Turkey and Avocado Wrap
By Jude Horak, UC patient. Flare-friendly. Lunch.
- Prep
- 8 min
- Cook
- 1 min
- Total
- 9 min
- Serves
- 1
A wrap is the closest thing to a sandwich I can pack without worrying about it. This one is two ingredients doing all the work: sliced roast turkey breast and a ripe avocado mashed with lemon and salt, rolled in a warmed white flour tortilla. There is no lettuce, no tomato, no onion, and no shredded carrot, which is what usually gets me in a store-bought wrap. Turkey breast is about as lean as meat gets, and avocado supplies calories and softness, so the whole thing is filling without being heavy. I warm the tortilla for twenty seconds so it folds without cracking and is easier to chew. If fat is one of your triggers, use half an avocado and add more turkey. This is what I pack for a day out, eat in the car, and make at eleven at night when I forgot to eat dinner because a flare had my appetite switched off all evening.
Why it works for UC
Turkey breast is low in fat and free of plant fiber, so it digests easily and is named alongside chicken and fish as a good protein source when IBD is active. Avocado, mashed, is mostly water and unsaturated fat with relatively little insoluble fiber, making it a gentle source of calories when appetite is low, though large portions can bother people whose symptoms flare with fat. Flour tortillas are made from refined wheat and are soft and pliable, which puts them in the same easy-to-digest category as white bread. Skipping raw vegetables removes the crunch and roughage.
Ingredients
- 1 large (10 inch) white flour tortilla
- 3 oz thin-sliced roast turkey breast, low-sodium if possible
- 1/2 ripe avocado
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/8 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 teaspoon plain Greek yogurt, optional
Method
- 1Scoop the avocado into a small bowl and mash it with a fork along with the lemon juice and salt until smooth, with no chunks. The lemon keeps it from browning if you pack the wrap.
- 2Warm the tortilla in a dry skillet over medium heat for about twenty seconds per side, or ten seconds in the microwave, until it is soft and pliable.
- 3Spread the mashed avocado over the tortilla in an even layer, leaving a one inch border on all sides so it does not squeeze out.
- 4Lay the turkey slices over the avocado in a single overlapping layer. Dot with Greek yogurt if you want a little extra creaminess.
- 5Fold the bottom edge up over the filling, fold in the sides, and roll tightly away from you. Slice in half on a diagonal and eat, or wrap in foil for later.
Tips and swaps
- Check the turkey label. Some deli turkey is cured with a lot of sodium and flavorings; plain oven-roasted breast is the gentlest.
- The wrap keeps in the fridge for a few hours, but longer than that the avocado starts to darken. Build it the same day you eat it.
- Corn tortillas carry more fiber and hull material. Stick with white flour tortillas during a flare.
- If the lemon juice tastes too sharp, a squeeze of lime or just salt works. The acid is for color, not flavor.
What a serving gives you
One wrap provides around 20 grams of lean protein from the turkey, healthy unsaturated fat and potassium from the avocado, and easy carbohydrate from the tortilla. It comes to roughly 400 calories, which is meaningful when appetite is low and weight is drifting down. The avocado fat is the one thing to watch; if fatty foods trouble you, halve it.
Questions about this recipe
Can I add cheese to the wrap?
In remission, a slice of mild cheddar or Swiss is a nice addition. During a flare I leave it off because hard cheese adds fat and a little lactose, and I would rather not test both at once. If you want extra creaminess, the teaspoon of Greek yogurt in the recipe gets you most of the way with much less fat.
Is avocado too high in fat for a flare?
It depends on the person. Avocado is calorie-dense and mostly fat, though it is unsaturated fat and the fiber is mostly soluble once mashed. Half an avocado has been fine for me; a whole one in one sitting has not. Start with a smaller portion and see how you feel afterward. If fat is a known trigger, swap it for more turkey and a thin spread of Greek yogurt.
