Go to a party, and you might see nachos with cheese among your food choices. This dish -- tortilla chips baked with cheese -- is not the healthiest option for your meal plan, as it is high in fat and calories. Despite this, nachos with cheese does provide vitamins, minerals and macronutrients that contribute to your daily nutritional requirements.
Calories and Fat
One portion of nachos with cheese -- six to eight chips covered in cheese -- contains 346 calories. This is far too many calories for a healthy snack. The Diet Channel's nutrition expert suggests eating snacks that contain 100 to 200 calories; consuming more than this may cause you to gain weight through excess calorie consumption. One serving of this food also provides 18.9 g of fat, a significant portion of which is saturated: 7.7 g. If you consume a 2,000 calorie diet, the recommended limit of saturated fat stands at 16 to 22 g, so monitor your meal plan carefully to avoid consuming too much in a single day.
Protein and Carbohydrates
Eat a serving of nachos with cheese, and you take in 9.1 g of protein and 36.3 g of carbohydrates. The protein in this dish comes primarily from the cheese -- usually melted processed cheese spread or melted cheddar cheese. Cheese does not provide all the essential amino acids, but you can add ground beef to the dish to boost amino acid content; note that it also adds fat and calories. Eat 50 to 175 g of protein daily, as well as 225 to 325 g of carbohydrates. The carbohydrates in nachos with cheese come mostly from the tortilla chips.
Vitamins
Nachos with cheese are a good source of riboflavin. One serving of this dish provides you with 0.3 mg of this vitamin; women need 1.1 mg of riboflavin, while men require 1.3 mg. Also known as vitamin B-2, riboflavin helps your body use folate and vitamin B-6, and it aids in converting food to energy. You also take in vitamin B-12, pantothenic acid, thiamine and vitamin A in a serving of nachos with cheese.
Minerals
A portion of nachos with cheese contains 276 mg of phosphorus, a mineral useful for building healthy bones. This is a considerable portion of the 700 mg all adults require daily. Phosphorus plays a role in the way your body uses vitamin D, iodine, zinc and magnesium. In addition to phosphorus, a serving of nachos with cheese provides calcium, selenium, magnesium and zinc.
References
- USDA National Nutrient Database: Fast Foods, Nachos, With Cheese
- The Diet Channel; Calories: What's An Ideal Daily Intake?; Michele Turcotte, MS, RD/LDN
- MayoClinic.com; Healthy Diet: End the Guesswork With These Nutrition Guidelines; February 2011
- MedlinePlus; Protein in Diet; July 2009
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin); June 2009
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Phosphorus; June 2009
Member Comments