These days, I spot this pack of crackers often in the shopping trolley of the person standing before me in the billing counter, especially if they are senior citizens. My sample size is too small to reach a conclusion but based on my observations, biscuits feature significantly in the diets of senior citizens these days, irrespective of their health ailments.
The pack quotes all the right phrases to capture today's urban consumers - sugar-free, honestly good biscuit, no added artificial colors or flavors, zero transfat etc.
Let's look at the ingredients list:
Refined wheat flour (91%)
Edible Vegetable Oil (Palm),
Yeast,
Iodised Salt,
Raising agent [503(ii)]
Milk Solids
Emulsifier (472e)
Improver (1102)
- The first ingredient is maida which constitutes a whopping 91%. Dietary fibre is not even mentioned in the Nutrition Facts table. Such highly refined/processed foods are NO good for any age group.
- There is no SUGAR listed in the ingredients. There is no artificial sweetener either. The "sugar-free" claim seems to be fine BUT what about salt/sodium? If there is no sugar, there should be enough salt added to compensate for the lack of taste. Iodised salt is the fourth listed ingredient BUT sodium is not mentioned in the Nutrition Facts table.
- The fat content in these lite cracker biscuits is relatively low (16%) as compared to digestive biscuits (21% in Nutrichoice Digestive). Irrespective of the quantity of the fats, we should be concerned about the source of fats used - palm oil, which is unhealthy for our body as well as for our planet.
- The other artificial additives in the form of raising agent, emulsifier and improver are present in these "honestly good" biscuits.
I have noticed that many senior citizens avoid fruits and veg salads with the reason that they won't be able to bite them but are happy to indulge in similar such biscuits (and other crunchy, packaged snacks). And the irony is that they take artificial fibre supplements every night to avoid constipation related issues. My personal experience - It is easier to convince kids and help them understand the perils of junk food than to convince senior citizens about the harmful effects of biscuits and "health drinks".
As I keep reiterating, it is okay to indulge in ANY junk food once in a while but what we should be most concerned are the "habitual" foods - the ONEs we consume every day. Biscuits are one among the top habitual foods in many households. Let's be mindful of the ingredients in ALL "health" biscuits.