Biscuits are an undivided part of our everyday lives. Starting from morning tea, to children’s tiffin, to evening tea chats, to serving food to guests, you will find biscuits in everywhere. Festival or a tea break at the office, you will always find biscuits at your fingertips.
But if we knew what the foods we eat so comfortably are made of and how much damage they do to our Health, maybe you wouldn’t waste our money and buy all those things.
Let’s discuss all those ingredients in detail in this post and try to understand what harm they do to our bodies.
Table of Contents
Only the ingredient list will help us to distinguish between which is good and bad. Otherwise, there are no option.
Most Common Ingredients used
Refined wheat flour (Maida), Sugar, Refined / Vegetable oil (palm oil), Inverted sugar syrup, Leavening Agents (Ammonium & Sodium bicarbonate), Whole wheat flour, Salt, Milk (solid or powder) emulsifiers, Added Favours, preservatives, Artificial flavors, Coloring Agents, Oats, Coconut oil, Honey, Almond Flour ….etc.
Healthy ingredients –
Whole wheat flour, Oats, Coconut oil, Honey, Almond Flour etc.
Unhealthy ingredients –
Refined wheat flour (Maida), Sugar, Refined / Vegetable oil (palm oil), Inverted sugar syrup, Leavening Agents (Ammonium & Sodium bicarbonate), Coloring Agents, preservatives, Artificial flavors, Emulsifiers etc.
Let’s briefly discuss about unhealthy ingredients
Refined wheat flour (Maida) – The main ingredient used in high volume for structure.
Maida made by separating bran (nutrients powerhouse e.g. Vitamins, minerals & fiber) and germ from wheat grain and to make it white used chlorine & benzoyl peroxide.
Due to lack of fiber (Zero Fiber), it can slow our digestion and when mixed with water it’s sticky ……. also called “Glu for the gut”.
It can cause Digestive problem, increase blood sugar level, weight gain and obesity, increase risk of chronic disease.
Sugar – Used for sweetness and browning.
Excess sugar can lead to weight gain, Dental issue, Diabetes, Faster Ageing, weaker bones etc.
Reference: WHO – Guideline, Sugar intake for adults and children, World Health Organization, 2015
Refine Oil (palm oil) – Used for texture.
Plam Oil raise LDL or bad cholesterol, increase the risk of heart disease and stock.
Reference: American Heart Association.
Inverted sugar syrup – Used to keep biscuits soft and sweet.
Consuming too much, can cause diabetes, tooth decay and weight gain.
Leavening Agents – makes biscuits light and crisp
Consuming excess amount of sodium can affect blood pressure.
Iodide salt – Too much salt can cause high blood pressure.
If you go to the market, you will see that most of the biscuits are made of all these ingredients. Now think about what we are eating and what we are feeding our children.
Example
So, let’s take a biscuit we use every day as an example and calculate what we are eating and how much?
let’s take Parle-G biscuits as an example –
In this image you can see all the ingredients with amount in percentage that is used to make the biscuits.
The approximate weight of one Parle-G biscuit is 6.7 grams.
1 pack (10 biscuits) = 10 × 6.7 = 67 gm
Maida (67%) = 44.89 gm in 10 biscuits
Each biscuits contain 4.48 gm Maida
Sugar (16.6%) = 11.12 gm
≈ 3 teaspoons of sugar = 10 biscuits.
One teaspoon sugar approximately 4 gm, 11.12 ÷ 4 = 2.78 (≈ 3)
Palm Oil (8.5%) = 5.69 gm (Harmful for Heart health)
Inverted sugar syrup (4.2%) = 2.82 gm
Most Unhealthy ingredients are used in excess.
Now you will say that we do not eat so many biscuits in a day. But think about it, you do not only eat biscuits in a day, but you also eat tea and various packaged foods, each of which contains sugar. Now calculate the amount of sugar you eat in a day. Atleast think about your kids, I know it is shocking.
Note
We forbid our children from eating chocolate because it will cause tooth decay, but we easily give them biscuits. You will be surprised to know that biscuits contain more sugar than chocolate.
Read Labels like a pro
Order – Ingredients are arranged by volume of concentration (top 5 are main components, used by in high volume).
Don’t make fool terms like “Made with whole wheat” or “Oats biscuits”, “Diabetic friendly”, “No added sugar”, “High in fibre”,”Zero trans-fat”, “With Milk”, “Heakthy Snack”. Just because all levels are allowed to write doesn’t mean that, what is written is true.
Make decision (Buy or Skip)
Without thinking about anything, first check the ingredients list. If you find any harmful ingredients…. just skip it.
Pro tips
Nothing pro like it, Check ingredients & make decision. (Try to avoid Refined wheat flour (Maida), Sugar, Refined / Vegetable oil (palm oil), Inverted sugar syrup.
Conclusion
spend 30 seconds to read the labels – your Health will thank you.
Biscuits when become part of our daily life, it may be small in size, but their effects on our health can be significant.
When you go to buy biscuits at the grocery market, you will see that 95% of biscuits are made with flour (Maida), High sugar & palm oil, the worst ingredients.
I’m not saying you should stop eating biscuits completely – but it’s time to we should start read labels and exploring healthier alternative.
I believe that buying anything shouldn’t be a guessing game. It’s time to we should start read labels and exploring healthier alternative.
I think now it’s very easy for you to identify healthy & unhealthy. If I miss any ingredients? Whether you have a question, a suggestion, or just want to share your thoughts, feel free to reach out. I look forward to reading your messages.
Read more: The Dark Side of Chips: What you are Really Eating
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Healthy Alternatives
1. Britannia Nutri Choice Digestive Zero High Fibre Biscuits (0% sugar & Maida, Made with Whole Wheat Flour (Atta) but contain palm oil) Buy link – Click Here
2. Smyle Handmade Sugar-Free Atta Biscuits (Handmade with whole wheat flour (Atta) , no maida, no sugar, rich in fibre, diabetic-friendly) Buy Link – Click Here
3. EVUM Handmade Premium Ragi & Oat Cookies (Made with ragi and oats, no maida, no butter, no refined sugar, freshly baked. Buy Link – Click Here
4. Kikibix Ragi Almond + Rich Chocolate Cookies Combo Pack (Digestive biscuits, protein-packed, multi-grain, no maida, no refined sugar). Buy Link – Click Here
5. BENE Chana Sattu Biscuits (Made with chana sattu, no maida, no refined sugar, high protein and calcium, no preservatives.) Buy Link – Click Here
6. Artinci Sugar-Free Almond Cookies (No maida, no sugar, diabetic-friendly, gluten-free, made with almond flour). Buy Link – Click Here
7. Jaglicious Ragi Chocolate Cookies (High fiber & protein, no maida, no added sugar, no preservatives, soft and chewy). Buy Link – Click Here
I’m Mehebub Alam Chowdhury, an M.Sc. Organic Chemistry student, and my mission with Decodepure is to simplify complex chemical ingredients in everyday products. With my knowledge of chemicals, I aim to help you make safer, healthier choices by breaking down product labels in an easy-to-understand way.
