Tacos are all the rage these days, and for good reason. You can even find t-shirts that express your love of tacos to the world. And while the American tradition of boxed taco kits featuring a crunchy hard corn tortilla shell lives on, these days the taco bar has been raised. That means you've got plenty of healthy options while getting your taco on. In other words, it's easier than ever to get a healthy taco makeover.
First things first: let's take a look at that tortilla shell.
Non-fried is the better option and if it doesn't have white flour you're ahead of the game. Pick up a plain corn tortilla for your taco. Compared to the wheat ones they may smell a little funny it's true. But if you brush with a bit of olive oil for that good fat and pop in the toaster oven for a few minutes, you will soon have a much-improved corn taco which counts as whole grain.
If you really want to go low carb, replace your taco shell with a big lettuce bowl made from a couple of leaves of crunchy iceberg lettuce. Granted, there really is no nutritional value to iceberg lettuce. But it makes a nice edible holder for your taco ingredients, and you can mix in some spring greens for a burst of good vitamins.
Looking to reduce fat?
Then make your taco meal something other than ground beef or shredded pork. These are meats that are higher in saturated fat. If you're striving for improved heart health and weight loss, look for some nutritious alternatives.
You still have plenty of options to fill that taco shell. Some include black beans, vegetarian refried beans, lean shredded chicken, or fresh fish such as salmon, tilapia, or shrimp.
Another way to ensure that your taco is as healthy as possible is to avoid any fried ingredients. Keep in mind that if a crispy tortilla is your jam, there's always the air fryer option for those who love a little crunch.
Choose fish that has been gently broiled in the oven or on the stove top rather than coated with breading and fried.
Swap out half the meat!
If you love meat on your taco and would feel sad without it, try this healthy work around. Cut down your portion of meat that you plan to serve with your taco. Add in a half a can or so of organic black beans to complete your portion serving while still managing to reduce the amount of meat that you're eating.
Go crazy with the fixings. There's plenty to get happy about when making a healthy taco and that includes tomatoes, onions, peppers, and green, leafy lettuce.
You get your choice of fresh or jarred salsa — either will work and both will be healthfully delicious. But fresh is superior because the vitamin C will still be available. (See recipe below for delicious homemade salsa).
You can also be generous with your serving of jalapenos if you're into extra spicy tacos. Olives get the nod of approval for being a healthy fat, so slice up a few black or green ones. While you're at it, top your taco with a few sprinkles of chopped fresh cilantro for a burst of color and vitamin C.
Fun fact about hot sauces: some actually contain butter as part of the recipe.
If your hot sauce is more light orange in color, then likely there has been butter mixed in to create a savory smoothness. Tabasco sauce is a basic recipe that does not include added fat. Our favorite, Cholula, comes with a little garlic. When in doubt, check labels.
For your taco cheese, this is considered a saturated fat. But if plan to enjoy a black bean taco, then it's okay to add a modest serving of cheddar or other aged cheese which will balance out your protein along with the beans.
Add in a healthy fat in the form of fresh avocado.
Chop it up or mash into a quick guacamole seasoned with some finely chopped onion, fresh cilantro bits and a squirt of lime if you have it.
To replace the saturated fat laden sour cream, choose Greek yogurt which will balance out any spiciness from the hot sauce or jalapeno peppers if you eat those on your taco.
A final way to ensure that you won't be veering into the unhealthy fattening taco territory is to watch your portions.
You can get your fill of a single taco, going lighter on the protein and cheese and going heavier on the fresh veggie fix ins. Make sure to eat your taco mindfully to get the full enjoyment while managing to avoid going on a wild taco eating binge.
And don't forget to try our own delicious taco recipe here. We eat this almost weekly!
This homemade salsa is made with fresh tomatoes, onions, jalapeno peppers, and cilantro, and is rich in Vitamin C. Combining this recipe with bean burritos (or other meat burritos or tacos) will increase the iron in the foods served with (beans, tortillas, chicken).
Prep Time15 minutesmins
Total Time15 minutesmins
Course: Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: easy, healthy
Servings: 8Servings
Calories: 8kcal
Author: Deborah Hanyon, MPH, RDN, ACE-CHC
Ingredients
1cupRoma Tomatoesabout 2 large, diced
1/4cupOnionsdiced
2tbspCilantrofinely chopped
1wholeJalapeno or AnaheimJalapeno (Medium Heat); Anaheim (Mild Heat)
1tbspLemon Juice
1/2teaspoonSaltTo taste
Instructions
Chop all vegetables to desired size (remove seeds from pepper) 2) Add lemon juice and salt 3) Mix all ingredients together4) Chill 2 hours and Serve
Pizza is a lot of fun, but we all know it's a food to avoid if you're looking to shape up, drop some pounds and improve your cardiovascular health.
