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How To Select The Healthiest Tortilla

Whenever I go to the store I can never figure out which brand of tortilla I should buy. I recently read an article in the food section of our local paper which solved the mystery for me. Apparently, not all flour tortillas are the same. Depending on the size a flour tortilla can be as little as 100 calories with 1 gram of fat or as much as 400 calories and 12 grams of fat.

The article recommends reading the nutrition label thoroughly and choosing the correct size tortilla for your recipe. Flour tortillas are just flour, water and fat. Some brands use more fat than others for the same size tortilla so check the label. Also check the kind of fat used – look for canola and sunflower rather than hydrogenated soybean or cottonseed oils.

Don’t buy the 12 inch and larger tortilla sometimes called wraps unless you are using it to serve two people. The calories and fat levels are the highest and the large size makes you want to overfill them which just adds more calories. Here is a quick chart for proper size:

Tacos, fajitas an quesidillas – 6 inch tortilla

Burritos and wraps – 8 – 10 inch tortilla

Here is the recipe from our paper using flour tortillas that ran with the article – it’s vegatarian and the ingredients are not too expensive and can be found at any grocery store. There also a lot of good nutrients in sweet potatoes and the recipe is high fiber.

Roasted Vegatable Wraps - Prep time – 20 minutes

1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice (about 2 medium)

8 ounces green beans cut into one inch lengths

3 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

1 large red bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 and 1/2 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon dried thyme

2 tablespoons lemon juice

3/4 cup prepared hummus

4 eight inch flour tortillas

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

In a medium bowl, toss the sweet potatoes and greeen beans with with two teaspoons of the oil. Spread the potatoes and beans over two thirds of a large baking sheet.

In the same bowl toss the bell peopper with the remaining 1 teaspoon oil, then spread over the remaining third of the baking sheet. Season all the vegetables with salt and black peeper.

Cover the potatoes and beans with a piece of aluminum foil, leaving the bell pepper uncovered. Roast for 15 minutes.

In a small bowl, stir together the cumin, coriander and thyme. Uncover the potatoes and beans and sprinkle the spice blend and lemon juice all over the vegatables. Toss the vegatables to coat. Return to the oven and roast, uncovered, 25 to 35 minutes longer, or until the vegatables are tender and browned.

Spread about 3 tablespoons hummus over each tortilla, leaving a 2 inch unovered border all around. Divide the filling among the tortillas; fold in 2 sides an roll up as you would a burrito, place the seam side down so the wraps stay closed.

Makes 4 servings

Per serving:

280 calories (84 calories from fat)

9 grams fat

44 grams carbohydrates

8 grams protein

10 grams fiber

758 milligrams sodium

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