Many people assume that flour tortillas are the healthier choice, so when ordering tacos they’ll automatically ask for the flour. But is the flour tortilla really the healthier choice? Here is what you need to know about eating healthier in Mexican restaurants.
Flour or Corn
When given the choice, do you always ask for the flour tortillas because you’re trying to eat a healthier diet? Most people do these days, but is it really the healthiest choice?
Back when low fat diets became all the rage people were cutting every bit of fat out of their diet that they could find. And the deep-fried corn tortilla taco shell was deleted. Suddenly, everyone wanted the flour tortilla instead. But now that most of the low-fat diet fad has been debunked, people are still asking for the flour tortilla when they should be having the corn.
Flour tortillas are made with white flour. White flour is over-processed wheat and it is chemically bleached to make it very white. Those are two very good reasons to greatly reduce the amount of white flour that you’re eating. Over-processed foods tend to cause inflammation in the body and inflammation leads to disease, high cholesterol, diabetes and a host of other issues.
Corn tortillas, on the other hand, are a whole grain food that is made from corn. This choice will give you fiber and a host of vitamins and minerals. Provided the tortilla is just warmed up on the grill with just a smidge of fat, it is clearly the healthier choice when it comes to tortillas. In a restaurant setting, you can ask them to just warm the tortillas and not deep fry or fry them in oil if you’re concerned about the calorie count. Plain corn tortillas are 60 calories while wheat tortillas are 90.
Revisit Tortilla Choices
Corn tortillas are usually the healthier choice when you need a side to go with dinner or to hold your taco together. The next time you have dinner at El Caminito Mexican Restaurant, let us know if you’d like corn or wheat.
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