When dining in Mexican restaurants or making sandwich wraps, people should get the blues.

Tortillas made from blue corn have less starch and a lower glycemic index than their white counterparts, making them more ideal for dieters and people with diabetes.

What’s more, the blue versions contain 20 percent more protein than white, food scientists in Central America say.

In the latest Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, Juscelino Tovar, a Venezuelan university food scientist who has researched his culture’s foods, says the blue coloring comes from anthocyanins in the corn, the same health-promoting compounds found in blueberries and red wine.

Affecting blood sugar

The glycemic index - GI, for short - ranks carbohydrates according to their effects on your blood glucose levels. Foods with a lower GI are considered healthier as they slowly release sugar into the bloodstream, which reduces fluctuations in your blood glucose and insulin levels, thus helping to maintain a steady supply of energy.

Nutritionists say low-GI foods provide long-term health benefits, such as reducing your risk of heart disease and diabetes, and helping you lose weight and keep it off. The glycemic index serves as the foundation for many popular weight-loss and healthy eating plans. 

Now Tovar says blue tortillas, being ranked low on the GI scale, may help prevent or control metabolic syndrome, a combination of disorders that increase the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes, according to Chemistry & Industry.

“Nowadays, anthocyanins are of great interest from the nutraceutical or functional nutrition viewpoint owing to their perceived potential health benefits,” Tovar says. “They are considered natural antioxidants in view of their ability to trap free radicals, which produce molecular and cell damage in your body.”

•  Tips to Increase Bean Intake—from Nubella registered dietitian Theresa Stahl’s Balanced Eating Blog.

•  Find dozens of tortilla creations in Nubella’s 6,000-plus Recipe Database and Healthy Cooking Center, such as:

•  Making the Quintessential Quesadilla

•  Good to Wrap, Good to Go

•  Nubella’s Recipe Message Board—share your own recipes or get tips from other healthy eaters.

•  Tips: Healthy Eating in a Mexican Restaurant