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| When asked what kind of beans you’d like for a side dish, should you opt for black or refried? Which is worse? (CREDIT: J.E. Kelly/Photodisc; McConnell and McNamara/Stockfood Creative/Getty Images) The Full Story from iVillage.com |
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| Do you opt for the sweet-yet-tart margarita or the fruity and refreshing sangria? Which is worse? (CREDIT: Getty Images) The Full Story from iVillage.com |
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| A frozen margarita yields between 450 and 750 calories, compared to between 100 and 200 calories in a glass of sangria, says Anne VanBeber, R.D., chair of the Department of Nutrition Science at Texan Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas. That’s a meal’s worth of calories in one frosted glass. Plus, eat the fruit in your sangria and you get fiber and vitamins. If you have to have your margarita, ask if there’s a “skinny version” on the menu. And pass on the salt -- your dinner will deliver more than enough sodium. (CREDIT: Getty Images) The Full Story from iVillage.com |
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| Which is worse: A mountain of tortilla chips loaded with the works or the Mexican pizza, which uses a tortilla instead of pizza dough and is topped with similar nacho fixings? (CREDIT: T. Barwick/Photodisc; S. Ullman/Foodpix/Getty Images) The Full Story from iVillage.com |
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| Nacho portions are usually enormous, making it easy to overeat, says Joan Salge Blake, R.D., nutrition professor at Boston University and author of ”Nutrition And You”. And with each bite you’ll be getting deep-fried chips as well as high-fat cheese, sour cream and taco meat. The Mexican pizza is usually divided into equal portions so it’s easy to know how much to eat. When ordering the pizza, ask the kitchen to go easy on the cheese, add extra vegetables and get black beans instead of beef. If the crowd ordered nachos, monitor your portion size by placing a few on your plate instead of eating straight from the platter. (CREDIT: T. Barwick/Photodisc/Getty Images) The Full Story from iVillage.com |
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| Is a hearty brew of black beans better for you than this Mexican version of chicken soup, with its onions, peppers, beans and tomatoes? Which is worse? (CREDIT: T. Rupp/Dorling Kindersley;J. Baigrie/Riser/Getty Images) The Full Story from iVillage.com |
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| The black bean soup likely has fewer ingredients (black beans, broth, spices) than the chicken tortilla soup, which is one hint as to why it’s better (less ingredients often mean less calories). Also, black beans are rich in soluble fiber, which will make you feel fuller. “Black bean soup can help keep blood sugar levels under control and helps lower cholesterol,” says VanBeber. But avoid toppings such as sour cream and cheese, which add saturated fat and calories. (CREDIT: J. Baigrie/Riser/Getty Images) The Full Story from iVillage.com |
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| It’s a veggie classic: but do you want your beans and cheese wrapped in a burrito or piled into a taco? Which is worse? (CREDIT: P. Poplis/Stockfood Creative; S. Ullman/Stockfood Creative/Getty Images) The Full Story from iVillage.com |
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| The flour tortilla used in the burrito is larger than a taco shell, thus yielding more calories. And “there's always fat added to flour tortilla,” says VanBeber. “Traditionally it's lard, but nowadays it’s likely a vegetable oil.” A single 10-inch flour tortilla has about 200 calories whereas a single taco shell has only 50. So you can eat two tacos, and top them with lots of low-calorie lettuce and salsa, and still consume fewer calories than you’d get in the burrito. (CREDIT: P. Poplis/Stockfood Creative/Getty Images) The Full Story from iVillage.com |
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| Do you like your margarita shaken or blended? Which is worse? (CREDIT: R. Lawson/PhotoLibrary/Getty Images; J.A. Rizzo/Photodisc/Getty Images) The Full Story from iVillage.com |
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| "If the margarita ingredients are the same, one isn't worse than the other," says registered dietitian and certified mixologist Tina Ruggiero. "After all, it's the same drink with a different method of preparation." But on-the-rocks can go down the hatch pretty quickly. So if you find yourself ordering a second shaken margarita in the time it takes to risk brain freeze from the frozen kind, then go for the icy mix. (CREDIT: R. Lawson/PhotoLibrary/Getty Images; J.A. Rizzo/Photodisc/Getty Images) The Full Story from iVillage.com |
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| When deciding how to fill your taco, should you go with succulent strips of steak or grilled shrimp? Which is worse? (CREDIT: J. Block/Blend Images; James and James/FoodPix/Getty Images) The Full Story from iVillage.com |
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| “When you compare steak that’s just put on the grill and shrimp, the calories are not going to be that much different,” says VanBeber. That’s because the beef generally used for tacos is the tougher cut that has less fat. (If the steak is a fattier cut, like tenderloin or rib eye, choose the shrimp). To reduce your overall fat intake, ask for soft corn tacos instead of crunchy ones and top your tacos with lots of salsa. (CREDIT: J. Block/Blend Images; James and James/FoodPix/Getty Images) The Full Story from iVillage.com |
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| A bowl of hearty beef chili loaded with beans and tomatoes or a combination of rice, beans and beef topped with cheese, guacamole and salsa. Which is worse? (CREDIT: TheCrimsonMonkey/Vetta K.Reid/Taxi/Getty Images) The Full Story from iVillage.com |
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| The chili, chock-full of vegetables and beans, has more fiber and protein. You’ll get fuller faster and stay fuller longer, says VanBeber. With both dishes, be aware of toppings: Just 2 tablespoons of sour cream and an ounce of shredded cheese add an extra 200 calories to your meal. (CREDIT: K.Reid/Taxi/Getty Images) The Full Story from iVillage.com |
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| Should you opt for a fish taco, with a crispy fillet, or shrimp served in a spicy, buttery garlic sauce? Which is worse? (CREDIT: J.E. Kelly/Foodpix; J. Martine/Foodpix/Getty Images) The Full Story from iVillage.com |
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| Shrimp is a great choice --until you drown it in high-saturated-fat butter. The fish taco, while fried, generally comes with healthy topping options. “If you eat the lettuce and tomato that come with it, then you’re hopefully getting a serving of vegetables, too,” says VanBeber. To make the fish tacos an even better choice, ask that the fish be grilled. (CREDIT: J. Martine/Foodpix/Getty Images) The Full Story from iVillage.com |
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| When asked what kind of beans you’d like for a side dish, should you opt for black or refried? Which is worse? (CREDIT: J.E. Kelly/Photodisc; McConnell and McNamara/Stockfood Creative/Getty Images) The Full Story from iVillage.com |
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| The name says it all: these beans are “smashed, fried and oiled,” says VanBeber, adding extra fat and calories. The black beans are generally cooked in a broth with spices and so will save you about half the calories of refried beans, says VanBeber. If black beans are not your thing, says VanBeber, ask for charro beans – they're pinto beans cooked like the black beans. (CREDIT: McConnell and McNamara/Stockfood Creative/Getty Images) The Full Story from iVillage.com |
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| Should you opt for the smoky mole sauce or the fresh salsa verde on your enchiladas? Which is worse? (CREDIT: Ben Fink Photo Inc./Foodpix; J.E. Kelly/Photodisc/Getty Images) The Full Story from iVillage.com |
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| This is a great time to ask your waiter exactly what is in each sauce. The salsa verde is generally a mix of tomatillos, chilies and other vegetables. The mole has nuts and seeds and some recipes even include chocolate. “The nuts are good for you, but they’re going to add fat,” says VanBeber. “Calorie-wise, the green sauce is going to be the way to go.” (CREDIT: Ben Fink Photo Inc./Foodpix/Getty Images) The Full Story from iVillage.com |
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