Ham and Cheese Wrap

Wraps and sandwiches are a staple of the American diet (and many others), so when you switch to eating low-carb it can be one of the hardest things to give up. Not only for it's yummy-ness, but also for its simplicity and low cost. When I first started on keto, I completely avoided all breads, but there are some good low-carb options out there so you don't necessarily have to. Jump back on the wrap wagon with this this oh-so-easy keto Ham and Cheese Wrap.

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Making a Keto Ham and Cheese Wrap

This is about as easy as it gets. A Ham & Cheese Wrap is our household back-up meal for those days when I don't feel like cooking. It's also one of my go-to meals for when my stomach is upset and I don't want to eat anything too heavy. But to make it keto-friendly, there's a few things to consider.

Finding a Low-carb Tortilla

There are a variety of options available, some better than others. The easiest and cheapest option is probably available at your local grocery store: both Mission and La Banderita brands offer low-carb tortillas. These are made from wheat fiber and have 3-4 net carbs per tortilla. Personally, I like the flavor and texture of Mission's Carb Balance whole wheat tortillas, which have 3 net carbs each.

There are other options available online, and new products keep coming out all the time. I have found most of them to be inadequate and expensive. There are some made from cauliflower, others from almond flour and coconut flour. Just make sure you look at the nutrition label for the carb count. Also, some of the coconut flour wraps really taste like coconut, and can have a sweet flavor to them. I do keep NUCO coconut wraps at home, and I like that they only have one ingredient: coconut. But they have a very sweet flavor, so I only use them for dessert wraps (peanut butter & chocolate, cottage cheese & berries, etc.). One other option I've seen at the grocery store is cheese wraps. It's basically a giant slice of cheese in the shape of a tortilla. This is a good option, but they're pretty expensive for what you get. It's cheaper to just buy normal cheese slices and do small ham and cheese rolls.

Dirty Keto vs. Clean Keto

There are some strict "Clean Keto" dieters out there who would be horrified by this post. And they have a legitimate reason, which is: one of the benefits of the keto diet is that it reduces inflammation in the body, and eliminating gluten from your diet helps with this process; therefore, gluten is an absolute no-no on the keto diet.

They aren't wrong. But for me personally, it's not realistic for me to do keto long-term if I can't find some loopholes. It's important to make keto a realistic and sustainable way of life instead of a yo-yo diet. For me, this is one of those ways. So screw it, if I'm feeling lazy I'm going to make a wrap. I just try not to do it every day. I probably have a wrap 2-3 times a week, and I'm ok with that. But everyone's goals are different. If you are suffering from chronic inflammation in the body then you might feel better if you completely avoid gluten. That's fine too. (In that case, just roll up the ham and cheese and dip it in the mayo. No tortilla necessary.)

Make it a meal

To make this wrap a complete meal, I often add a side of nuts and cherry tomatoes. you could also do a brunch-style ½ wrap and ½ salad/soup.

Ham + Cheese + what else?

As with any sandwich or wrap, what goes on the inside is completely up to you. I usually keep it simple with ham, cheese, spinach and mayo, but you can put whatever you like. Here are some other keto-friendly suggestions:

• Avocado
• Tomato
• Other greens, like romaine lettuce or kale
• Mustard
• Bacon
• Sausage
• Hard-boiled or scrambled eggs (great for a breakfast burrito)
• Mushrooms
• Bell pepper
• Cucumber
• Sauerkraut

Nutrition and Macros (Fat/Protein/Carbs)

The nutritional content of this meal will depend on the type of tortillas, cheese, and ham that you buy. Make sure you check the nutrition labels, as some deli meats can have added sugars. The following nutritional information assumes that you are using the same wrap as I am (Mission Carb Balance whole wheat).

If you are concerned about the high protein to fat ratio, only use one slice of ham and increase the mayo from 1 tablespoon to 1.5 tbsp.

Avocado Oil Mayonnaise

I strongly recommend staying away from mayo that uses refined and chemically processed vegetable oils, such as soybean oil. These damaged oils can wreck havoc on your body. Instead, try to get a mayo with avocado oil as its base, such as the Avocado Oil Mayonnaise by Sir Kensington, Chosen Foods or Primal Kitchen. Whole Foods Market and other high-end stores almost always have these in stock, but sometimes you can find it at your regular grocery store. Be careful to read the ingredients list! There are many mayo options that state "with avocado oil" but if you look at the ingredients, the first ingredient is still soybean oil. What a scam!

📖 Recipe