Cinco de Mayo is a bit of a misunderstood “holiday”. First of all, it is not the celebration of Mexican independence, as many believe it to be. Secondly, it isn't an American holiday, although many Americans (especially Texans!) take the opportunity to consume copious amounts of Mexican food in honor of this day.
What Cinco de Mayo REALLY Is
On May 5, 1862, the Mexican army defeated the French army in the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War, which lasted from 1861 to 1867. The Mexicans were the underdogs, so the victory was cause for celebration.
Cinco de Mayo is mostly observed in the state of Puebla and not so much throughout the entire country of Mexico. In fact, more Americans celebrate the fifth of May than Mexicans!
A traditional celebration of this holiday involves parades, colorful costumes, dancing, speeches, and of course… food.
The foods Americans most often associate with Cinco de Mayo include modern-day favorites such as beef tacos and nachos, chicken fajitas, and margaritas. Traditional Pueblan cuisine is vastly different and includes foods like mole, chalupas, barbacoa, and queso fresco.
In these Cinco de Mayo meal plans for five special diets (traditional, gluten-free, GAPS, Paleo, and Autoimmune Paleo), we've provided you with a good mix of both types of cuisine.
No matter what your diet looks like right now, you can share any of these meal plans with your friends and family and celebrate this fun holiday with nourishing and healthy foods — from appetizer all the way to dessert!
Traditional Food/WAPF Style
Appetizers and Snacks
- Wardee's Best Homemade Tortilla Chips
- Fermented Tex-Mex Salsa
- Fermented Guacamole
- Mexican Carrots & Fermented Fiesta Dip
The Main Event
- Soaked Whole Wheat Tortillas
- Sourdough Whole Wheat Tortillas
- Nourishing Mole con Pollo
- Traditional Tamales
- Salsa Verde Tamales
Sides
Drinks and Dessert
Gluten-Free
Appetizers and Snacks
- Homemade Grain-free Tortilla Chips
- Black Bean Spread
- Posole: Mexican Pork and Hominy Stew
- Seven Layer Mexican Dip
The Main Event
- Cassava Flour Tortillas
- Gluten-free Corn & Rice Tortillas
- Simple Salsa Verde Chicken in the Crock Pot
- Chiles en Nogada
Sides
Drinks and Dessert
GAPS Diet (Suitable for Gluten-free/Casein-free too!)
Appetizers and Snacks
The Main Event
Sides
Drinks and Dessert
- Watermelon Kefir Soda
- Sparkling Strawberry Mint Limeade
- Coconut Lime Tres Leches Cake
- Barbecued Stuffed Bananas
Paleo/Grain-free/Dairy-free
Appetizers
- Healthy Homemade Veggie Chips
- Paleo Tortilla Chips
- 8 Guacamole Recipes
- Smoky Mexican Tortilla-less Soup
The Main Event
- Simple Paleo Tortillas
- Cauliflower Tortillas
- Paleo Slow Cooker Chocolate Chicken Mole
- Cilantro Lime Grilled Shrimp
Sides
Drinks and Dessert
- Pina Colada Water Kefir
- Paleo (virgin) Margarita
- Tres Leches Keto Cake
- Mexican Chocolate Coffee Cake
Autoimmune Paleo
Appetizers
The Main Event
Sides
- Roasted Vegetables w/ Salsa Verde
- Jicama, Pear, Pomegranate Salad
- Lacto-fermented Cortido
- Mexican Candied Sweet Potatoes–Camotes Enmielados
Drinks and Dessert
Many of these recipes can be modified to fit your special diet, even if they are not listed under the diet you're following. If nothing else, there's some amazing food photography hidden in these links, so click, click, click! and drool away!
Whether you're celebrating Cinco de Mayo in a more traditional way or just using it as an excuse to eat yummy Mexican-inspired food, we hope this helps you get your meal-planning underway!
Will you be celebrating Cinco de Mayo this year? What diet plan looks the best to you?
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This is one of those things that I don’t think about until the day of, and we really do like Mexican food. These look really good. I should plan something this year.
So true that it’s more of an American thing! We have a parade and eat Mexican food but that’s about it! No consuming copious amounts of Mexican food and beer! We just call it “normal” food. 😉 Thank you for including my recipes in the round-up! I’m having fun reading through them!