Think About Tortillas
Not all tortillas are equal!
When counting calories and carbohydrates to self-manage your blood sugar levels, know that tortillas are not one in the same. Tortillas can vary in size, shape, color, and texture. Tortillas can range in sizes from a regular 6" (about the size of your hand) to ones larger than your head! If you eat two 6" flour tortillas (220 calories, 42 grams of carbohydrate) this is NOT the same as consuming two 10" flour tortillas (346 calories and 66 grams of carbohydrate).
Flour tortillas tend to have more carbohydrate than corn tortillas of the same weight. If you eat one 10" flour tortilla, you have consumed 173 calories and 33 grams of carbohydrate (2 carbohydrate exchanges). If you consume three 6" corn tortillas, you will have taken in 150 calories and the same amount of carbohydrate (33 grams) as the one 10" flour tortilla.
Also, hard-shell tortillas, which have typically been fried in oil, will have more fat and calories than a soft tortilla of the same weight. If you are monitoring your carbohydrate intake to control your blood sugar levels, be sure to read the nutrition facts label on your tortillas. It is typical to eat several tortillas with each meal, so be sure to look at the size and type of tortillas you are consuming.
Example: Tortilla Nutrition Facts
*these are examples — depending on the brand, tortillas can vary significantly in calories, fat, carbohydrate and other nutrients
|Sat fat (g)||0||0||0.5|
This site was last updated June, 2014.
This is a source of information only, and is not medical advice.