's MotD Sun 11-11-07

[Guest guest]

's Daily Message SundayNovember 11, 2007OLE, OLE!

There were so many kinds of restaurants in New Orleans` French Quarter when I was growing up.

There were Cajun, Chinese and Japanese restaurants. There were steak houses, Italian and, of course, many fancy French restaurants. But, amidst all of that variety, there were no Mexican restaurants!

In fact, I didn`t even taste Mexican food until I was in college. I`d gone out to eat with a few of my classmates and they all decided to go Mexican that night. And, oh, for me it was love at first bite!

I must have studied that menu a good thirty minutes and asked our waitress so many questions. ly, I wanted to order everything on the menu because everything looked so-o-o-o good!

Did you know that Mexican food has taken the number-one spot becoming the favorite restaurant food type in America? Yep, Mexican food has beaten Chinese and Italian to become number one and, no wonder. Personally, I just love it!

Now I got a lot of response when I talked about the calorie and fat content of salad bars a few days ago. And today we`re going to talk about Mexican food.

Okay, what's the first thing they bring to your table at a Mexican restaurant? Yep, a basket-full of chips and a bowl of salsa, of course!

Oh, just look at those chips, all warm, golden-brown and crispy. Those are flour tortillas that have been deep fried in either oil or lard. Oh-oh, the fat gram march has begun!

And here come the nachos. Fried tortilla chips covered with three kinds of melted cheese, more salsa, jalapeno peppers and, of course, sour cream. What a festive-looking appetizer, right?

Well, it should look festive. But think of all of the fat in those nachos, sour cream and three, that's right...three kinds of cheese!

Cover your eyes! No, make that your thighs because our waiter is bringing out the combo plate! It`s a cheese enchilada, a beef and bean burrito and a chicken and cheese quesadilla! On the side are heaping helpings of refried beans and Spanish rice.

Would you care to guess how many fat grams and calories are on that plate, alone? I`m going to say 40-50 grams, at least! If you took away the grease, the sour cream, all of those cheeses and fried tortillas, you'd be left with only a little puddle of salsa on your plate!

And if you add up the chips from the beginning of the meal, the nacho platter and the combo plate, you could be leaving that Mexican restaurant with 60-80 total grams of fat in your tummy. Yikes! That`s enough fat to last your body the next few days! And just think how good you`ll sleep tonight with all of that food inside you.

Like I told you at the beginning of this message, I just love Mexican food. I don`t have it often but when I do, I watch my portion sizes very carefully.

Last night, I had a cheese enchilada, a tablespoon of refried beans and a small serving of Mexican-fried rice. And I was happy chi with that combination, too!

Please remember that no matter what kind of ethnic food you have, be careful and watch those fat grams, okay?

After all, those grams of fat may be waiting to say Ole but, remember, you are working to say Adios to your extra pounds!

Love,