Corn Vs Flour Tortillas: Is One Better For You?

Tortillas remain a popular dish because of their ease of use and versatility. These adaptable disks serve as go-to staples for making hot or cold dishes for many meals, including tacos, enchiladas, and burritos. While corn and flour tortillas seem almost identical, is one actually better for you than the other?

From how they are made and processed to the health benefits they deliver, these two types of tortillas are actually more different than they seem. Healthline tackled the question, examining the nutritional information of one large corn tortilla and one medium-sized flour tortilla, and found corn tortillas were the healthier option on many levels.

For those interested in losing weight and watching their caloric intake, corn tortillas emerged a winner, having only about 96 calories. Flour tortillas of an equivalent weight have around 138 calories. The amount of fat each one contains is also worth noting, with corn tortillas faring much better than flour with only about 1 gram of fat per serving while flour more than doubled that number with 4 grams.

Weight loss aside, there are other nutritional benefits to corn tortillas. Flour tortillas have significantly more sodium at a whopping 331 mg per serving, while corn tortillas only have 20 mg. They also have slightly more fiber (3 g) than their flour counterparts (2 g), and since many Americans struggle to get the recommended amount of fiber in their daily diets, every little bit helps. Corn tortillas also have more than four times more magnesium than flour tortillas.

According to VeryWell Fit, corn tortillas make an excellent choice for individuals who have wheat sensitivities or have gone gluten-free. They also have a lower glycemic index, which means they will make you feel fuller longer and your blood sugar won't rise as fast as it would after eating a flour tortilla.

Research did show that flour tortillas did provide more iron and calcium than corn tortillas. However, it seems that corn tortillas pack more of a nutritional punch, overall, per bite.