Is Chile Relleno Healthy? (5 Tips For Weight Loss)

If you love Mexican food - especially Chile Relleno - but aren’t sure if this dish is healthy and fits into your health-conscious lifestyle, this article is for you. In this article, we’ll discuss what Chile Relleno is, and see whether it’s healthy or not, and how to stay in shape, eating this delicious Mexican dish.

Chile Relleno is a traditional Mexican dish that originated in the city of Puebla in 1859. It basically means “stuffed chile.” Traditionally, poblano peppers are used to make this dish. The chile or pepper is stuffed with minced meat, cheese, and covered in an egg white batter.

Although Chile Relleno is quite delicious, is it actually healthy?

Chile Relleno is not necessarily considered healthy or great for your waistline, as it consists of high calories per serving and sodium. However, if you eat Chile Relleno in moderation and stick to one serving, you won’t get off track. 

Here are five steps that explain what Chile Relleno is, the calorie amount in one Chile Relleno, as well as how to stay fit and healthy while eating this classic Mexican dish. 

1. Understand What Chile Relleno is

2. Understand How Many Calories Are in One Serving of Chile Relleno

3. Understand How Many Calories You Need to Consume in a Day

4. Find out How to Make a Healthier Version of Chile Relleno at Home

5. Make Sure To Consistently Workout & Build Muscle

Now that we know our five steps, let’s get into the details that will help you stay in shape while enjoying some delicious Chile Relleno.

Tip 1: Understand What Chile Relleno is

There are endless variations of Chile Relleno but the most popular one is made with poblano peppers. 

The peppers are being stuffed with either picadillo meat, which is made of minced pork, nuts, and raisins, melted cheese such as queso Oaxaca or queso Chihuahua, and then coated with an egg white batter made with corn masa flour and egg whites. 

First, the chiles or peppers are roasted until the skin is black, then they are immediately put into a Ziploc bag to let them sweat for about 10 minutes. Under a stream of cold water, you can remove their skin.  

This recipe focuses on Chile Relleno with queso. Once you fill the peppers with cheese, you have to close them with a toothpick, then coat them in the batter and fry them in vegetable oil. 

They are often served with salsa Rojo, made with different types of chilis, tomatoes, onions, oregano, chicken stock, garlic, salt, and pepper. You blend them all together and bring them to a boil. 

Now that we know what goes into making a classic Chile Relleno, let’s take a look at the nutrition facts and see how many calories are in one serving of Chile Relleno.

Tip 2: Understand How Many Calories Are in One Serving of Chile Relleno

Weight loss is really the concept of calories in vs. calories out. 

So whether you live a sedentary lifestyle or an active lifestyle, it’s important to understand how many calories you need to consume daily.  

If we take a look at the nutrition facts, you can see that one Chile Relleno de Queso has 550 calories with a macronutrient ratio of 44 grams of carbs, 28 grams of protein, and 30 grams of fat. 

Usually, this dish is served with two Chile Rellenos, which would bring it up to 1100 kcals for one meal, which is relatively high. If you only eat one Chile Relleno, the calorie amount is still high but can easily be incorporated into your daily calorie intake, as long as you don’t overeat and work out. 

As you can see, this dish is also high in carbs and fats and doesn’t offer a balanced range of macronutrients. 

A good rule of thumb for dieting is keeping a nice balance of macronutrients. A great ratio is sticking to 30% carbs, 40% protein, and 30% fats. 

Now that we know a little bit more about the nutrition facts of Chile Relleno, let’s take a look at how many calories you need to consume daily to stay in shape.

Tip 3: Understand How Many Calories You Need to Consume in a Day

A calorie is the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water through 1 degree Celsius. 

It is a unit of energy and our body needs a certain amount of energy to function daily. 

If you burn more calories than you consume, then you will find yourself in a “caloric deficit” which is the only way fat loss can occur. 

The standard rule for how many calories a person should be consuming is 2,000 calories for a moderately active female and 2,500 calories for a moderately active male.

However, this standardized protocol does not fit everyone’s needs. 

How many calories a person needs in a day is unique to the individual because the caloric daily intake will depend on gender, age, height, weight, and daily activity levels.

So, how do you know how many calories you should be eating in a day?

