Is Carne Asaยญda Healthy? Mexยญiยญcan food is so popยญuยญlar that many houseยญholds have takยญen to includยญing sevยญerยญal of its famous dishยญes in their weekยญly menus, includยญing tacos, burยญriยญtos, and othยญer deliยญcious entrees. Whether famยญiยญlies treat themยญselves to takeยญout from a local Mexยญiยญcan eatery or cook up their favourite meals themยญselves, this cuiยญsine from south of the borยญder has fans right around the globe. One of the most popยญuยญlar of all those dishยญes is carne asada. Carne asaยญda is grilled beef, seaยญsoned and often served atop burยญriยญtos and tacos or someยญtimes served as a stand-alone entree. It has been toutยญed by some as an excelยญlent addiยญtion to meal planยญning when youโ€™re tryยญing to lose weight. We decidยญed to do a litยญtle digยญging on that topยญic: can carne asaยญda realยญly help you shed pounds? Is it good for you not just in a dietary sense but also good for your choยญlesยญterol levยญels and overยญall heart health? We did the research and read the experts. You can include carne asaยญda in your diet to get and stay healthy. Just how much should you conยญsume on a weekยญly basis to lose weight and then mainยญtain that loss? 

The Benefits Of Eating Carne Asada

1- Grilled Meat Is Better Than Fried

Because, by defยญiยญnยญiยญtion, carne asaยญda is marยญiยญnatยญed and grilled, it can be more heart-friendยญly than cerยญtain othยญer meats, like fried chicken. It is most often made from chuck, flank or skirt steak, then grilled at a high temยญperยญaยญture until itโ€™s crispy around the edges. That means no oil or butยญter on the grill, and thatโ€™s defยญiยญniteยญly betยญter for your choยญlesยญterol levยญels and heart. Oil is a key ingreยญdiยญent of carne asaยญda mariยญnades, but it doesยญnโ€™t sit in hot butยญter or oil in a pan the way fried foods do. That means fewยญer satยญuยญratยญed fats and calories.

2- The Best Cuts For Carne Asada Are Quite Lean & Not Too Costly

Most recipes for makยญing carne asaยญda call for skirt or flank steak. Both these cuts can be trimmed and, thereยญfore, quite lean, and thatโ€™s always a betยญter choice of meat when youโ€™re tryยญing to lose weight. Carne asaยญda has fewยญer than 200 caloยญries in a three-ounce servยญing comยญpared to othยญer beef cuts that are highยญer in caloยญries and satยญuยญratยญed fats. A Tโ€‘bone steak with lots of marยญbling, meanยญing it has lots of fat, is flavourยญful and juicy. So is a prime rib roast โ€“ itโ€™s the fat runยญning through and around the outยญside that makes the meat so tenยญder. Howยญevยญer, lean cuts like skirt and flank steaks can be just as tenยญder and flavourยญful as othยญer, more pricey cuts โ€“ itโ€™s all in the prepaยญraยญtion and cooking! Thatโ€™s one of the chief reaยญsons that carne asaยญda is so popยญuยญlar; itโ€™s not too expenยญsive to make. Slicยญing it thinยญly after grilling it quickยญly is what makes the recipe work, along with the deliยญcious spices used to seaยญson it.

3- If Youโ€™re Cutting Out Carbs, Carne Asada Is a Good Fit For You

Many diet plans today focus on cutยญting back on or cutยญting out entireยญly carยญboยญhyยญdrates like those found in bread, pasยญta and rice. Although some diet plans, includยญing the Dietary Guideยญlines for Amerยญiยญcans and the Canaยญda Food Guide, include whole grains with comยญplex carยญboยญhyยญdrates in their recยญomยญmenยญdaยญtions, comยญmerยญcial diet plans often do not. (Weโ€™re thinkยญing here of the Keto diet and the Atkins diet, for example).

4- Carne Asada Offers Lots Of Protein

You should conยญsume plenยญty of proยญtein each day to meet your bodyโ€™s nutriยญtionยญal needs. Proยญtein is fuel! And in three ounces of carne asaยญda, youโ€™ll get 15 to 20 grams of proยญtein โ€“ thatโ€™s plenยญty to keep you going for an extendยญed periยญod. And the usuยญal servยญing has approxยญiยญmateยญly 75 to 100 caloยญries, dependยญing on how large it is. Howยญevยญer, itโ€™s imporยญtant to rememยญber that carne asaยญda is not the only food you conยญsume for your evening meal. Itโ€™s often chopped up and served atop a taco or in a burยญriยญto. Those have plenยญty of caloยญries (and carbs), so be sure to look up their nutriยญtionยญal conยญtent and include the caloยญries in your daiยญly intake total.

5- Itโ€™s An Economical Way To Eat Beef

Everyยญone is feelยญing the pinch of inflaยญtion right now, parยญticยญuยญlarยญly as prices soar at the groยญcery store. Using less expenยญsive cuts of meat, like those used for carne asaยญda โ€“ chuck steak, skirt and flank โ€“ is a great way to stretch your budget. These cuts arenโ€™t always as tenยญder as more pricey ones, but thatโ€™s the great thing about carne asaยญda โ€“ because it has to be marยญiยญnatยญed before cookยญing, the meat tenยญderยญizes durยญing that process. Flavour plus savยญings: a win-win!

