| Your Health | | | | |  | Eating Well |
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| | Take 5 | | | | Crackers | | | |
Crackers are a great alternative to bread at lunchtime and for snacks, and the perfect accompaniment to salads and soups. They’re ideal for keeping in the cupboard or in your desk as they will last much longer than bread. There are lots of varieties of crackers around, but the main nutrient to look out for is fibre, as many of them are high in fibre which is a great way to boost intakes of this important nutrient that we tend not to get enough of.
Here’s a closer look at some popular crackers.
| | | | Nutrition Information | | | | Per 100g | Calories | Fat (g) | Saturates (g) | Fibre (g) | Salt (g) | | Rakusens 99% crackers | 360 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 3.9 | 1.8 | | Nairns organic oatcakes | 418 | 16.3 | 4.4 | 7.5 | 1.1 | | Ryvita sesame rye crispbread | 338 | 7.0 | 1.1 | 17.5 | 0.9 | | Wholegrain Crackerbread | 360 | 3.9 | 0.5 | 9.8 | 0.8 | | Fox’s wholemeal crackers | 454 | 20.4 | 7.5 | 7.4 | 1.6 |
| | | | Paula's Verdict |
Looking at the table above, it is immediately obvious which crackers are good choices in terms of fibre. The Ryvita comes out miles in front of the others, so you can guarantee that these will full you up for the afternoon along with some cheese and salad or soup, and would help you to beat the dreaded 3pm slump. The wholegrain Crackerbread, the Nairn’s oatcakes and Fox’s are all pretty similar in terms of their fibre content, but are miles behind the Ryvita.
The Ryvita crackers win out with their ingredients list too, with only three ingredients, all instantly recognisable, whereas some of the crackers contain a few ingredients that wouldn’t be found in the average kitchen cupboard.
The fat contents are quite varied, with the Rakusens being the lowest in fat, but unfortunately lowest in fibre and highest in salt, so not a great choice overall as they would not fill you up for very long. The oatcakes and Fox’s oatmeal crackers are both quite high in fat and saturates, due to the presence of various different oils. The fat in the Ryvita crackers will be mainly coming from the sesame seeds, and will be monounsaturated fat, which is a “good” type of fat that can help to lower levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol.
Finally bonus points go to the Ryvita crackers for providing a source of iron. Overall, these crackers are an excellent choice, and since they come in snack packs of 4, they will stay fresher for longer.
| | | | Ingredients | | | | Rakusens 99% crackers. Just 1% fat, herb & onion | | Wheatflour, water, mixed herbs (1.4%), onion powder (1.4%), salt | | | | Nairns organic oatcakes, rough oatmeal | | Organic wholegrain oats (89%), organic sunflower oil, organic palm fruit oil, sea salt, raising agent: sodium bicarbonate | | | | Ryvita sesame rye crispbread | | Wholegrain rye flour (90%), sesame seeds, salt | | | | Wholegrain Crackerbread | | Wholegrain wheat flour (91%), wheat flour, sugar, skimmed milk powder, vegetable oil, salt | | | | Fox’s wholemeal crackers | | Wholewheat flour, wheat bran, vegetable oil, maltodextrin, sunflower oil (6%), glucose syrup, raising agents (sodium bicarbonate, ammonium bicarbonate), invert sugar syrup, slat, flavouring | | | | Take 5...Salad Dressings | |
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