Are chicken fajitas healthy

[pollypoxx]

On one hand protein and veg. On the other sour cream and cheese.

Trying to eat in a calorie deficit at the moment and just wondering if this is a good dinner choice, particularly if I were to forego the wraps and have some cauliflower rice with them too.

Opinions?

Just have chicken with stir fried veg?

I use a really strong mature cheese as you don't need as much

If you eat fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight. That is inevitable basic science, as any shipwrecked sailor or stranded Arctic explorer will be able to tell you.

If anything has been debunked it is the use of short-term calorie deficit diets that promise rapid results followed by a return to eating far more than you need again.

Depends how you make them. I use no oil. Weigh out the grated cheese. Use quark instead of sour cream. Have only two small wraps or if cutting carbs I use letttace leafs

Who the hell eats quark. Its repulsive and tastes nothing like sour cream or cheese.

Its basic science, where do you get the idea that science doesnt support it? If you eat more than your calorie requirements you'll put on weight.

I'm glad that you enjoy this, and everyone is different but damn that sounds like a joyless dinner.

I do “one pot” fajitas most weeks.

chicken cut into cubes and quickly fried with very little oil. Add fajita spice mix (usually old El Paso smoky bbq). Then add in chopped onion and 3-4 diced peppers. Optional tin of sweetcorn (dh loves it).

then serve with sour cream, grated cheese, guacamole and salsa on the side with wraps and/or rice.

Means I can have it with very little added calories but ds can load his with cream and guacamole! And there’s usually enough left for lunches next day!

Fajitas are one of my stock meals, i use an off the shelf fajita kit (12 fajitas, spice, salsa) 650g chicken, 2 red peppers, a bag of spinach, spring onion and an extra chilli and a sprinkle of grated cheddar before wrapping, works out as below....

Can’t help on the calorie deficit part, as assume that will need some sums from you, but you can defo make it a healthy dinner

Fat free Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, small amount of reduced fat cheese, and iceberg leaves perhaps instead of wraps

Yum!

What do you mean by 'healthy'? Low calorie? Low fat? Relatively unprocessed? Low salt? Low sugar? Low carb? Why are cheese and soured cream unhealthy? There is no reason not to eat them as part of a balanced diet. Eating low calorie just makes you hungry and more likely to give in and snack on crappy food later.

‘Healthy’ and ‘low calorie’ are not the same thing.

A meal isn’t really healthy, it’s more about being holistic with your diet. Eg, If you’re only ate apples that wouldn’t be healthy.
Fajitas as part of a balanced diet are fine.
You can have fajitas without sour cream and cheese. If you’re trying to have big portions of nutrient dense food fajitas would not be my first choice.

How so?

Chicken nutrient dense
Cheese nutrient dense
Avocado nutrient dense
corn or beans nutrient dense

The rest isnt nutritionally empty either, apart from lettuce. Sweetcorn, tomatoes, wraps, cream all have beneficial nutrients in them to varying degrees.

coat the chicken and loads of onions/peppers/extra veg in a fajita seasoning but air fry or oven bake. Serve over cauliflower rice (I find the best method is to shred it and freeze it, then dry fry from frozen with seasoning) with some fat free yoghurt and homemade salsa, maybe a sprinkle of cheese if you need it.

For heaven’s sake. Just listen to some academic nutritionists. It’s nonsense. I genuinely didn’t realise people still thought that it works.

You're right the body doesnt work like that. All those people starving to death because they're not eating enough, they just need to think big!

Personally, I’d rather eat at a higher calorie deficit for the start of the day and just have a proper nice fajita for dinner (just have the one if it’s deemed too calorific).

I can’t stand “low fat” alternatives. I’d rather just eat less of the nice stuff.

What do you think calories are? Do you think the body will not burn fat reserves if you don't eat?

I mean the principles are straightforward, so instead of just saying "nutritionists say no", explain why a calorie deficit will not lead to weight loss, and why people in famine zones are so thin, please.

I'd also be interested to know how I lost 5 stone through lock down just by restricting calorie intake to 1500 to 2000 calories a day and doing moderate exercise. And eating pretty much any old rubbish, as long as I knew how many calories were in it and wrote it down.

I don’t think I understand your question
I didn’t say it didn’t have nutrients?

I did say if I wanted big portions (as op indicated) of nutrient dense food, and I was dieting it wouldn’t be my first choice. Obviously wraps, cheese etc are quite high calorie vs how ‘full’ they typically make you feel.

I was answering your final sentence, you didnt add the qualifier 'and if I was dieting'

All you said was if you wanted big portions of nutrient dense foods, fajitas wouldnt be your first choice, implying that the meal isnt full of nutrient dense components. Which of course it is.

Wraps are very high calories for what they are

Cheese isn't unhealthy. It's calorific but it's also highly nutritious.

If you're cutting calories, have less cheese and either ditch the sour cream (which I find revolting, tbh) or substitute Greek yoghurt for the tanginess.

Rather than stuffing a wrap, which ends up with more stodge to filling at one end than is palatable, anyhow, just top the wrap with the filling and serve with lots of salad.

You don't need to eat sour cream or cheese with them. Just have chicken marinated in spices, peppers and onions. Have it all in Crosta and Mollica tortillas (as not UPF).

But op is dieting. We’re discussing op. The entire thread is about Op wanting to be in a calorie deficit.
It felt implied.
Certainly it seems more likely that it was implied, rather than I was unaware that chicken and avocados have nutrients…