How Healthy Is Gyro Meat? Surprising Health Benefits and Its Alternatives

Gyros are made from mutton, which is a mixture of lamb, beef, or even chicken. Gyros are known to be delicious, and since they're food on the go, it's fair to say they're comfort food too. When you eat dessert, though, you are constantly thinking about nutrition information and whether or not what you are eating is nutritious. Is gyro meat healthy, and do you get any genuine benefits from eating it?

If you like street foods like gyros, you may want to learn more about these types of food so you know how often you can include them in your diet. I've shared some of the nutrition facts and benefits of gyro meat, along with some ways to keep the dish healthy. You will know how to enjoy this cuisine guilt-free after reading this post.

Nutrition of Gyro Meat 

To understand how gyro food works, you need to know all the common ingredients in this food. So when you order gyros, you can expect lamb chops, pita bread, and tzatziki sauce often topped with yogurt, spinach, and herbs. Because of the variety of meats people prefer, lamb chops can often be substituted for chicken.

According to the USDA, you would expect about 217 calories per 100 grams of meat in a lamb meal. In addition, this meal can contain up to 26 grams of protein and fat. Lamb mince contains no carbohydrates, making this dish perfect for a low-carb diet.

In addition, lamb is known as a good source of vitamins and minerals. But in addition to these good nutritional facts, it's essential to understand that this food also contains a lot of saturated fat. Saturated fats raise cholesterol levels, leading to infections and diseases like diabetes and heart disease.

On the other hand, the gyro will have more protein and calories if cooked with chicken. You must be cautious about the items you combine with this cuisine because it also contains carbs. Because eating gyros frequently can have several detrimental impacts on your health, it would be great if you were cautious about how often you do so.

Comparing Different Meats

Each animal's nutritional status includes high-quality proteins, vitamins, trace elements, muscle building, and fatty acids. Pork and chicken contain less fat than lamb or beef.

Regarding poultry nutrition, chicken vs. lamb gives the chicken a clear win. A boneless, skinless chicken breast contains 137 calories, compared to 217 calories in 3.5 ounces of lamb, says Harvard Medical School. One serving of chicken has 21 grams of protein, less than lamb's 26 grams. But chicken has only 5 grams of fat and 1.9 grams of fat. Lamb has double that amount at 11 grams of fat, and the latter is full of saturated fat.

The Benefits of Gyro Meat 

As I mentioned, gyros are often made from lamb, which is known to contain many beneficial nutritional facts. So you can get a lot of protein, vitamins, and minerals by eating this dish. If you want to lose weight but still want to eat tasty foods, you can achieve a better balance in your diet thanks to the fact that it doesn't have a lot of calories.

On the other hand, if you combine spinach with chicken, you will get more benefits, but you will also get some disadvantages from the meat. This means that if you eat a gyro with chicken, you can absorb more protein, vitamins, and minerals and eat more calories.

But you need to remember that a gyroscope is not something you should regularly consume. Regardless of the mixture of meat and other ingredients, it would be best if you remembered that meat could raise cholesterol levels; this is not a dish you can eat every day.

Is Gyro meat considered processed food?

You've probably noticed the unique cooking process if you've ever seen a gyro cooked. This meat is cut significantly so it can be neatly wrapped in pita bread with some extra ingredients. For the uninitiated, this seems like a very unhealthy way to prepare meat for this particular dish.

However, many understandably assume that gyros have processed meat in their meatballs. However, gyro meat is unprocessed because it contains no preservatives or additives in other processed foods. The only thing added to the gyro was cooking seasoning to make the dish tastier.

How to Make Gyro Healthier?

If you're a big fan of gyros, you'll need to find ways to make this dish even healthier for you. If you like to eat these foods, you should look for healthy alternatives and combinations. To do this, you first must consider what kind of meat you will serve on the menu.

It is crucial to understand that white meat has less fat than red meat, making it healthier in this aspect. Gyros made with chicken or turkey are excellent choices for gyros, which means that this type of meat will make your gyros healthier. Also, don't add too many spices if you don't want to count calories in your meal. Instead of buying ready-made tzatziki sauce, you can make your tzatziki sauce and check the ingredients and calories. In addition, the gyro is made even healthier for you by including a range of different veggies.

What alternatives are there to gyro meat?

Since gyros are meat-centric, you don't have any substitutes. If you wanted to combine the pita bread and tzatziki sauce, you could put some sauce on the plate, but without the meat, you wouldn't be eating the gyros. So it is better to choose white meat and healthily eat this food.

You can use soy, seitan, tempeh, or vegan sausage bits if you want to go vegan. As you can see, gyro meat isn't the healthiest choice for your diet, but if you eat it occasionally, it probably won't hurt. You can always think of another healthy meal, so it's up to you how you eat this meal.

Is Tzatziki Sauce Nutritious?

Tzatziki is a nutritious yoghurt-based treat that goes well with vegetable sticks or pita bread. It's also great as a salad dressing.