The answer is through trial and error and finding a calorie range that allows you to lose 1-2 pounds of fat per week. 

The calories that you need to maintain your current weight are called your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE). This is calculated by figuring out your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) first and then multiplying the value by your activity measurement.

BMR is how many calories you need to keep your body functioning.

Your TDEE relies heavily on how active you are and how much movement you see in your day.

Within your TDEE lies a subsection, which is called TEPA (Thermic Effect of Physical Activity) which accounts for 15-30% of your entire day’s worth of calories.

This means, you are in control of 15-30% of how much you can eat, which is a huge portion of calories.

If you’re someone who loves to eat a lot while staying fit, then being active is the key to a balanced lifestyle that allows you to eat whatever you like, such as Chile Relleno, and stay in shape. 

Once you know your calorie intake based on your weight and height, you can then decide how much you want to decrease it. If you want to lose 1 to 2 pounds per week, we suggest you start with 100 calories less than what you are currently consuming and see if you notice a difference within a week. 

It is suggested, however, to not decrease the calorie intake below 1,200 per day for women, or below 1,500 calories per day for men.

If you don’t see any changes in your weight, decrease your calorie intake by another 100 calories and see how that works. 

The key here is to find foods that keep you full longer and still deliver a balanced amount of macronutrients. 

You don’t want all of your calories simply coming from carbs or fats, you want there to be a balance coming from carbs, protein, and fats.

So, just calculate whatever calorie range you find, and split up your calories by following those macro guidelines. 

Now that we know how many calories you should consume daily, let’s take a look at how you can make a healthier version of Chile Relleno at home.

Tip 4: Find out How to Make a Healthier Version of Chile Relleno at Home

The best way to eat Chile Relleno and stay healthy is by either air frying them or baking them since fried foods always add more to your daily caloric intake. 

Another tip is to use leaner meats or a vegan substitute, as well as vegan cheese made with cashews like suggested in this recipe of baked Chile Relleno.

Now that we know how to make a healthier version of Chi;e Relleno, let’s move on to the next section and find out how you can build muscle and stay in shape by eating Chile Relleno.

Tip 5: Make Sure To Consistently Workout & Build Muscle

After you’ve figured out how many calories you need to consume daily, you need to make sure that you exercise regularly and increase your activity level.

The best way to do that is by building muscle throughout every week. 

Building muscle allows you to burn calories at rest, which means you can eat more and still lose fat.

This is really the goal of working out and is what keeps you healthy as your metabolism increases.

The fastest and most efficient way to build muscle is to learn how to do some resistance training.

As stated in Tip #3, you need to be able to burn calories throughout your day in order to put yourself at a caloric deficit. 

You can also do a combination of resistance training and LISS (Low-Intensity Steady State) cardio or HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) cardio, to improve your heart health and maximize fat burn. 

LISS is cardio that comes from walking or a brisk walk, you should be able to have a conversation while still building up a sweat.

HIIT cardio is intervals of a very high-intensity movement, such as sprints, battle ropes, or kickboxing movements aiming to quickly raise the heart rate.

The benefit of HIIT is allowing yourself to burn calories in a shorter amount of time. 

We recommend having 80% of cardio coming from LISS while 20% comes from HIIT for optimal fat loss throughout the week. 

LISS is a much more reliable source of consistent movement and does not require rest as it does not shock the Central Nervous System the way HIIT can.

Although working out and building muscle takes priority, having a consistent cardio schedule can help with expediting the fat loss process as it raises the energy expended throughout your week.

The fastest and most efficient way to build muscle is to learn how to do some resistance training.

All you need are a set of dumbbells, such as these adjustable dumbbells, and a reliable treadmill such as the Bluefin Fitness Treadmill that tracks your calories and you’re on your way to controlling the number of calories you burn. 

Regarding working out with dumbbells, it’s important not to add too much weight too soon because that could result in injury if you are unfamiliar with the correct body positions. It is better to start small and then increase the weight level. 

Here is a workout plan we’ve created for men and women, where you can get started if you are someone who hasn’t ever done a resistance training regimen.

