Cinco de Mayo is another one of those holidays that we American’s have turned into an excuse to party. From chips and dips to cheese-filled entrees, Cinco de Mayo just isn’t the same if you don’t feel like you indulged – margaritas included!
But with summer just around the corner and so many of us trying to get into “summer shape”, can we really afford an all out binge? Or even if we aren’t trying to lose a couple extra pounds, do we really want to feel like we are busting at the seams on our way into work tomorrow?
Well thankfully there are a few simple substitutions you can make during your Cinco de Mayo festivities that will allow you to indulge, but won’t have you regretting it when you finally decide to go swimsuit shopping.
Whether going out or staying in, these 10 substitutions will be perfect for any Cinco de Mayo celebration:
- Ask for a “skinny”. This term usually refers to Margaritas, but technically can be used for other cocktails as well. Substituting agave for sweet-and-sour, or for other simple syrup concoctions, this will not only save you tons of calories and sugar, but a hangover as well.
- Make your drink spicy. This will make it harder to “gulp” down, allowing you to savor your drink instead of quickly ordering another round. This will also entice you to mix between water and your cocktail, also reducing intake while helping you to fill up, sans calories.
- Order ceviche or a shrimp cocktail as an appetizer – both are low in calories and will help you from over-indulging on chips before your meal arrives.
- Ask for food baked or broiled, not fried. Fried foods are not only filled with unneeded oils and calories, they can also leave you feeling lethargic and “weighed down”.
- Hold the creams and cream-based sauces. Again, lots of unnecessary calories that will often leave you feeling bloated.
- Ask for cheese on the side and only sprinkle a modest amount on top. This way, you can have a taste in every bite without it getting lost in the mix. Or better yet, skip it altogether and save your calories for another cocktail.
- Order corn tortillas instead of flour. They are less calories and are gluten-free.
- Ask for black beans instead of refried. Again, anything “fried” means extra fat and calories.
- Ask for “easy-oil” to avoid foods from being overly greasy. This is my go-to line, because even with all the other specifications, foods still may come out soaked in grease if you don’t specifically ask for it otherwise.
- Choose either a dessert (and split it; with the more people the better), or order another cocktail – not both. At this point, you’ve probably had enough to eat anyway, so having another drink and dessert is sure to push you overboard.
Just because you are watching what you eat, doesn’t mean that you can’t go out and enjoy yourself. And it doesn’t mean that you have to regret what you ate the next day either. You just need to make a few easy swaps and no one will even notice that your summer body was top on your list of priorities for the evening.