Ordering pizza from the local Italian restaurant is always tempting. But now you're dealing with really a huge amount of cheese and a big serving of white flour in the dough. Plus, there's just something about having that huge box with the big pizza pie in it that makes it really hard to stop at just one slice. None of this is good for weight loss minded eaters.
Let's see if we can healthy up a pizza night with a homemade version.
First, revisit the crust. You have a few healthy options for this. One, you can make a whole wheat pizza crust from scratch using a few simple ingredients. It's even a fun project to do with your kids: kneading the dough and waiting it for it to rise, then punching it down and even tossing it in the air a few times.
Another option if you don't want to make dough from scratch is to pick up a frozen whole wheat dough from the grocery store. These pizza doughs come ready to make, so all you have to do is roll it out and press it into press it onto a big metal sheet.
Finally, if you're going lower in carbs, you have many options in the way of cauliflower crust pizzas from the frozen section of your grocery store. Or could make this delicious looking cauliflower pizza crust by clicking here. They're quite delicious and can help you stay on track with carbohydrate reduction so you can continue on your path to weight loss and good health.
If you normally salivate for a meat lovers pizza pie, just know that sausage and pepperoni and ham are not ideal if you're looking to do pizza but keep it healthy. Some options for not going meatless with your pizza are to find a high-quality brand of sausage. Artisan could be a better option or sausage that comes from farm-raised animals.
Try draining the fat from the sausage with paper towels.
Crumble a little bit over the top of your pizza pie but reduce the serving size. Instead, add fresh veggie toppings to balance out the saturated fats in the meat.
What kind of veggies can you enjoy on your pizza? If you're trying to lose weight, the good news is there's really no limit to how much vegetables you can eat. You have many options for topping your pizza pie including fresh tomatoes, fresh basil, roasted veggies like zucchini and eggplant and peppers, diced mushrooms, onions, peppers, black olives. The possibilities abound and you really don't have to worry about your diet when it comes to the veggie portion of your meal.
Choose the sugar-free sauce.
If you're doing a jarred sauce for your homemade pizza pie, choose a brand that does not contain added sugar or high fructose corn syrup. Somewhere along the way someone decided that sweet stuff should be added to jarred tomato sauces. You'll find these sugary offenders in common brands that live on your grocery store shelves.
Despite this, tomato sauce is quite delicious without any sugar at all. So, if you can find a better-quality brand that contains simple ingredients like tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, onions, and spices, you can stick to your healthy eating plan and not ingest extra sugar unnecessarily.
What about the cheese?
Did you know that in Italy, pizza doesn't always come with cheese on it, never mind copious amounts? Minimizing your cheese serving is the way to go if you're looking to enjoy pizza night but keep it healthy and on the weight loss plan.
We mentioned this before, but mozzarella can be difficult to digest. This is due to the lactose. Between the yeast in the dough and the lactose in the pizza cheese, you are likely to experience some belly distension after eating pizza. The good news about this: it could actually be a fake out in terms of thinking that you gain 10 lb. overnight after eating a slice or two.
To avoid this, take a Lactaid supplement which will help you digest the milk sugar that's present in mozzarella. Another option is to top your pizza with provolone which is really just aged mozzarella. Aged cheeses have less or no lactose which is simply milk sugar.
Reduced fat mozzarella, also known as partial skim, can be a healthier alternative to whole milk mozzarella when it comes to Italian American favorites like pizza.
Wanting to get your veggie on? Opt for a white veggie pizza instead of the traditional red sauce pie. For this, you'll need some reduced fat ricotta and half skim mozzarella. Sauté either fresh broccoli, fresh spinach, or a combo of the two, with minced garlic and olive oil. Roll out your whole grain pizza dough and spread with a thin layer of the ricotta followed by the sauteed veggies. Sprinkle on more cheese, then bake at high heat.
If you're feeling especially adventurous, try the delicious Mini Sweet Potato Pesto Pizza below. And stay tuned for our next recipe makeover.
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and line a large baking tray with baking paper or foil.
Slice the sweet potatoes lengthwise (¼ inch thick) and rub with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper.
Place the sweet potato slices on the baking tray and cook in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, flip and top each slice with pesto, chicken and mozzarella cheese.
Return the tray to the oven and bake for a further 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Remove from the oven and garnish with basil leaves. Serve immediately.
Healthy Recipe Makeover: “Grand Slam” Breakfast with Eggs, Pancakes, and Breakfast Meat
Every once in a while, you've just got to have one of those big breakfasts. But that seems pretty impossible when you're trying to eat healthy and work on weight loss goals.
So, the question is: must you skip the grand slam breakfast and say goodbye to having delicious things like over-easy eggs and pancakes and bacon in your life?
