Find it hard to wrap your head around all the wraps in the supermarket?<\/p>\n
With an array of options like wheat tortillas or multigrain, spinach and rye wraps stocked on shelves, it can be tricky to decipher which to pick.<\/p>\n
This week on Shopping Swaps, experts have ranked the healthiest and least healthy wraps, giving you their top recommendations on what to buy.<\/p>\n
Dietitian Liz Radicevic at RadNutrition warned wraps can be more processed than bread.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile the colourful \u2018vegetable\u2019 wraps actually have no advantage over plain options.<\/p>\n
See why below.<\/p>\n
Wholegrain:<\/p>\n
Coming in at number one on the list, wholegrain wraps offer a slightly greater portion of fibre compared to wholemeal options but it is important to check the ingredients, experts say.<\/p>\n
Most wholegrain wraps were high in fibre with at least six or seven grams per 100g best, Ms Radicevic said.<\/p>\n
\u201cFibre keeps you fuller for longer and helps prevent colorectal and bowel cancers,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Diet Yumm founder Purva Gulyani said a sodium content of about 120mg per 100g was also a benefit and anything above 400mg was considered high.<\/p>\n
She recommended the Simpsons pantry mixed wholegrain wraps because they were low in sodium (261mg per wrap) and had 4.2g of fibre.<\/p>\n
Ms Radicevic said the Woolworths soft wholegrain option was her recommended pick.<\/p>\n
It had a good 6g of fibre per 100g and a moderate 333mg of sodium.<\/p>\n
Wholemeal:<\/p>\n
While you can\u2019t see the grains in wholemeal options, the benefits are still there. <\/p>\n
When made with wholemeal flour, the wraps have a good level of fibre.<\/p>\n
However, generally fibre is lower when compared to wholegrain \u2013 although there are exceptions!<\/p>\n
Accredited practising dietitian Erika Hung said to watch out for salt.<\/p>\n
\u201cWholemeal flour has been processed and milled down \u2026 the fibre is still going to be there but not in its whole form,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI like to pick the highest fibre option but always check salt.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mrs Gulyani recommended the Mission Low GI Wholemeal because it had around 7.2g of fibre per 100g and less than 400mg of sodium (377mg).<\/p>\n
Low\u2011carb\/high\u2011protein:<\/p>\n
You might think low carb sounds healthier, but dietitians aren\u2019t convinced.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople forget that when they are looking at a wrap or a bread, it is a carb option,\u201d Ms Radicevic said. <\/p>\n
She said wraps that were modified to have added protein and less carbs often lacked fibre.<\/p>\n
\u201cLow carb is not always the best option and a lot of the time those modified options are not as high in fibre,\u201d Ms Radicevic said.<\/p>\n
However, Mrs Gulyani said they were good for people who wanted to maintain their blood sugar and control their appetite.<\/p>\n
She recommended the Simpsons Pantry low carb keto wraps which had 21.4g of fibre and 21.3g of protein per 100g.<\/p>\n
But they were above the 400mg sodium mark (430mg).<\/p>\n
Rye:<\/p>\n
Rye is great for digestion but not suitable to anyone with a gluten intolerance.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re easily digestible for people who have gut issues,\u201d Mrs Gulyani said.<\/p>\n
But depending on the brand, they could be high GI (a rating of how much a food raises blood sugar), Ms Radicevic said.<\/p>\n
\u201cRye tends to be on the higher GI side \u2026 but higher fibre options would be better,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Mrs Gulyani said it was important not to mistake it for gluten free.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is not good for people who have coeliac and someone FODMAP sensitive or with IBS,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Ms Radicevic recommended the Mountain Rye Wraps because it had four simple ingredients.<\/p>\n
However, Mrs Gulyani said this brand of wraps were easily breakable because they were thin and, unlike other rye products, lacked fibre (2.8g per 100g).<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re paper thin, tortilla style breads,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt can be less filling because it does not have a lot of fibre in it \u2026 so we want to make sure that we would fill it up with more protein and vegetables,\u201d Mrs Gulyani said.<\/p>\n
Lebanese\/pita bread:<\/p>\n
Made with simple ingredients this middle eastern staple is considered a clean choice.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey could be made with wheat flour, but they could even be made with something different, rye or rice flour,\u201d Mrs Gulyani said. <\/p>\n
While white options were common, wholemeal was the better choice because it increased fibre contents, Mrs Gulyani said.<\/p>\n
