Who doesn’t love Mexican food? Thankfully, Costa Vida Fresh Mexican Grill, with its whole array of ingredients and vibrant flavors, makes Mexican food even more alluring. Costa Vida serves a diverse menu of freshly cooked Mexican dishes ranging from burritos and nachos to salad, dressing, quesadillas, and enchiladas.
The menu consists of freshly made salads, tacos, burritos, and grilled meats. Several keto-friendly options are available if you are trying to take fewer carbs or are deliberate about your keto diet.
So what’s keto-friendly at Costa Vida restaurant?
Costa Vida’s salads and dressings are excellent choices for a Keto-friendly meal. These include the Tomatillo Ranch Dressing, the Salsa Fresca Dressing, Grilled Chicken Salad, and the Lettuce Salad. You can also go for meat and seafood items like the Mahi Mahi. However, stay clear of the sweet-tasting items like Tomatillo Cilantro Sauce or the Sweet Pork.
If you choose to dine on Keto-friendly meals, you may likely find it a little challenging. So, in this article, I will provide you with tips to keep you on the right track. So read on!
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How To Survive Keto At Costa Vida Fresh Mexican Grill
At Costa Vida, the cuisine is rich and the flavors vibrant. With the wide range of spices and choices, there is always something for everyone on the menu. The choices range from burritos, salads, and dressing to tacos, nachos, enchiladas, and Baja bowls. There are also kids’ meals, desserts, and a wide array of Sides and drinks.
Although the menu looks loaded with richly prepared meals that have all the makings of a carb disaster waiting to happen, you are sure to find several options to regulate your carb intake. Some of the salads and even the nachos and cheese have meager carbohydrate contents, and they should be your go-to choice.
So you can go for the shredded beef salad, cotija cheese, Salsa Fresca salad, and Tomatillo Ranch dressing. The Raspberry Chipotle Sauce is also surprisingly low in carbs!
I like to pair the Raspberry Chicken Salad with Tomatillos Ranch Dressing or Mahi-mahi Tacos with the Raspberry Chipotle Sauce.
You can also try the Cilantro Lime Rice with Shredded Beef Salad and a Side Salsa Fresca Dressing. Or maybe go with the Shredded Chicken Salad with lettuce and dressing, which has a low carb content and enough calories for you to go through your day.
All these dishes contain less than 15 grams of net carbs. And for some of the meals, such as the Cilantro Lime Rice, the carb content is as low as 13.4 grams. It’s a perfect Keto-friendly option, and you should try it along with the guacamole.
On the other hand, you should avoid meals such as Pinto Beans, Sweet Pork, and Roasted Green Salad which has too many carbs.
On the whole, the salads are better options for a Keto-friendly meal than the burritos and nachos, so do more salads.
However, the desserts are also loaded with carbs, so you may have to find alternative dessert options to tickle your sweet tooth or just cut down on desserts altogether. Also, the drinks on the menu are not the best thing for a Keto diet, so you can choose to have some water or any sugar-free drink available.
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Costa Vida Keto-friendly Options
#1. Cilantro Lime Rice
- Carbs: 13.97g
- Fiber: 0. 50g
- Net Carbs: 13.47g
- Total fats: 0.75g
- Protein: 1.55g
- Calorie: 71.05Kcal
This Costa Rica staple is a simple dish of white rice seasoned with lime juice, cilantro, garlic cloves, chilies, salt, onion, and butter. It has a refreshing yet not-too-overpowering aroma and a mild delicious taste; it’s also Keto-friendly. Trust me; you’ll love it.
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#2. Tomatillo Ranch Dressing
- Carbs: 2.48g
- Fiber: 0. 20g
- Net Carbs: 2.28g
- Total fats: 26.65g
- Protein: 14.62g
- Calories: 314.32Kcal
The tomatillo ranch dressing, with its mix of blended tomatillos, cilantro, jalapeno, lime juice, and seasoning, makes it the perfect dressing. Taking the salad from good to absolutely fantastic, what’s more? It’s Keto friendly.
#3. Guacamole
- Carbs: 2.77g
- Fiber: 1.67g
- Net Carbs: 1.7g
- Total fats: 12.82g
- Protein: 14.07g
- Calories: 182.03Kcal
Costa Vida prides itself in using fresh and whole ingredients to prepare their world-famous guacamole. Their guacamole is healthy and delicious with diced jalapenos, seeded and minced cilantro, tomatoes, and whole avocados.