The answer is that if you're willing to modify your grand slam into a triple play or insert some other baseball term that works with healthy eating, then you definitely can continue enjoying Sunday breakfast types of meals in moderation. Try some good portion control as well as certain food substitutions to make this perennial favorite over into a tasty and healthy meal.
Here's how to do a healthy makeover on your grand slam diner breakfast:
Primarily, limit portions. If you're used to a diner breakfast that fills a dinner plate slice that serving in half. This food is rich, and it will fill you up. You should be able to get your fill of breakfast goodness with much smaller portions.
Choose your carb carefully.
Select a starch to star as the main feature of your special morning meal. We don't think much about this… but when dining out on a big breakfast you're served three different forms of starch. That's triple the amount that you really need.
Think about it, what does your restaurant breakfast typically come with? Pancakes, hash browns and toast. That's three starches and that is crazy. Think of all the running you would have to do to burn that off. No wonder so many people find it so hard to lose weight!
Healthify carbohydrate-laden pancakes by skipping the boxed pancake mix. Instead opt for made-from-scratch pancakes that feature healthier ingredients such as whole grain wheat, rice, spelt or oat flour. Mix safflower oil into your pancake batter instead of corn or vegetable oil.
Replace the generous pat of butter that typically adorns breakfast pancakes with a heart-healthy substitute.
For the topping, try a drizzle of honey straight from the bee, or real maple syrup straight from the tree.
Thinking that bacon, sausage, or ham will make a great side for your pancakes? You do have healthy options. If you choose sausage, make it turkey sausage instead of pork. Turkey is loaded with nutrition and is much lower in fat.
Love bacon?
Instead of the nitrate version you would get from grocery store, choose a brand of natural bacon that has been hardwood smoked and does not contain added nitrates. Fun fact about nitrates: they occur naturally in celery and some green veggies. So, check the label of your meat to see if celery nitrates have made the list of ingredients.
Here's a tip about foods with nitrates. If you do eat food with nitrates, you can help the nitrates to break down in your body by taking them with vitamin C. That's why it might make sense to enjoy a glass of OJ with your modified Sunday breakfast. Just remember though that orange juice, especially the kind that comes in a bottle from concentrate, contains excessive amounts of sugar.
To stop your blood sugar from spiking, you can either drink a small glass of orange juice… or put just four or six ounces in a taller glass and then fill the rest with water. Water with a splash of OJ is a nice thirst quencher that's much lower in sugar than full-strength fruit juice.
Another great option for getting a dose of vitamin C to balance your fatty breakfast meat intake is to serve a side of fresh garden tomatoes with your food or enjoy a glass of chilled tomato juice.
What about pork roll? Pork roll is a highly processed pork product and it's not the best idea if you're looking to make healthy choices and reduce fat intake.
Eggcellent. Wondering what type of healthy changes, you can make to the egg portion of your modified breakfast? First, consider trading whole eggs for egg whites. That is traditionally been a way to reduce cholesterol in the diet. However, eggs are good for you and an important source of protein. So rather than get rid of the nutrient rich yolk, you might consider having one egg instead of two since you'll also be enjoying some breakfast meat which counts as a protein source.
Healthy up your egg for breakfast by cooking it in olive oil instead of butter. Cooking spray works great because you can coat the pan using less oil.
You can also poach your egg. You don't need a special poaching pan. Just add a small amount of water to a frying pan and when the water begins to boil crack the eggs in. Reduce heat to a simmer and keep a close watch on the eggs until done to your liking. Then drain the extra water by placing a cover over the egg pan and lifting the edge slightly to let the water flow out of the side while keeping the egg in the pan.
Choose eggs from free range chickens. Chickens that graze on grass and enjoy fresh bugs as their main source of food will give you eggs that are richer in antioxidants and other nutrition. If you can get local farm eggs from free range chickens by all means indulge.
Looking for an even healthier option for your morning breakfast routine? Try this delicious egg pot recipe. Of course you can cook the eggs all the way. Stay tuned for the next healthy recipe makeover.
Oven safe dishes Cast Iron or Glass bakeware will work
Ingredients
3cups90g baby spinach
3-4tomatoes*chopped
2tsp.smoked paprika
4eggs
salt & pepper
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 360°F (180°C).
Heat a dry non-stick frying pan on the stove over a medium heat and let the spinach shrink, add a splash of water if necessary.
Add in the chopped tomatoes, paprika and season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide between two ramekins. Make a well in each dish and break an egg inside it.
Place the ramekins onto a baking sheet and bake in the oven for around 17-20 minutes until the egg is cooked to your liking.
Notes
*If you don't like or can't eat tomatoes, you can substitute any of your favorite vegetables. For example, crookneck squash (yellow), zucchini (green), asparagus, red bell peppers (or any other color). You can also substitute canned tomatoes (preferably reduced sodium). Pick your favorite vegetables or whatever you have in-house.
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