She recommended MEB Food Khobs wholemeal pitta which had 206mg of salt per 100g and 6.4g of fibre. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe serving size is large (100g), the fibre is good (6.4g) and the protein is pretty good (11.1),\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Wheat\/white:<\/p>\n
White flour wraps are generally low in fibre and high in salt, experts say.<\/p>\n
Although white wraps are cheaper and can be a preferred taste option, a refined flour base lowered fibre contents, Ms Radicevic said. <\/p>\n
However, Ms Hung said in certain circumstances, they could be useful for a quick spike of energy because carbohydrates can be broken down fast into fuel for your body to use.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor anyone who\u2019s an athlete and they need a quick fuel top up beforehand, a white, low fibre wrap can actually be really helpful,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
And some brands actually had a decent fibre portion.<\/p>\n
She recommended several homebrands including Woolworths, Coles and Aldi. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re not too bad in terms of fibre and sodium,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Coles large soft white wraps had 4g of fibre and 370mg of sodium per 100g.<\/p>\n
Corn tortillas:<\/p>\n
Corn tortillas are usually high in sodium, experts warn.<\/p>\n
Ms Radicevic said high salt content was her biggest issue with corn wraps as most brands generally had large levels.<\/p>\n
They were also typically lower in fibre than wholegrain options, Mrs Gulyani said.<\/p>\n
Ms Radicevic recommended the Old El Paso White corn tortilla which were also gluten free.<\/p>\n
It had a decent 5g of fibre but because it did not have oil, the salt content went up to 1030mg per 100g.<\/p>\n
However, per wrap it was just 216mg. <\/p>\n
Gluten\u2011free:<\/p>\n
Gluten-free wraps are usually low in fibre and only for those who really need them, experts say.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re required if you have coeliac but not something to rush for if you don\u2019t,\u201d Ms Radicevic said.<\/p>\n
Because some were lower in fibre, they were higher GI, making them not the best for blood sugar.<\/p>\n
Mrs Gulyani said consumers normally thought gluten-free meant it was healthier.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn the contrary, the carbs and fibre are worse in gluten-free than in multigrain options,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
But for those who need it, the BFree Wholegrain gluten free wraps were recommended.<\/p>\n
Flavoured\/veggie:<\/p>\n
While they might look healthier by resembling vegetables, wraps with colour actually have no advantage over regular options, experts say.<\/p>\n
Ms Hung said generally, manufacturers added vegetable powders, which only incorporated a small amount of veggies.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose added veggies are usually present in very small amounts and so they definitely shouldn\u2019t replace an actual veg inside the filling,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
But, they were great for parents with picky eaters.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019ve got a fussy eater, having some colour to the meal encourages them to try the food,\u201d MsHung said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you wouldn\u2019t use it as a way to get any extra benefits out of the vegetable powders added.\u201d<\/p>\n
She recommended Mission Spinach and Herb or Simpsons Garden Herb wraps for visual appeal.<\/p>\n
Roti:<\/p>\n
Best when made from scratch, the nutritional value of roti is dependent on the flour used.<\/p>\n
Mrs Gulyani said she often made them herself.<\/p>\n
\u201cRotis are the best if you make them from home,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
But because oil is added to roti, it raised the fat contents.<\/p>\n
\u201cCommercially made, they will have flour, salt, water and the less healthy fats like palm oils,\u201d Ms Hung said. <\/p>\n
Whole-wheat flour would be the best option and could help raise fibre contents, Mrs Gulyani said.<\/p>\n
The Master Deli Style Wholemeal Roti was recommended because it had 4.9g of fibre.<\/p>\n
While the sodium content was high at 440mg, it was lower than other roti breads.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Find it hard to wrap your head around all the wraps in the supermarket? With an array of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":540800,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[49,48,84,395],"class_list":["post-540799","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nutrition","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-health","tag-nutrition"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/540799","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=540799"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/540799\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/540800"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=540799"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=540799"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=540799"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}