Belvita Fruit Crunch Apple & Pear Multigrain Biscuits 225 g

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Walkers, Cadbury’s, and McVitie’s are just a few the brands making the change, with new HFSS policies being implemented this October.

But nutrition is more than just a number’s game. It is about taste, pleasure and choosing to eat in a way that fits with the life you want to lead and the goals you want to achieve. Breakfast biscuit brand Belvita is launching three new non-HFSS biscuit bars, including Fruit Crunch Raisin & Currant, Fruit Crunch Apple & Pear, and Soft Bake Apricot flavours.On the plus side, Belvita breakfast biscuits do contain some minerals, vitamins and fibre which are all beneficial for your body so at least you will get something good out of them.

To be honest, I definitely had a preconceived opinion about BelVita. The idea of biscuits for breakfast just doesn’t seem right at first, especially in a world dominated by food fixations. They are processed, have a huge list of ingredients and, well, they have the word biscuit in the title. Biscuits aren’t breakfast food, are they? Or are they? Time for a closer look to see what the nutritional claims are, what the reality is and try to work out if they are healthy or not. The bottom line is, if you care about your health you wouldn’t want to eat these biscuits every day but having them as an occasional treat as part of a healthy and balanced diet is totally acceptable. They contain “fruit and fibre ingredients with a crunchy texture” and weigh in at under 100 calories per biscuit.

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I would have to say yes, these could be enjoyed as part of a healthy lifestyle… but then again, so can Dairy Milk and Mr Kipling Cherry Bakewells. They contain vitamin C: Both apples and pears contain vitamin C, which does more than bolster the immune system. In one study, people with high blood concentrations of vitamin C (a sign for high fruit and veggie intake) had lower BMIs, lower blood pressure, and lower levels of c-reactive protein (a marker of inflammation), all of which are linked to a lower risk for heart disease.

Let’s start with the ingredients. Alarm bells start ringing when you look at the ingredients list of Belvita biscuits. I tried the Milk and Cereals biscuit with around 20 ingredients in it. There is nothing particularly unhealthy from a strictly nutritional point of view, although some of the ingredients definitely raise an eyebrow. I’m pretty sure not many people are enjoying that every morning. I hate to say it but even though they are not the worst thing to eat nutritionally, I still think that these biscuits are targeted at the kind of people that buy their breakfasts from a petrol station. They’re rich in antioxidants: A study at The Ohio State University found that eating an apple every day for four weeks lowered levels of a kind of “bad” cholesterol that triggers hardening of the arteries. Researchers say the kind of antioxidants in apples—called polyphenols–may be the reason why.They also contain less fat per 100g than other biscuits. However, 30% Less Sugar Chocolate Chip biscuits are also worth considering since they are the lowest in sugar out of all Belvita biscuits (although they are still high in calories).