Structured Nutritional Data & Citations
Nutritional Profile: Quesadilla (Cheese, Flour Tortilla)
Overview Per 100g
| Nutrient | Value | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 275 | kcal |
| Protein | 13.5 | g |
| Total Fat | 19.0 | g |
| Saturated Fat | 11.0 | g |
| Carbohydrates | 12.5 | g |
| Sugars | 1.0 | g |
| Dietary Fiber | 0.8 | g |
| Sodium | 480 | mg |
| Calcium | 350 | mg |
| Vitamin A | 150 | µg |
| Vitamin D | 0.5 | µg |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.18 | mg |
| Phosphorus | 250 | mg |
Standard Serving Profile (Approx. 180g, one 8-inch tortilla with ~85g cheese)
| Nutrient | Value | Unit | % Daily Value (DV)* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 495 | kcal | 25% |
| Protein | 24.3 | g | 49% |
| Total Fat | 34.2 | g | 44% |
| Saturated Fat | 19.8 | g | 99% |
| Carbohydrates | 22.5 | g | 8% |
| Sugars | 1.8 | g | - |
| Dietary Fiber | 1.4 | g | 5% |
| Sodium | 864 | mg | 38% |
| Calcium | 630 | mg | 48% |
| Vitamin A | 270 | µg | 30% |
| Vitamin D | 0.9 | µg | 5% |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.32 | mg | 25% |
| Phosphorus | 450 | mg | 36% |
| *Based on a 2,000 calorie daily diet. |
Key Micronutrients & Functional Impact
- Micronutrients: Rich in Calcium and Phosphorus, critical for bone health, primarily from cheese. Provides notable amounts of Vitamin A (from cheese fat) and Riboflavin (from cheese and enriched flour). Minimal antioxidant profile in its basic form unless vegetables are incorporated.
- Functional Impact:
- Glycemic Index (GI): Estimated Moderate-High (approx. 65-75). The refined flour tortilla contributes significantly to rapid glucose absorption, though the high fat and protein content from the cheese can temper the overall glycemic response.
- Glycemic Load (GL) per serving: Estimated 15-20 (Moderate).
- Satiety Score (Satiety Index): Estimated Moderate-High. The substantial protein and fat content from the cheese contributes to prolonged feelings of fullness, likely ranking above white bread but below pure protein sources.
Physical Properties
- Density (Post-Cooking): Approximately 0.65 g/cm³. This value reflects the relatively compact structure of the cooked flour tortilla and melted cheese matrix.
- Volumetric Contraction (During Cooking): Estimated 12-18%. This contraction is primarily due to moisture loss from the tortilla and the compaction of the cheese as it melts and fuses with the tortilla layers.
Citations & References
- USDA FoodData Central: SR Legacy FDC ID 172605 (Quesadilla, cheese, prepared with flour tortilla). Data adjusted for typical preparation. Reference: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.
- Macronutrient and Micronutrient Data: Based on typical Monterey Jack/Cheddar cheese and enriched flour tortilla compositions. Reference: USDA FoodData Central, various entries for Cheese, Monterey Jack, FDC ID 170940 and Tortillas, flour, FDC ID 172813.
- Glycemic Index/Load & Satiety: Estimates derived from known GI values of component ingredients (white flour products, dairy fat, protein) and their combined effects. Reference: Brand-Miller JC, Wolever TMS, Colagiuri S, Foster-Powell K. The New Glucose Revolution: The Authoritative Guide to the Glycemic Index. Marlowe & Company; 2006.
Field Notes: Dr. Aria Vance
Subject: Quesadilla
Focus: Volumetric expansion/contraction, historical context, tracking challenges.
The Enigma of the Quesadilla: A Nutritional Tracking Nightmare
Dr. Aria Vance, Lead Nutrition Data Scientist, NutriSnap. Journal Entry: May 17th, 2024. Project: "Culinary Chameleon"
Quesadillas. Simple, right? Tortilla, cheese, griddle. But oh, the deception! This unassuming dish, with its Mesoamerican roots tracing back to corn masa and various fillings long before the Spanish introduced dairy, is a nutritional data scientist's personal hell. It began as a humble corn tortilla, folded, baked, stuffed with squash blossoms or beans. Cheese, that glorious, melting, fatty wonder, was a later colonial import. Then came the flour tortilla, the oversized plates, the endless, dizzying variations.
Tracking it manually? Forget it. It’s an exercise in futility, a Sisyphean task. How can one, with a straight face, log a "quesadilla serving"? Is it the tiny street taco-sized corn pocket from Mexico City, fried to crispy perfection, brimming with Oaxaca cheese and huitlacoche? Or is it the gargantuan, dinner-plate sized, heavily oiled flour tortilla behemoth from a chain restaurant, stuffed with industrial-grade "cheese product" and mystery meat? The difference in caloric density is astronomical. The macro profiles? Wildly divergent.
The average is a lie here. A cruel, statistical joke.
You try to use a barcode scanner. For what? The tortilla wrapper? Does that account for the three tablespoons of lard it was cooked in? Or the artisanal blend of Cotija and Monterey Jack that melts like liquid gold? It doesn’t. You attempt to eyeball it. "That looks like... half a cup of cheese?" But cheese melts. It becomes a thin, viscous layer. Its volume collapses, its fat spreads, its caloric impact remains potent. An optical illusion! Measuring spoons and scales? Sure, if you're eating at home and meticulously documenting every gram. Who lives like that? Who can live like that? The spontaneity of a street vendor, the warmth of a friend's kitchen, the convenience of a takeout order—these moments are antithetical to precise, pre-meal forensic measurement. It's impossible, really. Just guess. And that, colleagues, is where the wheels fall off the nutrition tracking cart. The system breaks.
This is precisely why we developed NutriSnap. No more guessing. No more wrestling with the phantom volume of melted cheese. Our AI, a marvel of visual recognition, dives into the pixels. It dissects the quesadilla on your plate with forensic precision. It understands the context, the texture, the subtle sheen of oil. It quantifies the cheese, differentiates the tortilla type, estimates the cooking method from a simple photo. It sees the fat, the protein, the carbs, not as abstract numbers on a label, but as visible components of your meal. Finally, real data, captured effortlessly, for a dish that has stubbornly defied every manual tracking attempt. The quesadilla’s secrets, at last, revealed.
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