.
Another excellent source of vitamin C is tart green lime, which also comes with an antibacterial effect. You can try to add fresh lime juice to your tacos, topped with healthy and delicious avocado-lime salsa to strengthen your immune system.
Here are some tips and tricks to get the most nutrients in your favorite Mexican food:
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- Choose a Mexican meal that doesn’t rely heavily on fatty food ingredients, such as cheese and sour cream. These ingredients are high in sodium and saturated fats.
- If you’re out with friends, try a Mexican restaurant serving healthy and delicious recipes. You can also check their website, for example, fiestamexrest.com, to see their menu.
- If you choose to make your Mexican recipe, choose the freshest ingredients, like avocado, tomatoes, lettuce, corn, and ground beef. Cumin is an aromatic seed containing cuminaldehyde, which is a phytochemical with iron and antibacterial properties to help fight infection. A tablespoon of cumin seeds can deliver 22% of your daily iron requirement.
Improves Digestion
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Mexican dishes always have a staple ingredient, which is corn, and it delivers 4 grams of fiber in just one ear. Also, corn tortillas provide more fiber as compared to flour tortillas. Use corn tortillas to add texture to your healthy fish tacos.
Beans are rich in soluble fiber, which helps lower cholesterol and keeps you feeling full. The most common kinds of Mexican beans include pinto beans and black beans. Pick steamed beans than refried beans because the latter contains less fiber as compared to whole beans. Get iron and protein eating Mexican food, like tacos and burritos filled with beans. You can try making your version of Mexican layered bean casserole, too.
Promotes Cardiovascular Health
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Mexican dishes make a balanced diet, and are also rich in essential ingredients that promote a healthy heart or cardiovascular systems, such as avocado, jalapeños, pepitas, and cocoa powder. Here are the details:
- Avocado: This fruit is creamy and delicious, rich in monounsaturated fats. You can dice fresh avocados onto chili, mash some onto your whole-grain toast, or add slices onto your breakfast taco. Avocados are a creamy and fresh addition to your shrimp tacos, too.
- Cocoa Powder: This ingredient contains flavanols, which are compounds linked to brain and heart health. Also, this compound plays an essential role in lowering the blood sugar levels of diabetic patients. It is more abundant in flavanols as compared to Dutch-processed, which is better if you want to eat chocolate or make mole.
- Jalapeños: Like other hot chili peppers, Jalapeños are a great source of capsaicin, which is a compound to help lower blood cholesterol levels. Also, capsaicin helps speed up your metabolism. Remove the seeds before consuming to lower the heat. Jalapeños can lighten up your enchiladas recipe. Most Mexican sauces, such as chile and salsa, contain spicy peppers that can help improve your blood circulation and relieve congestion.
- Pepitas: This Mexican food ingredient is high in cholesterol-lowering phytosterols and antioxidants. Pepitas are rich in protein, magnesium, iron, zinc, and phosphorus.
Healthy Bones And Muscles
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Tacos and burritos are complete food because of meat, vegetables, and dairy products used as ingredients. Mexican dishes have the right amount of protein because of the meat, like pork, beef, chicken, or fish. Cheese is rich in calcium and protein, which are good for the bones and muscles. However, avoid eating too much cheese due to its high sodium content and saturated fat.
Younger-Looking Skin
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Eliminate the oily and fatty ingredients, and you’ll enjoy the benefits of having healthy skin thanks to the fresh vegetables and fruits of Mexican food, such as tomatoes and avocados of vegan tacos. These are rich in antioxidants that help get rid of the free radicals in the body for healthy and younger-looking skin.
Conclusion
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Mexican food is a healthy choice and a complete meal as long as you choose the right ingredients. With a balanced amount of ingredients, you can get the healthy benefits of tacos, burritos, chiles, enchiladas, mole, and more. Make a smart choice and choose to stay healthy while enjoying your favorite Mexican dishes.
