Eating for Performance: Low-Carb Shrimp Avocado Wraps
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.)
Shrimp Avocado Wrap Recipe
Ingredients (for a serving of two):
- 6 to 10 ounces of uncooked, peeled and de-veined shrimp
- 1 cup diced Roma tomatoes
- 1/2 cup chopped avocado
- 2 tbsp. chopped red onion
- 1 cup diced red/yellow/green peppers
- 1 to 2 cups bean sprouts
- 1 tbsp. olive oil or coconut oil (to sautee shrimp)
- 1 tsp. chopped garlic
- 2-4 large lettuce leaves or large tortillas
Directions
- Chop the veggies
- Pre-heat pan with olive oil or coconut oil and grill shrimp on medium heat until pink, turning them occasionally.
- Add chopped veggies to pan along with diced avocado, bean sprouts, and salt & pepper to taste; simmer on low heat.
- Place shrimp/veggie mixture on large lettuce leaves, or on tortilla shells if you need more carbs.
Nutritional information (using lettuce leaves), per serving:
- Calories: 297 grams
- Fat: 14.2 grams
- Carbohydrates: 11 grams
- Fiber: 5 grams
- Protein: 32 grams
Shrimp Avocado Wrap Nutritional Information (using Ezekiel 4.9 wraps), per serving:
- Calories: 552 grams
- Fat: 19 grams
- Carbohydrates: 58 grams
- Fiber: 9 grams
- Protein: 36 grams
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Eating for Performance: Low-Carb Shrimp Avocado Wraps
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.)
Shrimp Avocado Wrap Recipe
Ingredients (for a serving of two):
- 6 to 10 ounces of uncooked, peeled and de-veined shrimp
- 1 cup diced Roma tomatoes
- 1/2 cup chopped avocado
- 2 tbsp. chopped red onion
- 1 cup diced red/yellow/green peppers
- 1 to 2 cups bean sprouts
- 1 tbsp. olive oil or coconut oil (to sautee shrimp)
- 1 tsp. chopped garlic
- 2-4 large lettuce leaves or large tortillas
Directions
- Chop the veggies
- Pre-heat pan with olive oil or coconut oil and grill shrimp on medium heat until pink, turning them occasionally.
- Add chopped veggies to pan along with diced avocado, bean sprouts, and salt & pepper to taste; simmer on low heat.
- Place shrimp/veggie mixture on large lettuce leaves, or on tortilla shells if you need more carbs.
Nutritional information (using lettuce leaves), per serving:
- Calories: 297 grams
- Fat: 14.2 grams
- Carbohydrates: 11 grams
- Fiber: 5 grams
- Protein: 32 grams
Shrimp Avocado Wrap Nutritional Information (using Ezekiel 4.9 wraps), per serving:
- Calories: 552 grams
- Fat: 19 grams
- Carbohydrates: 58 grams
- Fiber: 9 grams
- Protein: 36 grams