This Lunchtime ‘Healthy’ Option Could Be Adding 1,000 Calories To Your Diet

If you constantly find yourself grabbing a wrap in the bid to keep control of your calories, the latest report might leave you double-checking your labels. The latest report from safefood shows that some of our favourite lunch wraps purchased on-the-go could contain up to 1,000 calories, as well as being high in fat and salt. The report, “What’s in your Favourite Wraps?” broke down the calorie countdown of almost 240 takeaway wraps from 80 outlets across the country. Analysing everything from portion size, to salt and fat content, the study found that the largest portions were up to two and a half times the size of the smallest portion, with calories ranging from 267 calories to 977 calories. Fat content wasn’t much better, with the wraps totting up between 6g and 59g of fat per portion. The biggest offenders included some of our favourites, with chicken Caesar, chicken and salad and chicken tikka amongst the fillings we need to keep an eye out for… Speaking about the results, Dr Marian Faughnan, Chief Specialist in Nutrition, safefood explained: “We know from research that 1 in 3 people believe wraps to be a healthier choice than a lunchtime sandwich but in reality, the average tortilla wrap on its own contains 149 calories, almost the same as two slices of bread which contains 158 calories. And with people busy and looking for a healthier lunch option, choosing a pre-prepared wrap is understandable. “However, our report shows that eating a large chicken tikka wrap with soft drink and a bag of crisps could mean almost 1,400 calories are eaten just at lunchtime alone. Wraps and sandwiches are a healthy option but we need to choose smaller portion sizes and fillings such as lean meat or fish and plenty of salad and vegetables.” Want some healthier alternatives? If eating in, why not ask for an open sandwich (using just half the bread calorie count), or a small pitta bread to give you a fuller feeling. Snacking on the go? Pop some fruit into your handbag. At least if you snack on the wrap, you won’t add on extra calories with those packets of crisps or chocolate treats.