#4. Mahi Mahi Taco
- Carbs: 0.72g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Net Carbs: 0.67g
- Total fats: 1.41g
- Protein: 23.79g
- Calories: 181.68Kcal
The Mahi-mahi taco is an excellent meal, with its Baja-inspired recipe primarily consisting of fish and has a shallow carb content. As a result, Mahi-mahi taco is a go-to Keto-friendly meal, and you absolutely should try it. It is prepared with onion powder, kosher salt, and lime juice high in Vitamin C and antioxidants.
#6. Chile Verde
- Carbs: 4g
- Fiber: 0g
- Net Carbs: 4g
- Total fats: 2g
- Protein: 6g
- Calories: 60Kcal
Costa Vida’s excellent chile Verde is prepared using pork, tomatillos, cilantro, jalapeno garlic, and peppers. This spicy and flavorful dish can be served alone, or you could get some extra toppings on it. It’s delicious either way, and what’s more? It’s Keto-friendly. How awesome is that?
#7. Lettuce Salad
- Carbs: 4.02g
- Fiber: 1.32g
- Net Carbs: 3g
- Total fats: 15.46g
- Protein: 35.14g
- Calories: 301.14Kcal
With its assortment of vegetables like lettuce, carrots, avocado, cucumber, and some hard-boiled eggs for a little extra protein, the lettuce salad is a must-have if you’re looking for a healthy and Keto-free yet delicious meal. Just get your lemon juice and olive oil dressing, and you’ll be good to go.
#8. Mango Dressing
- Carbs: 11: 95g
- Fiber: 0.13g
- Net Carbs: 11.82g
- Total fats: 12.21g
- Protein: 11.37g
- Calories: 156.79Kcal
This sweet mango dressing is the perfect antidote for a boring salad, prepared with mangos, honey, cumin, chili peppers, and a splash of lime juice. It is both sweet and spicy, also it is healthy and Keto-friendly.
#9. Queso
- Carbs: 3.16g
- Fiber: 0.30g
- Net Carbs: 2.16g
- Total fats: 8.05
- Protein: 3.09g
- Calories: 110.4Kcal
Queso is a simple dish made with Velveeta, cheddar cheese, cream cheese, fresh salsa, garlic sauce, and cayenne pepper. This assortment of ingredients makes the meal flavorful and with a touch of spicy.
#10. Pico De Gallo
- Carbs: 1.29g
- Fiber: 0.35g
- Net Carbs: 0.94g
- Total fats: 0.55g
- Protein: 0.26g
- Calories: 10:13Kcal
With its perfect blend of tomatoes, yellow onions, garlic, cilantro, lime, jalapenos, and seeded cloves. Pico De Gallo is a tasty garnish and can be served with tortilla chips.
#11. Sour Cream
- Carbs: 7.29g
- Fiber: 0.50g
- Net Carbs: 6.31g
- Total fats: 34.55g
- Protein: 37.95g
- Calories: 504.22Kcal
Full-fat sour cream is regularly made from cream and contains far more fat than carbs. Therefore, it’s considered keto-friendly. It’s an amazing meal to go for at any time of the day. Its ingredients offer enough nourishments and to keep you happy for long.
#12. Grilled Chicken
- Carbs: 1.20g
- Fiber: 0.00g
- Net Carbs: 1.20g
- Total fats: 7.02g
- Protein: 28.67g
- Calories: 189. 45
This Amazing meal is made with lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic. And it slaps in the flavor department, what’s more, it’s Keto-friendly and pairs well with lettuce salad. Yum!
#13. Sweet Pork
- Carbs: 10.50g
- Fiber: 0.49g
- Net Carbs: 9.01g
- Total fats: 8.50g
- Protein: 6.50g
- Calories: 145.00Kcal
This meal is cooked with pork, Dr. Pepper, Cilantro, garlic salt, and some salt. With the awesome taste and low carbs, it is something you can eat. You can have this meal with some lime rice and lettuce salad.
#14. Shrimp
- Carbs: 7.66
- Fiber: 0.00
- Net Carbs: 7.66
- Total fats: 7.30g
- Protein: 8.94g
- Calories: 132.92Kcal
The shrimp at Costa Vida is soft and tasty, caramelized in honey and butter then balanced with a helping of mango and lime. This meal strikes an amazing balance between tasty and healthy. While you’re there, you could order the mango Shrimp Salad as well.
Conclusion
Eating out while you’re trying to keep your carb intake low can be a little challenging, but if you’re cautious, you’ll find it a lot easier. Costa Vida is at par with new fitness and diet requirements. So you can consider any of these options, and while you’re there, avoid sugary drinks and remember – salads are always the best.
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