Your Dietitian: Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with authentic, healthy Mexican foods

Are you celebrating Cinco de Mayo — the 5th of May — with a Mexican meal? If you're only serving tacos, you'll be missing out on some of the most nutrient-rich foods Mexican cuisine has to offer. Here are a few foods to include in your Cinco de Mayo meal to make it more authentic and healthier. Adding these nutrient-rich foods will provide tremendous benefits for a healthier heart and brain. Avocados To me, a Mexican meal is not complete without avocados — diced, sliced or made into guacamole. This super fruit contains more than 20 health-giving nutrients. Rich in monounsaturated fat, just like extra-virgin olive oil, eating an avocado a week has been shown to lower LDL cholesterol and raise the good HDL cholesterol. Avocados are extremely high in potassium. One medium avocado contains twice as much potassium as a medium banana. The more potassium-rich food eaten, the more sodium (salt) and water is excreted — helping to prevent water retention and lowering blood pressure. High blood pressure increases the risk of a stroke, heart attack and dementia. In addition, this super fruit improves and protects our vision, due to its high amounts of lutein and zeaxanthin. These nutrients help protect our eyes from the sun's damaging ultraviolet rays. When combined with vitamins C and E, lutein and zeaxanthin have been shown to slow the progression of age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in seniors. Interestingly, avocados also contain the needed vitamins C and E. Four times as much lutein and zeaxanthin are absorbed when a food containing these nutrients is eaten with fat. Since avocados are naturally high in fat, the lutein and zeaxanthin are exceptionally well absorbed. So, for your Cinco de Mayo meal, try serving diced avocado atop a taco, taco salad, enchiladas or any Mexican entrée. Or, serve it as guacamole on the side. Beans Mexican meals typically contain some kind of beans such as black, pinto or navy, just to name a few. All beans add both insoluble fiber (roughage) to prevent constipation and soluble fiber. The soluble fiber feeds the beneficial bacteria in our GI tract, strengthening our immune system. It also prevents blood sugar spikes in persons with diabetes. In addition, beans' soluble fiber lowers the risk of heart disease by reducing LDL cholesterol. Use beans to make delicious bean burritos or enchiladas. Or, combine them with ground beef or chicken in a Mexican dish — such as tacos or enchiladas. Beans make a tasty side dish all on their own—as refried beans or simply as seasoned beans. (See recipe for Best Black Beans.) Fish tacos Instead of the usual ground beef tacos, this year try making fish tacos. Fiesta fish tacos is my husband's favorite Mexican dish. They are fast and very easy to make. (See recipe.) For something different, try making a fish taco with a colorful mango salsa topping. The mangos' sweetness pairs well with spicy peppers, creating a refreshing salsa. Mangoes are rich in beta-carotene (or eye health) and vitamin C. (See recipe.) Or try my tilapia with salsa baked in a foil packet. Baking fish in foil makes it especially tender and moist. It's quick and easy to make — and even easier to clean up. Simply toss out the foil. So, this year, consider making your Cinco de Mayo meal a little more authentic and healthier by serving avocado, beans and fish tacos. Happy Cinco de Mayo! Phyllis J. Molnar is a registered and licensed dietitian who writes about food and health for The Chronicle-Telegram and The Gazette. Email her at pjmolnar56@gmail.com. Best black beans 1 small onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 1 (16 ounce) can black beans, undrained 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste) Salt, to taste Place onion, garlic and black beans in a kettle. Mix. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook on low for about 5 minutes. Stir in cilantro, cayenne pepper and if desired, a dash of salt. Simmer for another 5 to 15 minutes to allow the flavors to blend. Variations: No. 1: First sauté onions in a little olive oil until translucent. Then add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add beans and continue the recipe as stated above. No. 2: Add juice for ½ a lime before serving No. 3: If you dislike cilantro, omit and substitute ¼ teaspoon ground cumin. Use in bean burritos: Best black beans can be used to make bean burritos. (It's a great way to use up leftover beans.) Mix ¼ cup of Best Beans with ¼ cup shredded cheese and 2 tablespoons salsa. Use this mixture to fill the flour tortilla. Roll up and heat in a skillet or microwave. Serve with avocado or guacamole. Makes: 4 servings SOURCE: allrecipes.com. Fiesta fish tacos White fish such as flounder, walleye or Lake Superior whitefish Chili powder Ground cumin Dried Oregano Canola or olive oil for cooking 6-inch diameter tortillas Coleslaw (store-bought or homemade. Shredded cabbage may also be used) Bottled Salsa Avocado slices Lime juice, optional If fish is frozen, thaw overnight. If you forget to thaw fish the night before serving, simply thaw frozen fillets in their plastic pouch under cool water. It only takes a few minutes. Place fish on a platter and sprinkle each side with the chili powder, cumin and oregano. (I don't measure the spices.) Heat oil in a large skillet. Fry fish fillets a few at a time in the skillet. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side. Meanwhile, warm tortillas in a toaster oven or in the microwave between damp paper towels. Fill each tortilla with a fish fillet, topped with some coleslaw, salsa and slices of avocado. If desired, squeeze a bit of lime juice atop avocado. Roll up and enjoy! Makes: Any number of servings desired. Simply prepare one medium fish fillet per taco. A serving is two fish tacos per person. Thus, for 2 persons, prepare 4 fish fillets. SOURCE: Dole Foods, with modifications by Phyllis Molnar Fish tacos 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon ground cumin ½ teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon lime juice 1 ½ pounds halibut (or any whitefish) Salsa: 1 ripe mango, peeled, seeded and chopped ½ small red pepper, seeded and diced small ½ jalapeno pepper, seeded, deveined and finely chopped (Wear gloves when handling: they burn) ¼ cup chopped cilantro (optional) 2 tablespoon lime juice 8 (6-inch) tortillas 1 cup shredded Romaine lettuce Preheat the broiler. Coat a broiler pan with cooking oil spray. In a medium bowl, combine the oil, garlic, cumin, salt and 1 tablespoon lime juice. Add the fish and toss to coat. Let stand for 15 minutes to marinate. Meanwhile prepare the mango salsa. In a small bowl, combine the mango, bell pepper, jalapeno, cilantro (if desired) and 2 tablespoons lime juice. Set aside. Wrap tortillas in foil. Remove fish from the marinade and place on the broiler pan. Discard marinade. Broil fish until opaque, about 3 to 6 minutes. Transfer fish to a plate. Place tortillas in the oven to warm slightly, for only 1-minute. Top tortillas with equal amounts of flaked fish, shredded lettuce and mango salsa. If desired, serve with sliced avocado or guacamole. Note: Recipe can be halved for 2 servings. Makes: 4 servings SOURCE: Food Cures. Breakthrough Nutritional Prescriptions for Everything from Colds to Cancer. Tilapia with salsa for one in foil 1 tilapia fillet Chunky jarred salsa Canned black beans, drained and rinsed Frozen corn Optional: Warm tortillas or cooked brown rice Diced avocado or guacamole Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut a large piece of aluminum foil. Place fish in the center of the foil. Top with about 3 rounded teaspoons of each: salsa, black beans and corn. Cover with another large piece of foil. Roll edges down twice and crimp to seal, leaving space for steam to form inside the packet. Bake for 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork (and reaches 145 degrees when tested with a meat thermometer). Serve with warm tortillas or cooked brown rice and sliced avocado or guacamole. If serving more than 1 person, simply make a foil packet of tilapia with salsa for each person. For easy clean-up, eat right out of the packet, then simply toss out the foil! Makes: 1 serving SOURCE: Phyllis Molnar