Lettuce wraps are a healthy and nutritious option, depending on what you fill them with. Lettuce is a low-calorie, leafy green vegetable rich in vitamins, minerals, and dietary fibre.
Using lettuce leaves instead of tortillas or bread in wraps is a great way to:
- reduce high GI carbohydrates
- balance blood sugar levels
- increasing your vegetable intake
While recovering from my eating disorders, I found eating clean like his and having enough protein, veggies and good fats together with my Rejuv Wellness Supplements was a winning combo.
The Quick Start Wellness Pack, now called the Metabolic Reset Pack, was essential to me leaving eating disorders behind.
I also knew that I had to heal my gut, so once I felt stronger and had lost 5-10kilos I also incorporated my Gut Healing Pack to have long-lasting results
They are fast, easy and nutritious, especially if you have little time to prepare lunch. I often use leftovers to make lettuce wraps for lunch, and my kids also love them when we do Taco Tuesdays. They love the crunch of the lettuce even more than taco shells these days.
I still make the guacamole on the side and you can find my recipe below.
Five Reasons Why I Love Lettuce Wraps
- They Help You Beat The Bloat: Lettuce wraps avoid bread and tortillas with added wheat and corn that can cause havoc on your digestive system and lead to IBS and bloating. Lettuce is very easy to digest, and especially if you choose animal protein they are much easier to digest than mixing with flour or corn tortillas
- Its Nutrient-Rich: Lettuce is a good source of vitamins and minerals, including vitamin K, A, and folate. It also provides dietary fibre, which is essential for digestive health as a prebiotic
- Endless Variation: You can fill lettuce wraps with various healthy ingredients, such as lean proteins (grilled organic chicken, turkey, lamb or beef mince), vegetables, and healthy fats (for example, avocado or nuts). This makes it easy to create a nutritious and balanced meal.
- Lower in Carbohydrates: Lettuce wraps are naturally lower in carbohydrates than wheat or flour-based wraps, which can benefit people following low-carb/keto diets.
- Hydration: Lettuce has a high water content, contributing to your daily hydration.
It's important to note that the overall healthiness of a lettuce wrap depends on what you fill it with. Loading it with high-fat, high-sugar, or highly processed ingredients will not be very healthy.
Be mindful of your sauces and condiments, as they can add chemicals and cheap table salt (not sea salt).
How to Optimise The Fillings For Maximum Health Score
Lettuce wraps are a great addition to a balanced diet, so how do you keep them healthy for optimum mind-body balance?
- Choose your protein: Go for organic chicken or organic beef mince or opt for my faux mince, where I create bolognese sauce with brown lentils, garlic, onions and herbs.
- Add extra veggies: I love to add grated carrot, chopped tomato, onion, and celery but limit peppers as they are part of the deadly nightshade family and will increase inflammation.
- Mind The Lettuce: Iceberg is good, but cos or romaine lettuce has a higher nutritional value. What lettuce you choose also depends on whether you want to create cups or wraps.
- Don’t Be Greedy With The Guacamole: Avocado is high in essential fats and is great for blood sugar regulation, brain function, hair, skin and nails. It also helps you feel full longer as it slows down your stomach emptying and protects your heart.
- Avoid Pre-Packed Taco-Mix Spices: Most are full of E numbers, trans fats, nasty sodium, MSG - you name it. So keep it clean, use spices like cayenne pepper, fresh or dried chilli and jalapeños. Read the ingredients of the Tex Mex packs and buy those ingredients in glass jars to add to your taste.
- Go Easy On The Dairy: Taco’s are usually extra yummy with grated cheese but be wise and try to find organic cheese to avoid hormones or opt for a vegan cheese. Also, swap out the sour cream for organic plain or coconut yoghurt.
You can add Mexican, Thai, or any flavours to your lettuce wraps, but here are my lettuce tacos that are a real hit with my 3 kids.
Lettuce Wraps Ingredients
(Four servings)
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- 500grams lean organic beef mince
- 1 tin of organic brown lentils
- 1 baby cos lettuce, trimmed, leaves separated or use iceberg lettuce leaves
- 2/3 cup shredded tasty organic or vegan cheese
- 1 avocado, finely chopped
- 1 large tomato, finely chopped
- 1/3 cup coriander leaves
- 4 closes of garlic
- 1 glass jar of Italian tomato pasta sauce
- Mexican spices
Filling for The Lettuce Wrap
Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook onion and garlic, stirring, for 4 minutes or until softened. Add mince and cook, breaking up lumps with a wooden spoon, for 5 minutes or until browned.
Add lentils and seasoning, cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add 1/2 cup each of the salsa and water, stirring to combine. Cook for a further 2 minutes or until slightly thickened.
The Lettuce Wraps
Place lettuce leaves on a board, then spoon mince mixture onto leaves and top with cheese, avocado, tomato and coriander. Serve with remaining salsa.
