Review of Poquito Mas

I gave Poquito Mas an overall score of 3.6, or 4 stars, based on the following 7 categories: number of visits 3 of 5, When I'm bored with my other options. price range 5 of 5, Pocket change, less than $10. family friendly? 3 of 5, No kids menu. % menu vegan 3 of 5, At least one good entrée. quality of service 3 of 5, Didn't notice. quality of food 4 of 5, Happy tongue. local mainstay? 2 of 5, Fresh paint, but it's a good color. Comments: Poquito Mas and the Veggie Grill moved into an old Sizzler; imagine the shock of the meat and potato seniors looking to finally redeem that coupon for angioplasty. They ripped out all the 30-year old booths, put a dividing line wall down the middle, created a front porch with tables, and added their paint by number décor for a bright and inviting, though sterile, ambiance. The west side, Poquito Mas, is basically a slightly upscale Baja Fresh where you can see them assemble your food behind the cash registers. The upscale part comes at the end of the assembly line, a shiny, steaming tortilla press. For vegans, the upscale part of their menu is their Natures Grill line. The Natures Grill burrito for instance has eggplant, bell peppers, mushrooms, onion, black beans, zucchini, and salsa. Be careful to ask for no dairy though. I always substitute guacamole for sour cream and ixney the cheese. Like Baja Fresh, they advertise natural ingredients, no lard, no cans, and 0 grams of trans fat. This is music to my intestinal tract, (pause), except for the last one which is a pet peeve of mine. Instead of saying “no added trans fat,” they say “0 grams trans fat.” Trans fats should be measured in milligrams not grams, and food suppliers have exploited this to be able to add trans fat and, thanks to the mathematical concept of rounding down, still claim zero. I would guess that Poquito Mas is utilizing this loophole because they are not a clueless mom and pop shop. Regardless, they still make good, filling, and relatively healthy food that is assembled fresh and served quickly. If you are in the area, looking for filling Mexican food, and have had enough of Tacos Por Favor, by all means necessary, skip past El Cholo and head to Poquito Mas for a Natures Grill burrito, hold the cheese, and substitute guacamole for sour cream. Then, sit back on the front porch and see if you can spot any disappointed seniors mumbling something about hippies.

Additional Info Address: 2025 Wilshire Blvd, 90403 Area: Wilshire Reviewed Meal: Lunch Ethnicity: Mexican Click for more info.

5 Pillars to Healthy Eating in Today's Age

I get a lot of questions from friends, relatives, and colleagues about how to eat healthfully, and usually, how to reduce bad cholesterol. I usually send them some sort of email that includes 5 pillars of eating healthy in today’s age. Here are my 5 pillars in no particular order:

1. No Trans Fats (Partially Hydrogenated Oils): Increases risk of heart disease by raising the bad cholesterol and increasing fat reserves. Several intensive studies showed that trans fats significantly increase the amount of visceral and other abdominal fat.
2. No Artificial Sugars (Saccharin, Aspartame, Sucralose, etc): We have no feedback mechanism for shutting off the intake of artificial sugars. If we eat too much real sugar, our body tells us to stop. This doesn’t happen with artificial sugars. And since most sweet things are high in saturated fat and other unhealthy constituents, we end up eating more of these unhealthy constituents than we would have otherwise.
3. No Red Meat: High in saturated fats which lead to high levels of LDL and obesity. You should intake a modest amount of omega 3 and polyunsaturated fats, lesser amounts of monounsaturated fats, and severely limit saturated fats. By eating red meat, you are doing the opposite. Moreover, you are flooding your body with the opposite which means that you have to eat obnoxiously large amounts of say monounsaturated fats to block the formation of LDL.
4. No High Fructose Corn Syrup: It is believed that HFCS is worse than regular sugar because higher levels of fructose increase triglyceride levels which ultimately lead to obesity. There are a lot of studies that correlate HFCS and obesity, but I think they are a little biased because, in general, cheap, bad foods contain both HFCS and other cheap, bad ingredients; they go hand in hand.
5. No Dairy: After all the journals and papers that I have read on dairy, I have come to the conclusion that it is one of the worst things that we can eat on a regular basis. Dairy blocks the absorption of zinc, iron, and calcium. In addition, it raises the body’s acidity which further drains these nutrients from the body; especially calcium. Also, dairy is very high in saturated fat; 2nd to red meat for the average American.