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28 wellness<br />
focus<br />
Digestive Biscuits:<br />
What Do They Do?<br />
The first digestive biscuits were<br />
created by two Scottish doctors in<br />
1839 as a digestive aid. Digestive<br />
biscuits are considered a healthy<br />
snack but overdoing them might<br />
lead to weight gain. However,<br />
if you follow a healthy lifestyle,<br />
snacking on digestive biscuits<br />
can give you the following health<br />
benefits.<br />
Nutritious: Digestive<br />
biscuits give you the nutrition you<br />
need. A single biscuit has 50-80<br />
calories with essential nutrients<br />
such as fat, carbohydrate, fibre,<br />
sugar, protein <strong>and</strong> sodium.<br />
Source of whole<br />
grains <strong>and</strong> fibre: Although<br />
the ingredients vary depending on<br />
the br<strong>and</strong> of digestive biscuit you<br />
eat, choosing those with wholewheat<br />
flour is a good idea. Eating<br />
more whole grains may lower your<br />
risk of developing diabetes. They<br />
may help meet your daily fibre<br />
needs, aiding appetite control <strong>and</strong><br />
relieving constipation. Instead<br />
of eating the regular biscuits or<br />
cookies that contain refined flour,<br />
eat the fibre-rich digestive biscuits.<br />
Weight loss snack:<br />
You can control your cravings<br />
by eating a digestive biscuit. The<br />
dietary fibres in the biscuits help<br />
in making you feel full for a longer<br />
time. Look for low-fat, oats-<strong>and</strong>-noadded-sugar<br />
cookies.<br />
Boost energy: Digestive<br />
biscuits provide carbohydrate<br />
that help in energising you<br />
quickly. They contain sodium, the<br />
electrolyte your body needs to<br />
overcome fatigue.<br />
Fun-filled Digestive C<strong>and</strong>y<br />
& Powders<br />
Ayurveda believes that the health of<br />
the digestive system is the single most<br />
important long-term determinant of your<br />
health <strong>and</strong> wellbeing. Healthy digestion<br />
leads to a healthy life. Unhealthy digestion<br />
leads to an unhealthy physical as also<br />
psychological life. The symptoms of<br />
poor digestion include excessive gas,<br />
constipation, diarrhoea, burping, burning,<br />
vomiting, indigestion, bloating <strong>and</strong> pain.<br />
Along with making the right food<br />
choices, Ayurveda often recommends<br />
digestive powders to help you deal with<br />
gas <strong>and</strong> indigestion. A digestive powder or<br />
‘Pachak Churna’ is a combination of herbs<br />
meant to strengthen the digestive fire,<br />
promote healthy digestion <strong>and</strong> maintain<br />
normal levels of acidity. The powders or<br />
digestive c<strong>and</strong>y (especially that of amla or<br />
gooseberry <strong>and</strong> ginger or fennel, cori<strong>and</strong>er,<br />
asafetida, licorice <strong>and</strong> cumin) are often<br />
eaten after meals to speed up digestion <strong>and</strong><br />
to check accumulation of undigested food<br />
<strong>and</strong> vata (air). Digestive c<strong>and</strong>y <strong>and</strong> powders<br />
also help relieve nausea. Because of their<br />
sweet, sour, tangy taste, digestive c<strong>and</strong>y is<br />
very popular. Eat it as an occasional treat,<br />
though. If you want to eat it daily, stick to<br />
very small servings rather than a h<strong>and</strong>ful<br />
at a time.<br />
yourwellness.com • Volume VII • Issue III • <strong>August</strong> <strong>2018</strong>