The Oreo Biscuit, made by the Nabisco company, is one of the most popular biscuits in the world. It is composed of two rounds of chocolate wafers with a sweet creme filling in between, which is available in various sizes and flavors. The original flavor of Oreo was created in 1912 and has since become one of the most consumed biscuits among people.
With its iconic black-and-white cookies and various flavors, Oreo has become a staple in many people’s lives. But what is this biscuit really made of? And is Oreo good for health?
While the Oreo biscuit is undoubtedly one of the most delicious biscuits to eat, it is packed with unhealthy ingredients that can have a negative impact on your health. For instance, it contains high levels of sugar and fat and unhealthy additives like refined wheat flour and palmolein.
In this post, I will share 7 reasons why Oreo biscuit is not good for your health. But before that, Let’s look at it’s ingredients and nutrition value.
Ingredients in Oreo biscuit
While Oreo offers a variety of flavors, common key ingredients across most flavors include:
- Refined wheat flour (Maida)
- Sugar
- Fractionated fat
- Palmolein
- Invert sugar
- Cocoa solids
- Leavening agents (500(ii), 503(ii))
- Starch
- Iodised salt
- Colour (162)
- Emulsifiers (339(ii), yeast extract, 322)
Nutrition value of Oreo biscuit
A 100g serving of Oreo biscuit contains:
- Calories: 483
- Fat: 19.6g
- Carbohydrates: 71.9g
- Sugar: 38.7g
- Protein: 5.2g
- Fiber: 0g
- Sodium: 420mg
7 Reasons why Oreo biscuit is not good for health
Made from refined wheat flour
The first reason that makes Oreo unhealthy for you is that it is made up of refined wheat flour. Unfortunately, it is also one of the key ingredients in Oreo.
Well, there is no doubt that refined wheat flour-based products are way tastier than other flour, but they aren’t good for your health.
Refined wheat flour or Maida has all of the nutrients and fiber removed from it, making it less healthy.
Additionally, too much Maida in your diet has been linked to many chronic conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and high cholesterol.
High sugar content
In this current era where an ever-increasing amount of individuals are falling victim to diabetes, obesity, and weight gain, sugar should have minimal to no place in people’s diets. And yet it is in your most lovable biscuit.
Even if one doesn’t examine the nutrition label, they can easily identify by the taste that Oreo is loaded with sugar. When I first tasted Oreo, it seemed like I was eating a spoon of sugar.
A single serving of Oreo, which is three biscuits, contains 11.6g of sugar. This is the same as eating three teaspoons of sugar. And it’s also a fact that most of us never stop at three cookies, thereby consuming too much sugar.
About 30% of the calories in Oreo come from sugar, which is empty calories.
Eating too much sugar than recommended daily can lead to various problems such as weight gain, obesity, diabetes, cavities, and mood swings (especially in children).
High in fat
Even though Oreo biscuit is a treat, it is high in fat, especially saturated fat.
A single serving of Oreo has 5.8g of fat, about half of which is saturated fat. This might look small, but most people don’t stop at three biscuits, which can end up eating away a high amount of saturated fat.
Over the years, studies have shown that including foods with a high amount of saturated fat in the diet increases bad cholesterol levels, increasing the risk of heart disease.
However, some new studies deny the negative effect of saturated fat on health. Still, these studies are new and, therefore, cannot be relied on until more studies are done.
Loaded with calories
One of the downfalls of Oreo, in addition to the high sugar content, is the number of calories.
A single serving of three biscuits contains 146 combined calories. And while this may not seem like an extreme amount, many people sitting down with Oreo end up consuming more than three. As a result, they end up consuming too many calories.
Calories aren’t bad for you, but if you overeat them, the body stores them as fat, leading to many problems like overweight or obese. In the long run, these problems increase the risk of diabetes and other chronic conditions.
Zero nutrition value
It’s a fact that people nowadays, before buying a product, look for the taste rather than its ingredients and nutrition. And this is one of the reasons why biscuits like Oreo have become popular.
Oreo biscuit is filled with empty calories and offers no fiber, vitamins or minerals. Even if they are present, they have not included in the label, and they must be in a meager amount.
This led to conclude that Oreo biscuit is little more than junk food with zero nutritional value. It does contain protein but negligible, just 1.5g in a serving.
Addictive as drugs
If you are one of those who have a hard time resisting eating Oreo, this is because you have been addicted to it.
A study on rats found that Oreo is just as addictive as drugs. In fact, it activate cells in the brain’s pleasure area than did cocaine.
The studies say that the reason for the addiction is possibly because of the combination of sugar and fat. However, it can also be any other type of ingredient that Oreo hasn’t revealed.
Whatever the reason, one thing is for sure if you don’t stop your craving for Oreo, it can lead you to various health problems in the future.
Contain food additives
Food additives are substances added to food to enhance its taste and increase the shelf life. But when it comes to health, they do nothing good. In fact, many food additives pose various health risks to people.
Oreo contains emulsifier 339(ii), also called disodium phosphate. As per some sources, overconsumption of this emulsifier might lead to bloating, vomiting, headache, dizziness and irregular heartbeats.
The risk is more for people with medical conditions such as kidney disease, heart failure or intestinal tears.
Additionally, it contains soy lecithin so if you are someone with a soy allergy, keep yourself away from Oreo.
Is Oreo biscuit good for weight loss?
Oreo biscuit is not good for weight loss as it is loaded with calories and offer no nutritional value that is necessary for shedding pounds.
Ingredients like Maida, sugar, palmolein, and invert sugar can negatively impact your weight loss efforts. In fact, if you don’t control your cravings for Oreo, it might lead to unhealthy weight gain.
So, if you are trying to lose weight, it is best to avoid Oreo biscuits.
Final words
To conclude, while Oreo may be tasty, it is definitely not good for your health. Consuming it in large amount which is easily possible(because of it’s small size and taste) can lead to various health problems.
However, if you can control your craving to just two biscuits once in a while won’t hurt at all.
But don’t forget that if you really want to enjoy the sweetness of biscuits in your life, there are plenty of healthier alternatives that are both delicious and nutritious.
So the next time you crave Oreo, try to limit yourself to a couple, or better yet, none at all.
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