Many consider the traditional Greek Souvlaki as a “junk food”, but the truth is that, if its materials are of first quality (oil, meat), then its consumption should not scare you at all.
Greek Souvlaki has between 180 and 500 calories, depending on whether the pita bread has oil on it and what it contains. Souvlaki contains carbohydrates from the pita bread, protein from meat, vegetables and dairy products (from Greek tzatziki), so it is a complete meal!
When we add potatoes, Greek gyro, and sour-rich sources of fat in the Souvlaki – it is enough to think that we are talking about a food bomb!
The biggest problem in Souvlaki is the oil used, which is rarely olive oil. Palm oil is one of the most common choice and contains 80% saturates – that is, “bad” – fat.
In 15 grams of fat – that is, a spoon of oil – corresponds to 135 calories, and the pita bread that absorbs the oil has about one tablespoon of fat. In addition, large quantities of potatoes increase the total amount of fat you consume.
At this point, calories in the Greek Souvlaki are estimated from 400 to less than 500!
Calories are greatly reduced if pork is replaced with chicken, the sauce and potatoes are removed and we use whole wheat pita bread.
Source: thegreekobserver.com
