There are healthier tortillas for you to enjoy.

So, you have decided to improve your diet. This concept brings up a lot of questions.  Where do you start?  What do you need to change?  Do you go low calorie, low carbohydrate, high fiber, high protein, or any combination of the above?  The wraps you use in your meals is just one place to start.  Wraps are a very versatile food that can be used to replace bread.  You can make a sandwich with lunch meat and cheese.  You can fill with stir-fry and make a taco or fajita.  You can use them to line the bottom of a baking dish to prevent a casserole from sticking.  You can even toast them in a pan with a little cheese and make a quesadilla.  The uses are endless and only limited by your imagination.  The only thing I have not tried is peanut butter and jelly.  

The bottom line in losing weight is moderation, and unfortunately, we often overeat the high-carb white foods that come from the starch and grain section of the food pyramid.  Our family often enjoys wraps as a staple part of our diet.  We prefer for them to be soft and not have the texture of cardboard.  There are many different kinds and brands out there.  Many of the whole grain varieties lack a softer texture.  When researching nutrition labels, be certain that you pay attention to the serving size that is given in grams, so you are comparing similar serving sizes.

With wraps, there are many choices, and as long as you reduce the calories you consume, you will lose weight.  Most of us should choose just to make a single change to start our path to better health.  We decided to go with a higher fiber and reduced calorie diet because it will keep you feeling full longer and it better fit into our lifestyle and dietary habits.  For more information, see Nutrition Tidbit #3: Fiber and Research Proven Weight Loss: Fiber for more of the benefits of this dietary change.  

This list is by no means comprehensive.  There are lots of other options and varieties out there, and if you can find one that made fo corn that is halfway healthy, please contact us.  The examples are provided just to give you an idea of some of the options available.  La Banderita is the brand I have chosen because it is the one my family prefers because it has the best texture and has a higher fiber, regular, and lower carbohydrate version that have a good texture and taste.  

Regular:  The standard tortillas are often too high in carbohydrates and are not a good source of fiber or protein.  La Banderita Soft Taco Flour 8” Tortilla are a good example of the standard wrap.  They do have an excellent flavor and texture.  I would not recommend them for weight loss because they are much higher in calories and carbohydrates than the other two versions.  

Low-Carb: La Banderita Low Carb Flour 8” Tortilla are a great low carbohydrate option.  They have the best texture of any of the low-carb tortillas I have tried, and I can barely tell the difference between them and regular tortillas.  These contain oat and cellulose which make them an adequate source of fiber as a part of your low-carb lifestyle.  I cannot detect a significantly different flavor than the regular version.  With 5 gram of net carbs and 5 grams of protein, you cannot go wrong with these as you make wraps or soft tacos.  

High Fiber:  Olé Mexican Foods Xtreme Wellness High Fiber tortillas are the perfect choice for someone wanting to increase their fiber because they have 11 grams of cellulose and flax seeds per tortilla.  The flax seed adds a little different flavor but it is not off-putting.  That leaves each serving with only 5 grams of net carbs making it perfect for a low-carb lifestyle.  

I prefer the Xtreme Wellness wraps if you can find them.  They have one less gram of protein, but you get almost double the fiber which is nearly 1/3 of your requirement in one tortilla.  The flavor is excellent, and you can barely tell the difference between these tortillas and the standard version that is abundant in carbohydrates.  Give them a try!

As I said above, the key to weight management is making good choices and moderating intake.  Exercise is a plus, but weight loss is 70% in the kitchen and 30% in the gym.  Remember that white foods, outside of cauliflower tend to be full of starch or fat.  Starch and fat in moderation are ok, but to eating it in excess it will end up around your waistline.  

I may have to try that peanut butter wrap or maybe I will grill it and we can call it a PBadilla.  Experimenting with foods can get weird but it can also help keep you interested.  Let’s all make good choices and experiment a little!