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Healthy Swaps-Turkey Wrap

You've probably heard about the trick of rolling sliced lunch meats and cheese inside a lettuce leaf, and these little roll-ups do make for quick and tasty snacks. Also, large, dark green or red lettuce leaves are a great substitute for a burrito-size, white flour tortilla –– which delivers about 60, nutritionally empty grams of carbohydrate.

Another option is choosing a low carb tortilla (or wrap), which will likely be made with soy or whole grain flour. You can take your wrap one step further on the health meter while also making something a bit more substantial, by doing more than rolling up a few slices of turkey. Lunch meats are notoriously high in sodium, and they also contain nitrites or nitrates, preservatives that are potentially carcinogenic.

Brown ground turkey (antibiotic- and growth-hormone free if you can get it) in a saut pan with some olive oil and spices. You can simply use a dash of salt and pepper or sprinkle on chili powder and a little cayenne if you like a bit of fire. Spoon your seasoned turkey onto your lettuce leaves or low carb wrap, add shredded cheese, diced tomatoes, and avocado chunks. Roll it up and enjoy.







Reviewed by Susan Weiner, R.D., M.S., C.D.E., C.D.N. 3/08