Biscuits have universal appeal. It seems from the time you’re given your first rusk as a teething baby you’re hooked! From the Gingernuts and Milk Arrowroot given to older babies, biscuits move on to become a lunchbox staple, are essential to the morning tea shout at work, plus they offer a ‘little something’ to hit the spot at other times. So what should you look for in your humble pack of biscuits?

Nutritionally there are two considerations when choosing biscuits in the supermarket for both children and adults. Biscuits containing fruit offer more goodness than those that don’t, so try choosing ones containing sultanas, apricots or currants. The fruit filling provides additional fibre and some vitamins. To decipher the fruit content of a biscuit, look at the ingredients list as it should tell you the percentage of fruit contained. This can also be useful when comparing different biscuits and brands.

Fibre is an essential nutrient that keeps our bowels regular, promotes heart health and offers satiety by keeping us feeling fuller for longer. According to the Ministry of Health, New Zealand adults should be consuming at least 30g of fibre each day with good sources being plant based foods (fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, breads and grains).

Plunket recommends that high fibre foods such as whole-grain cereals should not be given to babies, as they contain too much fibre for their immature digestive systems to handle. High fibre foods are best left until your baby is at least two years old, because these foods travel so fast through the intestines they can prevent your child getting the goodness from other foods.

So if you choose high fibre biscuits, keep these for the adults until your child is at least two years old. High fibre choices include those based on bran, rolled oats and grains. Although they may appear plain and look like cardboard, bran biscuits are actually very tasty and have a lovely crunchy texture and nutty taste.

Anzac biscuits are based on rolled oats so have plenty of fibre, as do muesli based biscuits and slices. Biscuits that are a ‘good source of fibre’ should have at least 4g of fibre per serving and those that are an ‘excellent source of fibre’ should have at least 7g of fibre per serving.  Check the nutrition information panel for this information. With muesli bars, it pays to check the nutrition information panel - see here for more.

Plain biscuits such as malt, arrowroot, wine and gingernuts are better options than chocolate biscuits in terms of energy and fat levels.  These are quite firm so can be good for teething babies and adding to lunch boxes (and for dunking into a nice hot cup of tea). 

Reserve indulgent biscuits such as those covered in chocolate, iced and creamed-filled for special occasions like birthday parties, treats and celebrations.  Energy, fat (particularly saturated fat) and sugar contents can be fantastically high in these varieties, which is why they taste so good! You can make yourself feel better by comparing brands and choosing those with lower levels of these nutrients.  Although nut containing biscuits can have high fat levels, bear in mind the fat found in nuts is predominantly monounsaturated (the ‘good’ type). 

The belief that carob is nutritionally superior to chocolate is a common misconception (sorry!).  In actual fact, carob has a similar fat and energy profile as milk and dark chocolate, suggesting it’s not a healthier choice if you’re watching your waistline.  Carob offers slightly more calcium (377mg/100g)  than milk and dark chocolate (250mg/100g and 52mg/100g respectively)  and contains no caffeine. 

Also be aware of biscuits that contain peanuts. Your Plunket ‘Thriving Under 5’ book recommends if there’s a strong family history of allergy, peanut containing foods should be avoided until after three years of age. Also as peanuts are small and hard there is a choking risk for young children.

Whatever the occasion, biscuits certainly deserve a look in – just try and aim for those with fibre and fruit present.

Endorsed by our New World Nutritionist  ||   Proudly Partnering with Parents Centre

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