What Are The Downsides To Consuming Carne Asada?

is carne asada healthy Natยญuยญralยญly, for every benยญeยญfit any entree offers, there are often downยญsides โ€“ a few drawยญbacks that mean you should be careยญful about how much of it you conยญsume. Here we take a look at those downยญsides when it comes to meat conยญsumpยญtion in genยญerยญal and carne asaยญda specifically.

1- We Should All Be Eating Less Red Meat For The Planetโ€™s Sake

We all know that enviยญronยญmenยญtal conยญcerns are at the top of smart politiยญciansโ€™ agenยญdas today because the Earth is in real jeopยญardy. To do our part, we should be conยญsumยญing less meat, not more, because liveยญstock puts a real strain on the land and air. Meat subยญstiยญtutes (like vegยญgie burgยญers) are a wise alterยญnaยญtive to red meat. Still, if you enjoy eatยญing meat at least once or twice a week, carne asaยญda is a deliยญcious way to get lots of flavours and a whopยญping amount of proยญtein. Cutยญting back on your meat intake is a great start to addressยญing enviยญronยญmenยญtal issues, but donโ€™t feel you have to stop eatยญing it entirely.

2- Marinades For Carne Asada Have Oil & Sodium

Every recipe we found conยญtained either vegยญetable oil or olive oil and othยญer ingreยญdiยญents that eleยญvate the levยญels of sodiยญum in carne asaยญda. Still, itโ€™s virยญtuยญalยญly imposยญsiยญble to make this dish withยญout conยญsumยญing some salt and oil, so use the recipe below and keep both to a minimum. On balยญance, carne asaยญda is a solยญid choice for your diet, whether youโ€™re tryยญing to drop pounds or just mainยญtain your curยญrent weight. Proยญtein is vital for good health, and a small porยญtion of carne asaยญda offers plenยญty of it. Furยญtherยญmore, it conยญtains iron and othยญer minยญerยญals, as well as vitยญaยญmins (includยญing Bโ€‘12) that are excelยญlent nutriยญents and imporยญtant for your body to funcยญtion at peak perยญforยญmance. All of these help you build musยญcle when workยญing out. And speakยญing of exerยญcise, itโ€™s just as imporยญtant a comยญpoยญnent of any weight loss proยญgram as makยญing smart food choicยญes. Getยญting out and getยญting activยญiยญty โ€“ whether walkยญing in the fresh air or headยญing to the gym โ€“ is cruยญcial for accelยญerยญatยญing weight loss, improvยญing your mood and sleep, and othยญer healthy things. Hereโ€™s a recipe for carne asaยญda we found online, and itโ€™s not only simยญple to make, but itโ€™s also nutriยญtionยญalยญly sound, as well. If youโ€™ve nevยญer made this Mexยญiยญcan favourite before, give it a try! The grilled meat is deliยญcious โ€“ tenยญder (thanks to marยญiยญnatยญing) and juicy. And the jalapeno gives it a genยญtle kick. Have it as an entree, or chop it up and put the pieces over a tossed green salยญad or in a taco or burยญriยญto. Anothยญer great thing about carne asaยญda is how verยญsaยญtile it is.

Ingredients:

  • The juice of two limes.
  • 4 cloves of crushed garlic.
  • 1/2 cup of orange juice.
  • 1 cup of chopped cilantro.
  • 1/2 teaยญspoon salt.
  • 1/4 teaยญspoon freshยญly ground pepper.
  • 1/4 cup of vegยญetable or olive oil.
  • 1 minced jalapeno pepper.
  • 2โ€‘pound flank steak.

Steps:

  • Blend ingreยญdiยญents togethยญer until smoothยญly mixed.
  • Once ingreยญdiยญents are comยญbined, place the mariยญnade in a resealยญable, two or three-litre bag.
  • Place the whole steak into the bag. Make sure the mariยญnade has covยญered the steak.
  • Refrigยญerยญate for a minยญiยญmum of two hours. (Four hours is best.)
  • Heat the grill or BBQ on high.
  • Remove the steak from the bag and disยญcard the remainยญing marinade.
  • Once the grill is hot, place the steak on and cook for 7 โ€“ 10 minยญutes per side.
  • Remove from grill, and let rest for 10 minutes.
  • Slice into thin strips and serve immediately.  Source: The Stay At Home Chef

Final Thoughts

Carne asaยญda can be a helpยญful addiยญtion to your weekยญly meal plan. There is a caveat, howยญevยญer: modยญerยญaยญtion! Like everyยญthing in life, too much of a good thing is not good at all! Itโ€™s imporยญtant to track how many times each week you choose red meat as the mainยญstay of your evening meal. If you feel itโ€™s too often, conยญsidยญer adding fish, chickยญen or vegยญgie burgยญers to the menu as well. Weight loss goals are most sucยญcessยญful when you reduce caloยญries and stay active. Work out at least three times a week. Even brisk walks around sevยญerยญal blocks at lunchtime will help you reach your weight loss goals. Carne asaยญda is one meal you can include in a healthy diet. If youโ€™ve nevยญer tried this Mexยญiยญcan favourite, give our recipe a try. Weโ€™d love to hear from you about your first meal with carne asaยญda in the starยญring role!  

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