Are Tamales Healthy? A nutrition breakdown of tamales.
Written by Isabel Vasquez RD, LDN
Tamales are a cultural food staple in Mexico that originated centuries ago in Mesoamerica. Believe it or not, they were enjoyed by the Mayans, Incas, and Aztecs! So they date back to pre-Columbian times.
They remain super popular today and are one of the main ways that corn is used in Mexican cuisine, the other way being to make tortillas. Yet, some people may fear that tamales are unhealthy. Spoiler alert: we’re busting that myth!
In this blog, you’ll learn the nutrition facts, health benefits, and potential drawbacks of eating tamales. We’ll even dive into how they impact diabetes and high cholesterol. Let’s get to it!
What Are Tamales?
The key ingredient in tamales is maize (corn), which was central to many indigenous cultures and remains one of the most important ingredients in Mexican cultural cuisine today.
Tamales are made of nixtamalized corn that’s ground to form masa. The masa is typically filled with cheese, meat, fruits, or veggies, wrapped in a banana leaf or corn husk, and then steamed.
Tamales Nutrition Facts
The exact nutrition of tamales varies greatly based on the size of the tamal and the fillings. That being said, we’ve included the nutrition facts of a corn tamal with no filling, a cheese tamal and a pork tamal below.
Corn Tamal Nutrition
One corn tamal (166 grams) has the following nutrition, per the USDA:
Protein: 6 grams
Fat: 12 grams
Saturated fat: 4.4 grams
Carbs: 44 grams
Fiber: 5 grams, or 18% of the daily value (DV)
Potassium: 309 milligrams, or 7% of the DV
Iron: 0.9 milligrams, or 5% of the DV
Folate: 1.6 micrograms, or 0.4% of the DV
Calcium: 40 milligrams, or 3% of the DV
Vitamin B3 (Niacin): 1.3 milligrams, or 8% of the DV
Cheese Tamal Nutrition
One cheese tamal (179 grams) has the following nutrition, per the USDA:
Protein: 16 grams
Fat: 21.5 grams
Saturated fat: 7 grams
Carbs: 32 grams
Fiber: 4 grams, or 14% of the DV
Potassium: 315 milligrams, or 7% of the DV
Iron: 1.6 milligrams, or 9% of the DV
Folate: 21.5 micrograms, or 5% of the DV
Calcium: 199 milligrams, or 15% of the DV
Vitamin B3 (Niacin): 1.9 milligrams, or 12% of the DV
Pork Tamal Nutrition
One pork tamal (142 grams) has the following nutrition, per the USDA:
Protein: 11 grams
Fat: 13 grams
Saturated fat: 4 grams
Carbs: 22 grams
Fiber: 3.4 grams, or 12% of the DV
Potassium: 216 milligrams, or 5% of the DV
Iron: 1.2 milligrams, or 7% of the DV
Folate: N/A
Calcium: 106 milligrams, or 8% of the DV
Vitamin B3 (Niacin): 1.3 milligrams, or 8% of the DV
Nutritional Benefits of Tamales
Contain All Three Macronutrients
All three tamales variations we shared above contain carbs, protein, and fat, making them well-rounded sources of nutrition.
Unsurprisingly, cheese or meat-filled tamales have more protein and less carbs than unfilled corn tamales. This may help those with diabetes to offset blood sugar spikes, and the higher protein can help with satiety.
If you’re having a corn tamal, you may want to add a source of protein on the side like beans since they’re pretty low in protein on their own.
Rich in Fiber
Thanks to the shining star ingredient of tamales, corn, they’re a great source of fiber. Each tamal variation we shared above has at least 12% of the daily value of fiber apiece.
Fiber is important for lots of aspects of health. It supports healthy digestion, helps lower cholesterol levels, promotes satiety, and helps prevent blood sugar spikes.
Most Americans don’t meet the recommendations for fiber intake, per the USDA, so tamales are a great way to help you reach the recommendations. To learn more, read our blog post all about fiber.
Good Source of Micronutrients
Tamales are rich in certain vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. They’re generally a good source of vitamin B3 (niacin) since the nixtamalization process enhances niacin’s bioavailability—the amount of niacin that can be absorbed by our bodies—, per a 2016 study.
Depending on the variety, they may also be high in iron, calcium, vitamin C, folate, and potassium.
Nutritional Risks of Tamales
The main potential nutritional drawback of tamales is that they’re a source of saturated fat, which can increase cholesterol levels, per the American Heart Association. That’s true even for the unfilled ones since masa is often made with lard—a source of saturated fat.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend having no more than 10% of your calories come from saturated fat. Everyone’s daily calorie needs vary, and we often discourage our clients from focusing on these numbers.
Instead, consider sources of saturated fat in your overall eating pattern. If you’d like to work on reducing your saturated fat intake—say, if you have high cholesterol already or if it runs in your family—reflect on sources of saturated fat in your overall diet and consider how often you’re eating masa made with lard. It doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing!
If your family makes masa with an oil like olive oil instead, then that will have far less saturated fat, but don’t feel pressured to make this swap if you love masa as is. Zoom out and look at the big picture of your eating habits.
Incorporating Tamales To Promote Your Health
Tamales are full of nutrition thanks to their high fiber content, well-rounded macronutrient composition, and micronutrients. Filled varieties in particular make great meals since they’re higher in protein. Therefore, they’re wonderful foods to incorporate to promote your health.
However, you may wonder how they impact cholesterol and diabetes—two conditions many Latines worry about. Below we share health considerations for eating tamales if you have diabetes or high cholesterol.
Are tamales healthy for diabetes?
Tamales, particularly filled ones, are actually a great food for most people with diabetes since they’re high in fiber and also contain protein. These two nutrients help slow down digestion which also helps prevent blood sugar spikes.
Since unfilled tamales are higher in carbs and lower in protein, they’re more likely to increase blood sugars quickly. That being said, pairing an unfilled tamal with other sources of fiber and protein like beans or meat with avocado could help prevent blood sugar spikes, too.
Another reason tamales can be great for those with diabetes is because they’re a good source of resistant starch—a carb that isn’t digested by the small intestine and can help promote blood sugar control, per a 2023 study in Frontiers in Nutrition.
Nixtamalization—that process we mentioned earlier used to create corn masa—increases the resistant starch present in corn, per a 2017 study in the Journal of Food Science, which is why tamales are such a good source of this nutrient.
Are tamales healthy for cholesterol?
When it comes to managing high cholesterol, increasing fiber intake and reducing saturated fat intake are the two main recommended nutrition changes. (Read our blog post on managing high cholesterol for more on that.)
As you now know, tamales are a great source of fiber, which is helpful for managing cholesterol.
However, tamales are also pretty high in saturated fat thanks largely to the lard traditionally used to make masa. But before you count them out, consider how often you actually eat them and whether you eat lots of other sources of saturated fat, too.
Nutrition doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing. You can enjoy your tamales even if you use lard to make the masa by considering other ways to reduce your saturated fat intake if you’re concerned about it.
Final Thoughts
Tamales are super nutritious and tasty; there’s a reason they’ve been around for centuries! They have fiber, micronutrients, resistant starch, and protein that can promote health for many people.
But tamales are so much more than just their nutrition facts. They’re a cultural food that may help you foster a connection with yourself, your family, and your country, and that’s a beautiful thing that deserves to be celebrated!
For education on how to ADD nutrition to your favorite Latine cultural dishes, make peace with food, and focus on your health without dieting, join our nutrition library for just $27/month.
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