A nutritionist explains the dangers of store-bought cookies.

“There are a number of studies showing an increased risk of cancer with regular consumption of margarine”

On October 28, the world celebrates International Homemade Cookie Day. Almost everyone loves this delicacy: children and adults, men and women. It is believed that cookies are high-calorie and not the healthiest product. However, it is within our power to make it as useful as possible and not too burdensome from the point of view of the figure.

Advice to our readers on how to prepare “healthy” cookies was given by dietitian, head of the day hospital of the Medical Nutrition Clinic of the Federal State Budgetary Institution of Science “Federal Research Center for Nutrition and Biotechnology” Tatyana Zaletova.

As Tatyana Zaletova says, there is no problem buying cookies in the store today: they are presented here for every taste and budget. And yet, most of the products in this category presented on store shelves can hardly be called a healthy product: “Very often store-bought cookies contain margarine, a vegetable fat with trans isomers of fatty acids. It has long been established that regular consumption of trans fats is a major risk factor for cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. In addition, there are a number of studies showing an increased risk of cancer with regular consumption of margarine. Therefore, we must say a categorical no to liver and any baked goods containing margarine.”

In addition, our expert continues, such products, as a rule, have a high sugar content. “And modern trends in dietetics call for giving up added sugar in food and consuming foods only with natural sugar content, that is, fruits and dried fruits,” continues Tatyana Zaletova.

Another important component of cookies is flour. Most often it is prepared from premium wheat flour. This is a refined product that belongs to simple carbohydrates and which negatively affects weight and blood sugar levels. “It should be added that industrially produced cookies most often contain a lot of flavor enhancers, dyes and preservatives. Of course, they are allowed and registered in the food industry, but, on the other hand, the less of them in the diet, the safer it is,” notes the nutritionist.

For those planning to buy cookies in the store, the doctor advises studying the label: look for cookies that do not contain margarine, and ideally, no sugar. Or sugar is in last place in the list of product ingredients. Well, it’s really good if this product is made not only from premium flour, but with the addition of, for example, oatmeal or bran. Sometimes margarine can be hidden behind “vegetable oil” if there is a “modified” prefix. And yet, says Dr. Zaletova, it is impossible to completely bypass the word “margarine” in the composition based on today’s laws: “This is a harmful product from the point of view of frequent use, and manufacturers are required to indicate it on the packaging.”

However, if you want to enjoy cookies, but don’t want to accumulate all the risks that we talked about above, you need to prepare the delicacy at home. When preparing it, the doctor advises using any other flour except premium wheat or even replacing flour with oatmeal. Or add bran to flour.

“Use cottage cheese or egg white as a fixative. And instead of sugar, add fruits or dried fruits (raisins, dried apricots, prunes contain natural sugars). Then, as a result, you will get a more balanced product that contains both proteins and carbohydrates, which will give you energy and building material, maintain a feeling of fullness for a long time and allow you to maintain your figure,” says Dr. Zaletova.