Recently, I’ve taken to scrutinizing the nutrition labels on everything I put into my shopping cart. Despite the fact that these labels might end up curled and even scorched, they offer a sneak peek into the nutritional content of the food before I purchase it, bring it home, and eventually consume it.

For Cinco de Mayo, I resolved to create more nutritious chicken and rice burritos. As part of my commitment to a healthier diet, I’ve been working on reducing calorie intake while maximizing the intake of fiber and vitamins from foods that are as close to their natural state as possible—foods that resemble what you might find on a farm or in the wild.

My choice of a whole wheat wrap stemmed from the fact that whole wheat encompasses all components of the grain, including the indigestible outer husk. It might seem counterintuitive to pay for food that you’ll ultimately excrete, but often, essential micronutrients (those commonly referred to as vitamins and minerals) are attached to fiber. Yet, the key aspect of fiber goes beyond this.

Fiber serves as filler. You ingest it, your body can’t fully break it down. Unlike ruminant animals like cows or sheep, humans can’t efficiently digest plant starch. However, chewing fiber is necessary to unlock its attached elements. Consequently, your stomach and intestines need to put in extra effort over a longer span to extract the carbohydrates, sugars, fats, as well as the vitamins and minerals.

This property of fiber is what makes it remarkable. It leads to a quick sense of fullness, essentially filling up your stomach. The gradual release of sugars maintains this feeling of fullness. Your body expends substantial energy to access the carbohydrates, sugars, and fats before they’re excreted, a process that can span several hours.

Returning to the topic of zero net carbs wraps: it turns out that proponents and marketers of the keto diet employ creative math to justify carbohydrate consumption. They subtract fiber from the total carbohydrates in a product. The whole wheat wraps I ended up purchasing were the larger ones, each weighing 71 grams and containing 31 grams of carbohydrates and 25 grams of fiber, mainly from the whole wheat, although it appears that rice hull fiber was added to boost the fiber content. This calculation lets them claim 5 net carbohydrates in the complex world of keto math. They also offer smaller wraps, supposedly containing 0 net carbs, as they are only a third of the size, or 20 grams of carbohydrates and 18 grams of fiber, which USDA regulations permit them to round down to zero.

However, this notion is flawed. It’s akin to purchasing indulgences in historical churches or, in modern times, carbon credits. Fiber doesn’t magically erase carbohydrates, although it does slow down digestion. It’s undoubtedly healthier in this regard, but it doesn’t equate to zero carbs or calories—closer to 120 calories for the full wrap. Still, this is an improvement over many fried white flour tortillas. If your goal is a tortilla-based wrap, baked whole wheat tortillas are a commendable choice.

Often, healthier options are available, but so are charlatans on every corner peddling misinformation and unhealthy fare. Nutrition science continues to evolve, and amidst the plethora of competing ideas, research and critical thinking skills can guide you towards healthier choices.