Dr. Gourmet's Food Reviews

Fit Wrapz Green Chili Chicken Burrito

Green Chili Chicken Burrito and Barbecue Seasoned Chicken Burrito

From time to time food companies contact Dr. Gourmet to ask if we would be willing to review their products. We always caution them that our reviews are unbiased, and that they might not like what we have to say about their products. S & F Foods, Inc. Delights Gluten-Free Stuffed Sandwiches is just one recent example.

The founder of Fit Wrapz (or someone writing in their name) contacted us with their request, and said:

I created Fit Wrapz after spending 13 years as a Personal and Athletic trainer. My products have been formulated to take the guess work out of what people eat and provide a well balanced, convenient, and holistically healthy meal on the go. We do our best to keep the macro and micro nutrients in line to maintain and promote a healthier life.

The writer goes on to detail the whole wheat tortilla, the low sodium and fat, and the quality of its ingredients.

And there's no doubt that it's (almost) all true. These do not microwave particularly well: placing the burrito on a plate and turning over halfway through cooking yields a sticky tortilla that in one case split down the side, spilling the contents out onto the plate. Both really needed to be eaten with a knife and fork, rather than being picked up in the hand. But we don't hold that against them: this is a problem with all microwaved burritos.

We are, however, glad to see someone using a whole wheat tortilla in their burritos. It's definitely better than the white flour tortillas we've seen used elsewhere, with a softly sweet aftertaste. And the contents of the burritos are indeed pretty good: both include copious amounts of brown rice and good-sized chunks of chicken that's neither dry nor chewy, but not particularly juicy, either.

The sauces in both burritos are made with cheese to give them creaminess. As for flavor, in the case of the Green Chili Chicken Burrito, it's "far more bland than a burrito with green chili sauce should be," in the words of one panelist. No real savor, not much spiciness, not even a lot of tartness, as you might expect with a green chili sauce. The sauce for the Barbecue Seasoned Chicken Burrito runs toward sweet rather than spicy, and overall the flavor overpowers anything else in the burrito. "You'd burn your mouth before you tasted anything else," remarked another panelist.

The numbers on both of these are rather good: for the Green Chili Chicken Burrito it's 380 calories, 500 milligrams of sodium, and 6 grams of fiber, while the Barbecue Seasoned Chicken Burrito has 390 calories, 380 milligrams of sodium (impressive, indeed), and the same 6 grams of fiber.

The problem I have with these burritos are the ingredients. Or rather, the lack of ingredients. These burritos contain the following: tortilla, brown rice, chicken, and sauce. That's it. There is not a single vegetable, legume, nut, or seed in these burritos. These are anything but well balanced. To really "keep the macro and micro nutrients in line" you have to include ingredients that actually contain a range of of macro and micronutrients. A cute catchphrase, but not great burritos.

Reviewed: July 22, 2016