Mexican beef nachos are easy to make when you're throwing a party or just having a few friends over to watch Sunday football. You can also order them at Mexican fast-food and sit-down restaurants. Mexican beef nachos usually consist of tortilla chips, seasoned ground beef and cheese, and they may have additional toppings. Although it's tempting to have them often, it's best to make them just an occasional part of an overall balanced diet.
Basic Information
A standard portion of nachos, topped with beef, cheese, beans and peppers purchased at a fast-food restaurant weighs 255 grams, or just over 9 ounces. It has 569 calories, 56 grams of carbohydrates and 31 grams of total fat. The nachos have 20 grams of protein, or 40 percent of your daily value if you're following a 2,000-calorie diet. The serving has 20 milligrams of cholesterol, or 7 percent of the daily value. Dietary cholesterol raises the level of cholesterol in your blood.
Saturated Fat
Each serving of Mexican beef nachos has 12.5 grams of saturated fat. Saturated fat raises the level of LDL cholesterol in your blood and may raise your risk of developing heart disease. Healthy adults should get no more than 7 to 10 percent of their total calories from saturated fat, or no more than 15 to 22 grams per day, according to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Cheese and ground beef are sources of saturated fat.
Sodium
An order of beef nachos has 1,800 milligrams of sodium and 451 milligrams of potassium. To keep your blood pressure from rising, the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend a diet with no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium and at least 4,700 milligrams of potassium per day. Sources of sodium in beef nachos include cheese, salted tortilla chips, seasoned beans and ground beef and additional salty toppings such as salsa, black olives and shredded cheese.
Vitamins and Minerals
A serving of Mexican beef nachos provides 3,402 international units of vitamin A, or 68 percent of the daily value. It has 3.3 milligrams of niacin, or 17 percent of the daily value for niacin. The nachos have 385 milligrams of calcium, or 39 percent of the daily value for this essential mineral. They have 2.8 milligrams of iron, or 16 percent of the daily value, and 3.7 milligrams of zinc, or 25 percent of the daily value.
References
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: Fast Foods
- Food and Drug Administration; Food Labeling Guide: Appendix F: Calculate the Percent Daily Value for the Appropriate Nutrients; May 2011
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010; January 2010
- Mayo Clinic; Dietary Fats: Know Which Types to Choose; February 2011
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