Are Digestive Biscuits Actually Healthy? Everything You Need To Know

It's difficult to imagine a nice cup of tea without cookies or biscuits, but what if you're trying to lose weight? We attempt anything and everything to stay fit, from fad diets to switching to everything labelled 'healthy.’ And while digestive biscuits and cookies are definitely the beginning point for our diets, are they genuinely healthy? Here's a look at the popular digestive biscuits and their health benefits. So, before you eat, read this.

The name 'Digestive' conveys a sense of well-being and may lead you to believe that these biscuits are beneficial to digestion. In 1839, two Scottish doctors created digestive biscuits to help digestion. In truth, McVitie's in the United Kingdom began commercial manufacture in 1892. These semi-sweet biscuits were thought to be far healthier than traditional cookies and biscuits, which were laden with all-purpose flour, butter, and other unhealthy components. The name 'digestive' gained popularity for these biscuits.

Digestive biscuits were traditionally produced with whole wheat flour and leavening ingredients such as ammonium bicarbonate, sodium bicarbonate, tartaric acid, vegetable oil, powdered/skim milk, baking soda, and sugar. There has been some change in the basic materials used to manufacture these biscuits over the years. The majority of these biscuits are made with refined flour, sugar, fat, preservatives, and sodium. A single 15-gram serving of digestive biscuits contains around 71 calories, 1.1gm protein, 9.4gm carbohydrate, 3.2gm fat, 0.5gm fibre, and 0.1gm sodium.

The Reality Of Digestive Biscuits

The components used to manufacture digestive biscuits are identical to those used to make conventional biscuits, and the claim that these biscuits are high in fibre may disappoint most health-conscious consumers because the flour used to make these biscuits is usually semi-refined. The presence of refined flour implies that it is not particularly nutritious. In terms of sugar, the amount of sugar utilised to produce these biscuits is rather small. These biscuits are prepared with saturated fats and may contain 3-5 grams of fat per biscuit, making them an unhealthy option. Finally, the addition of salt and other preservatives to improve taste and shelf life is synthetic in nature. As a result, digestive biscuits are not as healthy as they appear.

Experts believe that depending on the type of flour used, digestive biscuits can contain a significant quantity of fibre. However, refined flour, such as Maida, combined with sugar and high fats may not be the greatest option, and it is advisable to stick to healthy homemade snacks.