Nearly time for elevenses… Read this before you decide which biscuits to pick
It can be hard to balance the demands of eating well without spending a lot.
In this series, we try to find the healthiest options in the supermarket for the best value – and have enlisted the help of Sunna Van Kampen, founder of Tonic Health, who went viral on social media for reviewing food in the search of healthier choices.
In this series we don’t try to find the outright healthiest option, but help you get better nutritional value for as little money as possible.
Today we’re looking at biscuits.
“When some brands are up to two teaspoons of sugar per biscuit (and we all know you aren’t having just one), then we need to look or substitutes or find ways to biscuit smarter for your health,” Sunna says.
The typical biscuit breakdown on average for market leading brands by type:
Freshly baked cookies: 40% sugar or 27g per 66g cookie
“That’s over six teaspoons of sugar – they’re also generally the biggest biscuit on the shelf by some distance, so potentially a good choice to avoid,” Sunna says.
Chocolate chip cookies: 34% sugar or 8.6g per 25g cookie
“That’s the equivalent of over two teaspoons of sugar – delicious but there are better options.”
Chocolate digestives: 28% sugar or 4.8g per 16.7g biscuit
“That’s a teaspoon per biscuit and I’m definitely not just eating one.”
Shortbread: 17% sugar or 2.6g per shortbread
“Almost half the sugar of a chocolate digestive.”
Digestive biscuits: 15% sugar or 2.2g per 15g biscuit
“These are starting to look a lot healthier as we are only talking half a teaspoon per biscuit.”
Rich tea biscuits: 18% sugar or 1.5g per 8.3g biscuit.
“This one’s a bit healthier due to the size, but the best choice is Rich Tea’s own 30% less sugar variety.
“That sits at 12% sugar (or just 1.1g per biscuit) – only a quarter of a teaspoon of sugar per biscuit.”
The verdict
The Rich Tea Light biscuit is hard to beat in Sunna’s mind.
“Its low sugar content make it a winner for health-conscious tea drinkers,” he says.
“If you eat just four biscuits a week, swapping from chocolate chip cookies to Rich Tea Light could save you over 1.5kg of sugar per year from your diet.
“Small changes make a big impact,” Sunna says.
Digestive biscuits are also a solid choice, especially if you prefer a bit more substance with your tea.
“For those moments when only chocolate will do, chocolate digestives are the best option, although they have a higher sugar content,” he adds.
Naturally, he urges biscuit-lovers to stay away from fresh-baked cookies and chocolate chip due to the high sugar levels.
The money
If you’re looking to save money, own-brand biscuits from major supermarkets often offer comparable taste at 30-50% discount on average.
“For example, Tesco’s Rich Tea biscuits are just £0.65 per pack or £0.22 per 100g compared with McVities Rich Tea at £0.47 per 100g.
Here’s a handy comparison;
- Supermarket Baked Cookies – £0.68 per 100g
- Fox’s Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies – £1.14 per 100g
- McVities Chocolate Digestives – £0.50 per 100g
- Patterson’s Shortbread – £0.45 per 100g
- McVities Digestives – £0.42 per 100g
- McVities Rich Tea – £0.47 per 100g
- McVities Rich Tea Light – £0.60 per 100g
The nutritionist’s view – by Dr Emily Prpa, nutritionist and science manager at Yakult.
“It’s no secret that Brits love biscuits, with a staggering 27 million UK households buying them every year.
“A little of what you love is not a bad thing, but really it’s all about moderation and making some positive swaps.
“For example, consider opting for biscuits that are made with wholemeal flour or whole grains such as oats.
“Those which contain dried fruits and nuts can provide more fibre than other biscuits to help you meet the NHS-recommended 30g of fibre per day for adults.
“The majority of your fibre needs to be obtained through other wholegrain sources of pasta and bread, as well as vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts and seeds.
“Fibre aids digestion, helps to regulate bowel movements and is a food source for one’s gut bacteria, contributing to a healthy and diverse gut microbiome.”
Read more from this series…
