The Truth About Spinach Wraps: Don’t Fall for the Greenwashed Hype!
Spinach wraps exposed
Wraps are a staple for quick, easy meals — from lunchbox snacks to family dinners. But lately, spinach wraps have been marketed as the “healthy” way to boost your family’s nutrition with a touch of greens.
While these vibrant green wraps may seem like a wholesome choice, many store-bought varieties are loaded with additives, preservatives, and refined ingredients that fall short of providing real nourishment. In fact, choosing something other than these seemingly healthy spinach wraps could be a smarter move for your family’s health than you might think.
Let’s explore what to look for in a healthy wrap and why spinach wraps may not be as nutritious as they seem.
When selecting wraps, here are the key factors to consider:
Wholemeal Flours Are Essential: Wholegrain wraps are the best option for your family because they contain more fibre and nutrients than their refined counterparts. Fibre helps with digestion and keeps kids feeling full longer. Look for whole wheat, spelt, or oat flour as the first ingredient on the label. If the first ingredient is wheat flour, it’s not a wholemeal wrap.
Short, Simple Ingredient List: A nutritious wrap should have a simple ingredient list with easy-to-recognise items like wholemeal flour, water, salt, and a good quality oil. Avoid wraps with long ingredient lists.
Avoid Harmful Additives: Many wraps contain preservatives like calcium propionate, sorbic acid and potassium sorbate to extend shelf life. While these additives may seem harmless, they can disrupt gut health, cause skin irritation and are linked to behavioural issues, especially in children and anyone suffering from eczema. Choose wraps that don’t contain these unnecessary additives.
Skip the Added Sugars and High Sodium: Some wraps sneak in added sugars to improve flavour or texture, but they’re unnecessary and can contribute to health issues over time. Look for wraps with 1.5g of sugar or less per serving. Also, choose wraps with no more than 300mg of sodium per serving to help avoid excessive salt intake.
Don’t Fall for Misleading Marketing Claims: Beware of wraps that make claims like “made with spinach, “ low-carb,” “high-protein,” or “sugar-free.” or come with a high health star rating. These labels can often be a red flag for added fillers, refined ingredients, or artificial sweeteners that don’t offer real nutritional benefit.
Tip: If you're worried about shelf life, store your wraps in the fridge or freeze them. High-quality wraps should only last 2-3 days in the pantry and 7 days in the fridge — a good sign they don’t have artificial preservatives.
Why Spinach Wraps Are Often Just Misleading Marketing Hype
Spinach wraps are frequently marketed as a healthy option due to their vibrant green colour and claims of added spinach. But the reality is, many of these wraps contain very little (or no) real spinach at all. Instead, the green hue often comes from artificial food dyes like Brilliant Blue and Tartrazine, both of which are linked to hyperactivity and attention issues in children.
In addition to artificial colours, spinach wraps often contain preservatives like calcium propionate and sorbic acid to extend shelf life — not exactly what you want in a nutritious meal.
Mission Spinach Wraps, for example, claim to be a healthy choice with a veggie boost, but in reality, they are more about marketing than actual nutrition and in my opinion should be pulled from the shelves as they do not serve any purpose other than misleading consumers.
Real Food Ratings for 5 Popular Spinach Wraps
Mission Spinach Wraps = 0 Stars
These wraps contain artificial food dyes (including Brilliant Blue and Tartrazine) to achieve the green colour, not real spinach. They also have refined flour, additives and contain preservatives like calcium propionate and sorbic acid — a red flag for unnecessary additives.Helga’s Spinach & Herb Wraps = 2.5 Stars
These wraps do include a small amount of real spinach (around 1%), but they also rely on natural colours to give these wraps a green spinach hue, which is misleading. Plus, they contain refined flour, vegetable oil, emulsifiers, cultured wheat flour and added gluten. While slightly better than the Mission wraps, they still fall short in terms of whole ingredients and nutritional value.Simsons Pantry Low Carb Spinach and Herb Wraps = 2 Stars
Simson’s wraps earn a 2.5 Real Food Rating due to a mix of processed and refined ingredients. While they contain some healthy ingredients like spinach (1%), apple cider vinegar, and wheat bran, they also feature a range of additives and preservatives like calcium propionate, sorbic acid, emulsifiers, thickeners, and raising agents. The inclusion of soy protein and vegetable shortening further detracts from their overall nutritional value. With only 1% spinach and the presence of processed wheat, gluten, and starch, these wraps fall short of being a truly wholesome choice for your family.
MEB Foods Organic Superfood Wraps - Chia, Spinach, Kale & Broccoli = 3.5 Stars
MEB Superfood Wraps contain organic ingredients, but they still feature refined wheat flour as the first ingredient, which means they’re lower in fiber and nutrients compared to wholegrain options. While the wraps include small amounts of spinach, kale, and broccoli, the limited quantity of these greens doesn’t offer the nutrient boost you might expect from a "superfood" product. While they’re a better choice than some other wraps, the overall nutritional value could be improved by using less refined flour and more greens
Ancient Harvest Organic Quinoa Spelt Flour Spinach Wrap = 3.5 Stars
These wraps have the most ‘real’ ingredients and the highest spinach content 2% (which still isn’t much). The first ingredient is spelt flour. It would’ve been better if it was whole spelt flour, but the real downside with this wrap is the higher sodium content, which is best avoided for anyone with high blood pressure and in young children.
My Advice: Choose Wholemeal Wraps for True Nutrition
For a truly healthy wrap for your family, opt for one made with whole grains, minimal additives, and no artificial colours or preservatives. You can always add fresh spinach or other leafy greens to your wrap for an extra nutritional boost. This way, you get the benefits of real veggies without falling for the marketing hype.
Three Creative Ways to Enjoy Spinach in Your Wraps
Spinach & Chicken Lunch Wraps: For a tasty, nutrient-packed lunch, use leftover roast chicken, fresh spinach, avocado, and a smear of hummus or Greek yoghurt.
Spinach Breakfast Wraps: Scramble eggs with spinach, bell peppers, and a sprinkle of cheese. Roll it up in a wholemeal wrap for a wholesome, protein-rich breakfast.
Spinach Veggie Pizza Wraps: Spread tomato paste or pesto on your wrap, top with spinach, other veggies, and cheese, then bake for a quick, healthy pizza alternative.
Do you want to discover more of my favourite wrap recommendations from Coles, Woolworths, and Aldi? Don’t miss my upcoming webinar, Smart Shopping with Mandy: Cut Through the Marketing Hype!
Join me to discover my top picks, and get exclusive tips to navigate the supermarket like a pro. Plus, every participant will receive a comprehensive shopping guide with my top picks to make your next trip a breeze. Sign up now and start making smarter choices for your family! Places are limited.