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?

I do have cheese in my fajitas and I don't think it's unhealthy.

So you’re equating high calorie with unhealthy?

fajitas are perfectly healthy. So is every food in moderation.

just calculate the calories and adjust to fit your allowances.

change your mentality from “good” and “bad” and focus on fuelling your body.

i love fajitas. To make them better for a calorie controlled diet I adjust the proportions. So lots of peppers, beans and onion, piled on each wrap, with a small amount of sour cream/guac/cheese. So a lot more “bang for your buck”. I don’t eat meat so that lowers the calories significantly.

Healthy is very subjective but I’m on MJ and would eat the mix part of the fajitas (make our own spice mix, peppers onions etc chicken, small amount of oil for frying) and I use a lettuce wrap so I can eat more of the stuff that’s nutritious enough for my needs and reduce the stuff that aren’t (in this case, a white wrap which is what the rest of my family would have). My appetite is reduced so I need to focus on getting as much of the good stuff in before I get full as I can. I do eat bread some days but only homemade and if I eat it it’s once per day and a small amount.
I spread a bit of sour cream and a squeeze of lime on my lettuce ‘wrap’ but have never added cheese because I don’t like it in fajitas. The rest of my lot do.

Apologies if this gets explained later in the thread but can you elaborate on this please or point me in the direction of some literature on it?

Are you talking about the weight set point theory discussed in Why We eat (Too Much)?

Chicken and veggies and carbs with a bit of fat is fairly balanced. If you put loads of cheese, guac, SC then it will be very fatty. If you put loads of rice and beans it will be very carby.
But it's a bit like saying 'is a sandwich healthy'. In that it very much depends on what's in it and how much.

I have a medically underweight friend, 5 stone 4 pounds, 5 foot 5 inches tall and yet, she has got to this point by being calorie deficit. Just like everyone who has been affected by starvation or famine. So not exactly debunked. Those that say otherwise need to share their know across Africa.
Count your calories across three days and have proper cheese, white wraps etc etc. The skinny pens stop you wanting to take in calories, that's why they work.

I've lost weight by being in a calorie deficit, too. So have my best friend and her husband.

What is it with people on mumsnet who are ignorant about something who then require posters to set out common knowledge for them in a post? I would refer you, if I may, to the www where you will find a whole plethora of peer reviewed scientific studies undertaken by leading scientists. It will likely take you 5 mins to find several papers that you can read, from the original source.

It’s taken me 5 mins to find a whole plethora of scientific studies agreeing that restricting calories causes weight loss.

that is common knowledge. That is a big part of why wli work, they suppress appetite and people don’t eat as much.

it works for animals and humans.

There are many but I’d point you in the direction of the Zoe research team at KCL who do very nice summaries on many things nutrition related. If you look up the Zoe podcast, that is a good starting point for all things health related.

Here is an article link for a very basic summary. There is a lot of science behind it. zoe.com/learn/why-calorie-counting-doesnt-work

There are hundreds of studies on the topic though.

Well how about if you’re making claims about ‘leading scientists’ and ‘peer reviewed scientific studies’ and ‘several papers’ and ‘academic nutritionists’ that you put links in for posters to read? You’re the one making claims then ridiculing people for not knowing after all.

I’d love to see them. I bet they’re all from leading science teams at good universities.

I’m definitely not meaning to ridicule anyone. I just wouldn’t think it’s ok to demand from someone that they provide information to support their posts on mumsnet when they could just take themselves to the internet to do their own research. It’s not exactly a controversial statement. Calorie controlled diets were brought in in the 80s and have been debunked for more than 10 years now. It’s not new. I just think surely you can take your phone and do your own research? I wouldn’t expect someone to give me a list of publications to support a post that they are making. I’d just look it up myself.

One big reason (there are many others) is that they do nothing for your overall health. You may have lost weight but in the medium to long term it’s highly probable that you will put it all back on again, and more. I believe the data says most people will put it on in a year. It also says, looking at large scale studies, that you put on more than you weighed in the first place. They are not sustainable health plans, do nothing for your overall diet (you could have a 1000 calorie diet and fulfill that by having 4 mars bars only every day), do nothing to ensure you have enough fibre (very critical), do nothing for your gut microbiome. I could go on and on.

I don’t suppose Zoe would have any sort of reason for wanting to debunk calorie controlled diets?

to sell more of their glucose monitors and programmes, for example?

interesting that you choose this one.

have you actually read that link you posted?

it states that reducing calories does result in weight loss. Its focus is on the issues that it’s hard to accurately count calories, which is true, but easily compensated for by balancing your intake with your weight loss. That and long term weight loss, which of course is also true as most people return to their original habits.

it does not “debunk” the theory that cutting calories doesn’t cause weight loss.

Where are the studies that found that a person can eat in excess of their calorie requirements and lose weight and conversely who can eat less than their calorie requirements and gain weight

Just one will do

Which is what I said could be the case in the first place, and which you scoffed at.

Putting the weight back on when you start eating again has absolutely nothnig to do with the fact (and it is a fact) that a caloric deficit makes you lose fat and doesn't "debunk" that scientific fact.
We are talking about science and you are talking about "health plans".

I mean the fact that you say "calorie controlled diets were brought in the 1980s" shows you are talking about some specific "You can lose weight FAST" fad nonsense. Calorie controlled diets were brought in the first time the hunters failed to bring in enough game to feed the whole group.

You just have to adjust it.

when I don’t care about calories I fill them with chicken, veg, cheese, sour cream, salsa and white wraps

When I do care I fill them with mostly veg, some chicken, protein wrap, a light sprinkling of low fat cheese

Same meal but totally different calories

@Waterballoons no I don't think it's fair enough to make a claim that something is backed by science then tell posters to go off and research it. Saying it's debunked means f all. So I'd be very interested in seeming some peer reviewed studies from medical journals if you have any. Otherwise I'll assume you've been misled.

Going over your calories for 1 day and enjoying a meal therefore satisfying your cravings will not make you put on weight.

You could have a fulfilling dinner then compensate by skimping on calories tomorrow so as long as your calories are down overall across a week, you'd still be heading in the right direction.

Good luck and I hope you enjoyed your fajitas 😀

To make them as healthy as possible,

1. make your own guacamole, or just mash an avocado with salt and pepper. Skip the sour cream.
2. switch the packet spices for cumin, smoked paprika and seasoning to taste. The old El Paso style spice mixes are loaded with salt and sugar.
3. Making your own wraps will cut out some additives but who realistically has time for that? 😂 Cauliflower rice is a good alternative if you’d enjoy that.
4. Use cheese if you enjoy it, but use less, and make sure it’s extra mature cheddar for maximum flavour per calorie.
5. Load the fajita mix with beans and veggies, and some lean chicken.

Mmm I’m hungry now 😂 … I hope you enjoyed them

If you cook without oil it can be healthier (dry fry) in a good non stick pan.

Also if you can't live without those naughty stuff like cheese and sour cream have you thought about lettuce or cabbage as the wrap substitute instead? I like it with a blanched Savoy cabbage leaf it's one of my clean eating subs when I do calorie control/clean eating.

I skip sour cream and cheese and add lots of veg. Can’t see how they’re too unhealthy.

I don’t buy the kits and just pick up the seasoning packets.