Biscuits for Breakfast ???

Today I was invited to meet with the lovely people at Kraft to provide them with my feedback on their new belVita breakfast biscuits. 

Now, as I said to them, my first impression of their new product was probably not the best. I thought to myself, how, on earth, could a biscuit be on par with a healthy breakfast? What ever happened to good old cereal and milk, and where is society headed if we're now eating biscuits for breakfast??!!!

That was my first impression. I admit, quite a negative one. 

But then after talking the biscuits around the office and starting to talk to to my (non dietitian) colleagues about the biscuits, I started to think outside the square and understand how these could be quite a useful product for some people. 

You see, I think as a dietitian I can be a little optimistic sometimes and think that because I enjoy a bowl of natural muesli for breakfast with skim milk and fruit, that so should everyone else. But in reality, the statistics out there are quite alarming and it seems that there are a lot of people that are just not eating breakfast all together. 

Now we know that breakfast is very powerful in terms of its health benefits, it helps with memory, concentration and mood, and we know that eating a healthy breakfast means you're more likely to stick with a healthy eating pattern for the rest of the day. 

So in saying that, what I have come to realise is that for whatever reason, if people aren't eating breakfast, something like this is most certainly better than not having anything all, and in fact there are a number of health benefits that these biscuits have. Some of these include:

• They're made with wholegrains, and a serve (4 biscuits) provides 10-20 grams of wholegrains (48g is the recommended target according to the Grains & Legumes Nutrition Council)
• They're low GI. (Milk & Cereals 45, Fruit & Fibre 47, Crunchy Oats 54)
• They're high in dietary fibre
• They're ratio of good fats to bad fats is 3:1 

Some other characteristics I like are

• They're ready to eat, and the packets are portion controlled, so it's not like opening a packet of Tim Tams, you can't be tempted to eat more than you should because they're all portioned out (4 biscuits per packet)
• They're good for those people that don't like to drink milk, or can't stomach too much in the mornings
• They're good for people that skip breakfast or don't have time. 
• They are non-perishable and have a long shelf life. One of my colleagues said they would be great to keep a packet in her office drawer if she ever ran out of time to have breakfast at home.
• They go just lovely with a cuppa :)
• And on that note, I was even thinking that they could be a good high fibre biscuit for the aged care residents that I work with!

Ok, now on to some constructive criticism.

• My main concern that I voiced to the team at Kraft was that fact that I was worried that consumers may get the wrong message and think it's ok to start eating any old biscuit for breakfast!! 
• I also felt it was disappointing that most retailers are positioning the biscuits in the biscuit isle, as opposed to the breakfast isle. 
• Some colleagues I spoke to said that they wouldn't eat them as breakfast, but as a mid morning snack. Now because the 4 biscuits in the pack are designed for breakfast, they contain around 1000kJ. For a snack I would only recommend around 500kJ, meaning that 2 biscuits would be suitable, as long as you can stop at that and not eat all 4 :)
• Another comment from one of the ladies in the office was that they'd taste nice with a some butter as a snack! So I guess it's not just the biscuits we have to consider, but also what people might put on them or what they may accompany that also needs to be looked at when considering the nutritional value. 
• Some people have also commented that the biscuits taste quite sugary, and are concerned because of the sugar content. The biscuits do have added sugar, ranging between 19.7 - 23.1% (around 2 tsps per serve, or 1/2 tsp per biscuit). So although this isn't ideal, if you're adding this much sugar to your cereal or having a refined cereal for breakfast then the breakfast biscuits are probably no worse. 
• The sodium content of the Milk & Cereals (428mg/100g) and Crunchy Oats (553mg/100g) flavours are a little higher that I would have liked to see in a breakfast product.
• Kraft recommends that belVita biscuits are best enjoyed with a tub of yoghurt, a piece of fruit and a tea or coffee to ensure that you're not missing out on your dairy and fruit components of a breakfast. But I do wonder how many people would actually eat some dairy and/or fruit with these biscuits... would you? 
• Finally, because a wide range of grains are used (wheat, barely, rye oats) they're obviously not going to be suitable for those that require a gluten free diet, or those with allergies (there is a long 'may contain' list on the label).

Fruit & Fibre

Milk & Cereals

Crunchy Oats

All in all, I think the final message I'd like to get across is the fact that no, these aren't perfect, and I'm certainly not one to promote processed foods, or biscuits, for breakfast, for that matter. I don't think you can ever replace a wholegrain breakfast like natural muesli or porridge with skim milk or yoghurt and fruit, which encompasses all the nutrients you need to start off your day well, and I would never recommend breakfast biscuits as a substitute. But I do think there is a place for these biscuits, and that's for people that don't eat breakfast at all. Because the research shows that you're far better having something than nothing.

What do you think? Do you like the idea of these, or do you, like me think that we might be making a mistake by heading down the road of encouraging biscuits for breakfast? Apparently we are just cottoning on here in Australia and in countries like France they've been around for years! Love to hear your thoughts.