MEN:

Day One: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps, Abs (Push Day) : 

• Cable Crunches: 4 sets 15 reps 

• Triceps Rope Push Down: 3 sets 15 reps

• Lateral Raises: 3 sets 15 reps

• Shoulder Press: 3 sets 10 reps

• Dumbbell Press: 4 sets 12 reps

• Bench Press: 3 sets 10 reps

Day Two (Legs & Abs):

• Weighted Toe Touches: 4 sets 25 reps

• Weighted Sit-Ups: 4 sets 25 reps

• Jumping Squats With Resistance Bands: 5 sets 20 reps

• Glute Bridges With Weight: 4 sets 20 reps

• Stiff Leg Deadlift (Romanian Deadlift): 4 sets 15 reps

• Weighted Walking Lunges: 2 sets 20 steps

• Goblet Squats: 4 sets 20 reps

Day Three: Back & Biceps (Pull Day):

• Hammer Curls: 3 sets 10 reps

• Bicep Curls: 3 sets 10 reps

• Seated Cable Rows: 4 sets 15 reps

• Dumbbell Rows: 4 sets 10 reps (Each Side)

• Lat Pulldowns: 4 sets 12 reps

• Assisted Pull-Ups: 3 sets 10 reps

WOMEN

Day One (Full Upper):

• Weighted Crunches: 3x35 

• Lateral Raises: 4x15

• Lat Pulldowns: 4x12

• Knee Push-Ups: 4x20

• Seated Shoulder Press: 4x20 

• Dumbbell Row: 3x10

• Dumbbell Fly: 3x10

Day Two (Back/Hamstrings/Biceps):

• Hammer Curls: 3x10

• Bicep Curls: 3x10

• Hamstring Curl: 4x15

• Stiff Leg Deadlift: 4x15

• Cable Row: 4x15

• Lat Pulldowns: 4x12

• Assisted Pull-Ups: 3x10

Day Three (Legs/Butt/Abs): 

• Leg Lifts: 3x35

• Weighted Crunches: 3x35 

• Jump Squats: 4x20

• Glute Kickbacks: 4x20 each leg

• Glute Bridge: 4x20

• Goblet Squats: 4x20

• Squats: 5x5

We recommend working out at least three times per week in the beginning, since the resting days in between are important to build muscle. 

Building muscle will happen relatively fast if you are new to working out, so this is great news for anyone looking to get in shape.

Calories are direct sources of energy that fuel your everyday life, so you need to make sure that you utilize them efficiently throughout your day. 

60-75% of energy expenditure comes from your basal metabolic rate (BMR) which is how much your body burns if it did nothing all day. (NASM)

10% of energy expenditure comes from the thermic effect of feeding (TEF) which is the calories you burn from digesting different foods. (NASM)

15-30% of energy expenditure comes from the Thermic Effect of Activity (TEA) which is movement such as working out and aerobics. Source (NASM) 

To sum it up, up to 30% of our energy expenditure can come from movement and activity so this is a huge portion of our weight loss journey that you can actively control.

The importance of diet and workout is crucial, so you can enjoy foods like Chile Relleno.

The more movement the better and, to utilize and burn those calories, you should be moving all you can

That’s why it’s important to increase your activity level at least 3 - 4 times a week if your goal is to get lean. 

If you put calorie tracking, muscle building, and actively moving more altogether, things such as Chile Relleno won’t get you off track because the formula provides so much leniency for you to shed some fat.

Make sure to stick with it for a long time and understand that fitness is a lifelong journey that takes time to cultivate.

Working out allows you to be more flexible in your diet and lifestyle, which is so important if you want to sustain a lean body and stay healthy. 

So, next time you’re wondering how you can lose some weight, remember that you need to build some muscle and track your calories to your specified amount. 

THERE IT IS!

If you like to lose weight by eating Chile Relleno, you have to do portion control, watch your caloric intake for the day, add more protein-rich foods and fibers to your meals, swap out certain ingredients, and have a consistent workout routine, for a long period of time.

The key to healthy eating is balance and moderation. Our five tips will help you stay fit while eating Chile Relleno. 

As long as you understand how many calories you need to consume in a day and fill your body with whole foods that will keep you satiated and satisfied, then you will see results if you put in the time and consistency. 

If you like this article and are looking for more articles on healthy foods, then make sure to check out our other posts where we discuss fitness tips and healthy habits that will get you to your fitness goals.

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