Cooking dinner tonight? Make this easy, nutrient-packed, low-carb dish that's sure to be a taste winner with you and your dining partners, while helping you to achieve your sports performance nutrition goals.
This recipe provides a myriad of health benefits, making it perfect for athletes. Since muscles are largely comprised of protein, every athlete's diet needs to include healthy amounts of it. Lifting weights, performing heavy resistance exercises and doing high-intensity cardio actually cause muscles to tear and use reserve glucose stores to fuel the body. Taking in protein throughout the day—e.g., from the shrimp in this recipe—helps muscles recover and get stronger for the next day's activity.
Another advantage of this recipe is the healthy dose of quality fats that coconut oil and avocado provide. Coconut oil has the added benefit of being high in medium chain triglycerides (MCTs), which the body preferentially burns for energy instead of storing as fat. Avocado is high in monounsaturated fats and potassium, both essential nutrients for athletes. Read about the health benefits of potassium.
What is the best time to indulge in these delicious shrimp avocado wraps? Since they have minimal amounts of carbohydrate (except from the vegetables), I would not recommend them as a post-workout meal, when you want to maximize your recovery by consuming fast-acting carbs such as white rice. Instead, enjoy the wraps as late night meal or on recovery days when your activity levels are low. However, you can easily convert the recipe to make a pre- or post-activity meal by substituting tortilla shells for lettuce leaves. (I prefer Ezekiel wraps to keep the wraps gluten-free.)
