What's a Healthy Cookie?

The Ministry of Health in Bulgaria recently announced that a batch of wafer biscuits from a certain brand was suspected to contain melamine and required dealers to remove them entirely.Cookies are one of the many beloved foods, how can you eat cookies nutritiously and deliciously?This issue, journalists invite nutrition experts to offer advice. Vani Zhirong, an associate professor from the College of Food Science at China Agricultural University, suggests that when choosing biscuits, always carefully read the ingredient list and nutritional information on the packaging. The flour used in cookie making

is usually refined wheat flour, which has lower nutritional value. If the ingredients include milk, nuts, whole grains , or beans, these can increase the nutritional value of the cookies. Besides flour, one must also distinguish the type of oil used in the biscuits.Ordinary plant oils are relatively better, while animal fats such as lard, pork fat

, andbutter have a higher content of saturated fatty acids, which is slightly less nutritious. Fats containing trans fatty acids, such as shortening, plant creams, hydrogenated vegetable oils, are the least beneficial to health. To determine the fat content is not difficult. Wrap a cookie in a tissue and press it with a heavy object for 20 minutes; observe how much oil has seeped onto the paper.The more oil on the paper, the higher the fat content.If the cookies are crunchy but not greasy, yet many oils have seeped into the paper towel, this indicates that their saturated fatty acid content is high and detrimental to health. The ingredient composition of biscuits also needs careful inspection; most flavors come from flavoring and coloring agents.

Chocolate-flavored biscuits may not be made with real cocoa butter but could be imitation chocolate made from vegetableshortenings, which often contain trans fatty acids.

Relatively speaking, biscuits that are less sweet, have milder flavors, lower fat content, and contain vegetables are more healthy.The idea that eating whole grains is good for health has been widely accepted, and the market offers many so-called high-fiber grain cookies. However, if packaging claims of whole wheat, millet

, black wheat, or five-grain cookies rank low in their ingredient list, they may not be genuine whole grain cookies. Vani Zhirong analyzes a certain biscuit with the ingredients as "wheat flour, white sugar, butter, vegetable shortening, peanut, whey powder, salt, etc."From this ingredient list, it can be seen that the first component is wheat flour, followed by white sugar and vegetable shortening. Therefore, when buying high-fiber grain cookies, check the fiber content in the nutritional information; if less than 5 grams, they are not truly high-fiber biscuits.

Soda crackers are often considered among the most nutritious cookies and are widely regarded as a good breakfast option. However, Vani Zhirong points out that soda crackers are typically made from refined wheat flour with low fiber content. To achieve layering effects, they may add sodium bicarbonate, which reduces B vitamins.High-fiber whole grain biscuits, on the other hand, have a poorer mouthfeel due to their high fiber content and thus often contain more oil to improve texture, leading to higher fat content that can increase blood lipids and be detrimental to heart health prevention. Some cookies may use hydrogenated vegetable oils, which are even less beneficial to human health.Therefore, Vani Zhirong advises that biscuits should not replace main meals; they should only be consumed as emergency snacks or light snacks. Even low-sugar cookies cannot be eaten in large quantities because apart from sugar, their primary components are starch and fat, which can turn into body fat. From the ingredients list, it can be seen that wheat flour is the first ingredient, followed by white sugar and then plant shortening. In this way, the fewer the contents, the lower their ranking. Therefore, when purchasing high-fiber whole grain cookies, one should look at the fiber content in the nutritional information; if it's less than 5 grams, it is not a high-fiber cookie.

Soda biscuits are often considered to be among the most nutritious types of cookies and are also commonly consumed as morning breakfast. However, Fan Zhirong points out that soda biscuits are generally made from refined white flour It is made from starch, has low fiber content, and baking soda is added to achieve a layered effect, which reduces B vitamins. Whole grain cookies with higher fiber content have lower fiber texture, and to compensate for the taste, manufacturers often add a lot of oil, resulting in a high fat content that may lead to Blood cholesterol levels increase, which is not conducive to preventing heart disease. Some cookies also use hydrogenated vegetable oils, which are even less favorable to human health.

Therefore, Fan Zhirong warns that cookies should not replace main meals and are best used as emergency snacks, such as for mid-meal snacking. Even low-sugar cookies cannot be consumed in large quantities because the primary components besides sugar—starch and oil—are likely to turn into excess body fat.