Are Burritos Fattening?

First, let us see the ingredients that make a burrito-   beans, rice, pico de gallo, shredded cheese, meat etc. These ingredients individually are not harmful but when all of these are wrapped together in a six-inch flour tortilla and topped with sour cream and guacamole, these add up to a lot of calories.   

Fats in Burritos 

If we talk about Burritos with Beef and Beans, a Mexican food that contains about 22 grams of fat. The total fat including saturated fat and others together increases the fat percentage.   

Here is a chart to tell you what percentage of fats burritos have in them depending on the ingredients. You can have a look at the chart and decide which Mexican burrito you want depending on fat quantity.   

Ingredients that Make Burritos Delicious 

As already mentioned above, the ingredients used to make a burrito remain the same. It is the quantity and the type of ingredients you have to decide to make a burrito healthy and yummy at the same time. 

Carbs in Burritos

You will be surprised to know that a single burrito wrap can pack over 300 calories and 50 grams carbs. Because the ketogenic diet is very low in carbs- typically contains less than 5% total calories, giving away the burrito shells and wraps is a must.  

Burritos contain a high percentage of carbs because beans are low in fat, supply essential nutrients like fiber, iron and protein and are high in carbohydrates. This means if you are on a low-carb diet or you are on a no carb diet, then you can skip bean burritos.   

Can You Eat Burritos on Keto Diet? 

Looking into the facts, an entire burrito wrap contains at least 300 calories and 50 grams carbs. It is important you avoid eating burrito shells and wraps because a ketogenic diet has a low carbohydrate content i.e., 5% total calories. 

Mexican Food - A Unique Combination  

A mix of pillowy tortillas, spicy meats, tender fish, crisp and fresh vegetables.  

Whether Mexican Burritos are fattening or not, will depend largely on the way those are prepared.  

Burritos are generally made of a flour tortilla, meat, possibly beans or rice, cheese and toppings. Choosing the leanest and most nutrient-dense ingredients and preparing them without adding extra fat ensures that burritos can be a healthy part of your Mexican meal.   

Here’s a ProTip! 

Three things that play an important role: 

Ingredients, toppings and the method of preparation. 

The Best Tortilla 

A classic burrito from Northern Mexico arrives wrapped in soft and steaming flour tortillas. Flour tortillas can be made using different methods from classic recipes that use flour, lard, water and salt. 

Whether a flour tortilla is fattening or not depends on what it contains. A supermarket tortilla uses highly processed flour and it may even contain trans fats to preserve them. When you place an order for a burrito at a Mexican restaurant like La Vista, Hong Kong, you can always get your meal customized as per your desire. You can definitely tell what ingredients you want your burrito to have and what not.    

The Lean Meat 

Chicken that is grilled, boiled or poached in water, broth, wine, citrus juice, beer, tequila or any combination of liquids adds the least number of extra calories while offering the most flavor. Shredded beef is also good as long as you begin with a lean cut of at least 15% fat or less, then cook it low and slow to bring out the softness. Lusciously seasoned, slowly cooked and shredded pork also called carnitas, is a healthy ingredient as far as balancing calories and nutritional value is concerned. 

Try Not to Bean for No Carbs 

Beans provide fiber and potassium, therefore are not fattening. But beans have carbs in them. Dried beans are cooked in broth or water. Using seasoning that is empty or that is not filled with calories is a great option.  

Low-sodium canned beans are another great option but read the label given on pre-seasoned beans and make sure they don’t contain any sugar or high-fructose corn syrup. 

Rice 

Many restaurants and fast-food establishments also consider filling their burritos with rice. If you like rice in your burrito, go for brown rice because these are a whole grain and contains fiber.  

Every 1/2 cup of brown rice you add to a burrito will give you extra 200 calories and ½ cup of white rice will give 160 calories. You can skip the rice to make your burritos less fattening.   

Prepare quick Mexican rice by cooking brown rice in chicken or vegetable stock seasoned with cracked black pepper, kosher salt, chili powder, cumin, thyme and oregano. Just saute the cooked rice with finely-chopped pico de gallo – A tip. 

Cheese of Your Choice 

Cheese adds a lot of calories and saturated fat to a burrito. For instance, each ounce of shredded cheddar cheese in a burrito adds about 115 calories and 9 grams of fat.  

Tiptoe Around Toppings 

No Mexican burrito is complete without a scoop each of sour cream and guacamole. This is where the fattening factor comes in. Avocados contain omega-3 fatty acids. It helps in supporting heart health but is also high in calories count.  

The leanest way to make guacamole is to mix mashed avocados with lemon juice, kosher salt, cracked black pepper, cumin, oregano and thyme. Then add pico de gallo which is onion, raw tomato, garlic, cilantro, jalapenos, chopped and tossed all together. All these must be fresh. 

 

Sour cream is a spicy addition to a burrito. It is normally served with Tex-Mex creations because the fat in the sour cream soothes the soft palates that are not used in spicy foods. While 1 tablespoon of sour cream contains 24 calories, 21 of them are usually fat.  

You can either limit your sour cream to 1 to 2 tablespoons per serving or you can try substituting unflavored non-fat Greek yogurt.  

Avoid anything that is low-fat or non-fat.   

Wrap It Up 

Just lay the flour tortilla on a plate. Fill it with no more than 4 ounces of beans, meat, rice or any other ingredients you choose. If the fat content is high, make sure the portion you take is small.  

Just fold the sides of the tortilla in over the filling and roll it from top to bottom, leave it on the plate seam side town. 

Burritos can be healthy only if you choose the ingredients consciously. To relish the best Mexican food, visit La Vista, the top Mexican restaurant in Hong Kong.