Chimichanga
It is a deep-fried burrito consisting of a tortilla surrounding a filling, that commonly has a variety of ingredients, such as – cheese, shredded chicken, rice, marinated meat, and machaca (dried meat).
The founder of Macayo’s Mexican Kitchen, Woody Johnson, claims that he invented this food in 1946 when, as an experiment, he put some burritos into a deep fryer.
It is a popular food in Tex-Mex cuisine, Southwestern U.S. cuisine, and the Mexican states of Sinaloa and Sonora.
Nutrition Facts
One serving (174g) has about 425 calories, 20 grams of fat (of which 9 grams are saturated), 910 milligrams of sodium, sugar, dietary fiber, protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and iron.
Burrito
It consists of a large tortilla with a filling, wrapped into a closed-ended cylinder. Usually, the filling might include cooked meat, beans, rice, and vegetables.
The word ”Burrito” literally translates as ”Little Donkey” from Spanish and is a food especially popular in the Mexican state of Chihuahua where it was invented.
It made its way into the United States in the 1900s, with the first mention of this food on a United States menu being at the El Cholo Spanish Café in Los Angeles in the 1930s. It can be eaten with fingers, however, it is commonly too big – knife and fork are frequently required.
Nutrition Facts
One serving contains about 290 calories, 15 grams fat (of which 6 grams are saturated), 165mg cholesterol, 800mg sodium, 1 gram fiber, 2 grams sugars, 13 grams protein, and 100 mg calcium.
Chimichanga vs Burrito – Which Is Worse For Your Health?
Though both are similar in the way they are assembled, the difference is in the fact that the chimichanga is deep-fried.
The flour tortilla acts like a sponge and absorbs all the oil which is fried in leaving you with a meal that has more fat than most fast food burgers. It is definitely one food that you should avoid. Below are a few more reasons:
Salt
The majority of Americans consume about 3,400 mg of salt a day, which is more than The CDC – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends. According to the AHA – American Heart Association, people should keep the salt intake below 1.5 grams a day to avoid heart problems and hypertension.
A regular excessive sodium intake can increase the chances of having a high blood pressure (since when you consume too much salt, your body holds extra water), a stiffness of the arteries, and an enlargement of the heart’s muscle tissue. The good news is that by lowering your sodium (this mineral makes about 40 percent of table salt content) intake, you will most likely reduce your blood pressure and risk for cardiovascular conditions.
Also, more sodium in the regular diet means the kidneys hold more water in the body. This can lead to edema which is swelling in places like the arms, hands, ankles, feet, and legs.
Moreover, as per the American Institute for Cancer Research and the World Cancer Research Fund, a high intake of salt could raise the risk of developing stomach cancer.
Meat
Animal protein is high in acid-forming purines, according to the Mayo Clinic. When purines are broken down in the human body, it leads to the production of uric acid.
When there is too much uric acid in the blood, it lingers in the body negatively affecting numerous bodily systems and ultimately leading to many side effects, including the deposition of monosodium urate crystals in joints, under the skin, and in kidneys.
The higher the amount of meat you intake, especially processed red meat, the higher your risk can be of developing cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Additionally, consuming meat slows things down in the body, causing you to feel undernourished and tired.
Furthermore, because meat is animal flesh, it is most prone to bacterial growth. This process increases considerably after the animal has been killed, as the meat begins to putrefy immediately.
Fried Oils
Deep frying increases the formation of advanced glycation end products on the surface of foods that trigger the creation of some carcinogenic compounds, like – heterocyclic amines, acrylamides, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and acrolein.
According to a study done by the Department of Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health, people who consume fried food at least once every seven days have a higher chance of both heart disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus than people who don’t eat fried food.
In addition, fried foods and rich in fat (all types, even trans-fats) and calories, since a gram of fat has nine calories. Therefore, consuming a lot of calories (especially from fats) leads to obesity and other problems including cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.
Image credit – Shutterstock
READ MORE: Famous People With Tourette’s Syndrome
References https://www.bmj.com/content/357/bmj.j1957 https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/abs/10.1161/circheartfailure.113.000921