Cater Your Next Event With Traditional Mexican Food And Fight Heart Disease
Want to cater your event, but need to take heart health into concern? Look no further than traditional Mexican cuisine. Many of the core ingredients that make up traditional Mexican food are delicious and may help keep heart disease at bay through their high fiber and monounsaturated fat contents.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes contain lycopene which is a known anti-inflammatory agent. Higher rates of inflammation in the body can lead to an increased risk of heart disease. To get the highest benefit from the lycopene in tomatoes you should consume dishes with cooked tomatoes. Cooking a tomato increases the availability of lycopene in tomatoes, however, it lowers the accessible amounts of other nutrients. Salsa is a great way to get the benefits of lycopene from tomatoes. Tomatoes are also included in rice, soups, and in slow cooked dishes.
Avocados
Avocados are full of monounsaturated fats, and authentic Mexican cuisine is full of avocados. Monounsaturated fats help to lower your LDL cholesterol. You'll want to use avocados in place of saturated fats to get the most benefit from them. So, choose dishes with avocados in them in place of sour cream or cheese to reap the highest rewards.
Avocados are also high in soluble fiber. Soluble fiber lowers your cholesterol naturally. When you consume foods high in soluble fiber, like avocados, the fiber binds to the bile acids your body produces. When those bile acids are reduced in your system, your liver will want to make more of those acids. To make more bile acids your liver needs to use cholesterol, and will take it from your body.
In authentic Mexican catering look for avocados in guacamole, salads, and in many of your favorite dishes. If they aren't present in a dish, your caterer may be able to include them if you ask.
Garlic
Garlic helps your heart by lowering your blood pressure. When garlic is chopped, it releases a compound called allicin. However, these benefits are best enjoyed while garlic is fresh. You can still reap these benefits from cooked or processed garlic, but you'd have to eat significantly more. Thankfully, garlic is used in a lot of traditional Mexican cuisine.
Jalapenos
Jalapenos contain a substance called capsaicin, which is the substance that makes peppers hot. Capsaicin works to protect your heart by reducing blood pressure, cholesterol and blood clots. Jalapenos are a staple seasoning in authentic Mexican food and are readily found in salsa and many sauces.
These are just a few of the ingredients that are heart healthy in authentic Mexican food. If you're looking to cater an event and heart health is a concern, mention it to your caterer. They will work with you to make sure your meal is healthy and satisfying.
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