¡Ay, caramba! Mexican food can be loaded with calories and POINTS® values if you aren't careful with how you order. HG serves up restaurant survival tips.

HG's Mexican Food Tip Sheet

Two 'Fer Tacos
Order two soft tacos, but eat only one tortilla. Stuff the insides from the second taco into your first one (ignoring the extra tortilla). You’ll save dozens of calories and get to eat a big fat taco.

Side Step Strategies
Avoid sides like rice, cheesy beans, and fatty tortilla chips. Instead, balance your meal with veggies, a green salad, or black beans.

Oil-Free Zone
Order your shrimp or chicken fajitas cooked without oil. Swap all the fatty sides (like sour cream, guac, etc.) for a bowl of lettuce, tomatoes and a side of salsa. The end result is a fajita salad complete with grilled veggies and more.

Shell Shock
Just say no to those infamous taco salad shells. A small to medium-sized shell can easily pack more than 370 calories and 21 grams of fat. Order your salad shell-free and pile on the salsa and pico de gallo instead of fatty dressing.

Fresco-Rama
When ordering at Taco Bell, ask for your food “fresco style” and magically your order will come with chopped tomatoes, onions and cilantro (a.k.a. fiesta salsa) instead of The Bell's usual cheese and sauce toppings. Feel free to use this trick at your favorite Mexican haunts. Just ask them for pico de gallo on the side instead of smothering your dish in cheese and sauce.

HG’s Mexican Hot List	HG’s Mexican Not List
Salsa/pico de gallo	Guacamole
Lettuce	Cheese
Taco sauce	Sour cream
Black beans	Tortilla chips/strips/shells
Grilled chicken	Mexican rice
Jalapenos and cilantro	Con Queso Dip

On The Border
Chicken Tortilla Soup may seem like the perfect way to start your meal, but this Mexican classic is typically loaded with fat. You're way better off skipping the soup (350 calories, 22 grams of fat and a POINTS® value of 8) and ordering a House Salad instead (170 calories, 10 grams of fat and a POINTS® value of 3).

Del Taco
Avoid the fatty Del Classic Chicken Burrito (560 calories, 36 grams of fat and a POINTS® value of 14) and get a Bean and Cheese Red or Green Burrito instead. With only 270 to 280 calories and 8 grams of fat, you’ll save a POINTS® value of 9!

Baja Fresh
Quesadillas seem innocent enough, but over at Baja Fresh, every single one of them has over 1,200 calories and at least 78 grams of fat (for a POINTS® value of 30-35). Instead, order up a Baja Ensalada with Charbroiled Chicken for only 310 calories and 7 grams of fat (a POINTS® value of 6). Enjoy your salad with a little fat-free salsa verde (in place of dressing) and you’ll only add around 15 calories to your meal! Psst… skip the complimentary chips... each serving packs in over 200 calories (for POINTS® value 4)!

Come back next Monday find out where I go next.

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Hungry Girl, aka Lisa Lillien, distributes her tips, tricks and takes on new food products through her daily emails and Web site. Check out Hungry-Girl.com.