Digestive biscuits are delicious, but they aren't necessarily the most nutritious snack. If you are looking to maintain a healthy diet, digestive biscuits should not be a staple food stuff! Digestive biscuits calories are, unfortunately, empty and do not provide a lot of goodness. However, if you are having a cheat day or just want a small snack with a cup of tea every few days, digestive biscuits can be absolutely perfect.
Types of Digestive Biscuits
There are many different types of biscuits out there. What are 'digestive biscuits' and how can you tell them apart from other sorts of biscuits?
Originally, digestive biscuits tended to be coarse, brown and contain wheat meal. Nowadays, however, there are many more different types of digestive biscuits available on the market, including those that are covered in chocolate or those that have reduced fat. Regular digestive biscuits usually contain coarse whole meal wheat flour as well as sugar to make them slightly sweet. Chocolate digestives, on the other hand, differ wildly with the addition of a frosted chocolate topping. The reduced fat digestive biscuits on the market, which usually contain around 25 percent less fat than other digestive biscuits, tend to contain emulsifiers.
Do Digestive Biscuits Aid Digestion?
Most people assume that the name 'digestive' biscuit refers to this foodstuff's ability to aid digestion. In fact, when these biscuits were first created and named in the 19th century, many people assured the public that they did aid digestion. This is because they contained high levels of baking soda which, in small amounts, can actually help to alleviate symptoms of heartburn when combined with some water and taken in moderation. However, what these people did not realize was that the same effect did not occur if the baking soda was adding to biscuits. Whereas adding baking soda to water and drinking it can have positive effects, heating baking soda actually alters the baking soda's chemical structure - around 200 degree Fahrenheit, the carbon dioxide in the baking soda is lost and it becomes sodium carbonate which has none of the same beneficial effects on digestion that actual baking soda does.
Nutrition Facts of Digestive Biscuits
Two digestive biscuits contain five grams of sugar, one gram of fiber, two grams of protein, nineteen grams of carbohydrates and six grams of fat as well as 160 milligrams of sodium. They do not tend to contain huge amounts of minerals or vitamins, meaning that they are not a good source for things like vitamin C or B vitamins, for instance. Some of the nutrition facts are elaborated below:
1. Digestive Biscuits Calories
On average, just two digestive biscuits can contain around 140 calories, which are mainly made up of added sugars and/or solid fats. In 2010, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommended that people limit the intake of food that has added sugar and fats because they are high in calories but offer little nutritional value. Digestive biscuits are one of these food types, and digestive biscuits calories tend to be what are called 'empty' calories.
2. Whole Grains
Ingredients in digestive biscuits tend to vary from one brand to another, and some brands make their digestive biscuits with whole-wheat flour. Eating whole grains has proven to be quite helpful for those who are trying to manage their weight, and there is also evidence to suggest that people who eat more whole-grains have a lower risk of developing heart disease later in their lives as well as lowering the risk of developing diabetes. It is a lot better to eat digestive biscuits that have been made with whole-wheat flour, so keep an eye out for it on the ingredients list.
3. Some Fiber
Digestive biscuits do not tend to contain an awful lot of fiber, but they do contain some. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has said that the vast majority of American do not have enough fiber in their daily diet: the average person needs around fourteen grams of fiber per 1,000 calories - in other words, around 38 grams for men and 25 grams for women.
Eating enough fiber can help to alleviate constipation and may also help to reduce the risk of developing a chronic illness. Fiber is also known to help appetite control, so it can be useful for those trying to maintain or lose some weight.
4. Not Too Much Sodium
Two digestive biscuits on average tend to contain 160 milligrams of sodium, which is not far from the recommended 140 milligrams that designates a food stuff is 'low-sodium' on labeling guidelines. 2010 Dietary Guidelines has said that most American have far too much sodium in their diet, which is highly problematic, since a high sodium intake is linked to problems such as high blood pressure which in turn increases the likelihood of developing heart disease, kidney disease and congestive heart failure.
On average, you should be taking in no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium a day or less than 1,500 milligrams if you have high blood pressure, are over the age of 50 or are of African descent. By eating digestive biscuits, as opposed to other snacks with higher sodium content, you may find it slightly easier to stick to the daily recommended serving of sodium each day.
Making Your Own Digestive Biscuits at Home
In order to ensure that you know the amount of digestive biscuits calories that you are taking in, you can make your own digestive biscuits and make healthy decisions for ingredients.
Ingredients
- One cup of whole grain spelt or whole wheat flour
- One and a third cups of rolled oats
- A single teaspoon of baking powder
- A pinch of salt
- A third of a cup of dark, packed musocovado sugar
- Half a cup of cold, cubed unsalted butter
- Three or four tablespoons of milk
- Four ounces of chopped milk or dark chocolate (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees centigrade (or 350 degrees Fahrenheit). Line a tray with baking paper.
- Add all of the ingredients listed above except the chocolate and the milk into a food processor and pulse slowly until you have a mixture that looks like breadcrumbs. Gradually add the milk, pulsing now and again until the mixture starts to clump together. You do not need to add all of the milk if the mixture clumps together quickly and easily.
- Take the dough from the food processor and start to knead it a couple of times. Do not do this for too long.
- Placing the dough between two sheets of baking paper, start to roll it out thinly until it is about a quarter of an inch thick. If the dough begins to get too sticky and warm, place it in the fridge for a short while. Use a round cookie cutter to make your biscuits and then place them on your pre-prepared baking tray. Chill in the fridge for around ten minutes or just until they are firm.
- Bake your cookies for twelve or fifteen minutes until they appear golden brown around the edges. Take them out of the oven and let them rest for ten more minutes before putting them on a wire rack.
- If you want to add chocolate, wait until your biscuits have cooled down and then melt your chocolate in a bowl over simmering water. Either drizzle the chocolate or dip your cookies in.