Is Menudo Healthy? A nutrition breakdown of menudo.
Written by Isabel Vasquez RD, LDN
Menudo started as a cheap protein-rich meal and has since become one of the most beloved Mexican cultural dishes. It was cheap because its main ingredient is tripe—cow’s stomach, technically a meat byproduct. The tripe is prepared in a broth with hominy and a flavorful chile-based sauce.
Mexico isn’t the only Latine country with a signature tripe dish. Other countries, including the Dominican Republic and Venezuela, call their version of tripe stew mondongo.
Lots of people absolutely love menudo, but it’s safe to say that tripe isn’t a protein source you see in many nutrition guidelines. Yet, that doesn’t mean it’s not full of nutrition!
Keep reading to learn the nutrition facts, health benefits, and potential health drawbacks of menudo.
Menudo Nutrition Facts
The nutrition of menudo varies based on the specific recipe. Some families may have slightly different ingredients or flavoring techniques.
That being said, one cup of homemade menudo (241 grams) has the following nutrition, per the USDA:
Protein: 13 grams
Fat: 4 grams
Saturated fat: 1.2 grams
Carbs: 9 grams
Fiber: 1.2 grams, or 4% of the daily value (DV)
Sodium: 660 milligrams, or 29% of the DV
Vitamin B12: 0.5 micrograms, or 20% of the DV
Vitamin B3 (Niacin): 2 milligrams, or 13% of the DV
Choline: 125 milligrams, or 23% of the DV
Zinc: 1.5 milligrams, or 13% of the DV
Vitamin B12 is important for the health of your blood and nerve cells, per the NIH. Meanwhile, niacin is essential for converting food into energy. Choline is a key nutrient for brain health and zinc is important for immune functioning.
As you can see, these nutrients in menudo do so many important things for the body!
What’s more, menudo also contains iron, potassium, phosphorus, and folate. Plus, it’s a good source of antioxidants like beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin.
Health Benefits of Menudo
Good Source of Collagen
Collagen is a protein that gives structure to skin, tendons, bones, and ligaments. It has become an immensely popular supplement amongst people looking to take care of their joints and get rid of wrinkles.
Many people in the US resort to supplements for these benefits since their diets aren’t rich in collagen. That’s what’s so cool about Latine dishes like menudo. Tripe—the shining star of menudo—is naturally rich in collagen.
According to a 2019 study in Nutrients, plenty of studies have shown that collagen can improve skin elasticity, reduce joint pain, strengthen tendons and ligaments, increase lean body mass in older adults, and increase bone mineral density in postmenopausal women.
Each 100 grams of protein from tripe has 35 grams of collagen, per the Encyclopedia of Food Sciences and Nutrition. So, there are about 4.5 grams of collagen per cup of menudo (depending, of course, on how much tripe you add).
Contains Fiber for Gut, Metabolic, and Heart Health
Menudo has some fiber thanks to the hominy and onions. The nutrition facts above came from the USDA food database, which doesn’t include a detailed ingredients list. So, the exact fiber content varies based on how much hominy, onion, and other fiber-rich plant foods are in your menudo.
A 2016 study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that the traditional Mexican diet is way higher in fiber than the US diet (36 grams vs. 15 grams per day). That’s largely thanks to the regular inclusion of plant foods like corn, chiles, and onions—three ingredients found in menudo. Other common sources of fiber in the Mexican diet include beans and squash.
Fiber is important for so many aspects of health. It promotes healthy digestion, prevents cardiovascular disease, and helps prevent blood sugar spikes, per a 2020 study in Nutrients.
For added fiber, top menudo with radishes and onions. You can also add extra hominy and onions to the stew itself, which will add more fiber. Plus, you’ll get a couple more grams of fiber if you eat the menudo with corn tortillas (Each medium corn tortilla has almost 2 grams of fiber, per the USDA).
Complete Source of Protein for Muscle Health
Tripe is a complete source of protein, meaning it has all nine essential amino acids. Protein serves as the building block for muscles, bones, skin, cartilage, blood, enzymes, hormones, and vitamins, per the USDA.
Protein is especially important for muscle health and muscle growth. Muscle mass decreases about 3–8% each decade after age 30, and eating enough protein plus doing resistance training is important to counteract this decline in muscle mass, per a study in Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition & Metabolic Care.
Especially as you age, muscle mass is important for preventing injury, supporting metabolic health, and maintaining mobility.
Suffice it to say that eating protein is super important.
What’s more, tripe is a lean protein that’s pretty low in saturated fat, unlike some other cuts of beef. Saturated fat can raise LDL cholesterol levels (the “bad” kind of cholesterol), per the NIH. So, especially if you have high cholesterol, it’s helpful to mostly opt for leaner cuts of meat or plant proteins.
All that to say, menudo helps you boost your protein intake to promote muscle mass without adding much saturated fat to your diet.
Potential Health Drawbacks of Menudo
Menudo can be high in sodium, and it’s not from just one ingredient. The tripe, canned hominy, and added salt are the main three sources of sodium in menudo. So, the amount of each one you add will impact the total sodium content.
Our bodies need sodium for fluid balance, but eating too much is linked with high blood pressure, per the American Heart Association.
Since menudo is usually reserved for special occasions like holidays or birthdays, the sodium content likely isn’t going to impact your health very much.
That being said, if you happen to eat menudo often and you have high blood pressure, it may be helpful to consider reducing the sodium content of menudo.
You could do so by adding less salt and more spices to the recipe and rinsing canned hominy before adding it to the dish.
Final Thoughts
Menudo is a well-rounded dish with carbs, protein, fat, and fiber. The main ingredient, tripe, is a complete protein that’s pretty low in saturated fat, which helps promote satiety and muscle health. Plus, the fiber from plant-based ingredients like hominy and onions supports metabolic and digestive health.
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