Choose a digestive as a crunchy addition to a more substantial breakfast, such as wholemeal bread or yoghurt with fruit, rather than as your only breakfast item. When comparing wholemeal and 0% sugar varieties, check the sugars, polyols and allergens on the label too. Lotus Biscoff is a speculoos biscuit for a different taste preference, not a digestive.
You’re looking for a biscuit to enjoy alongside a more substantial weekend breakfast, not as a replacement for it. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre lists options such as wholemeal bread with a topping and yoghurt with fruit and oats.
You want to compare the fibre content and proportion of wholemeal flour without assuming that a wholemeal digestive also contains less sugar. Albert Heijn’s product information shows why it’s worth checking both figures.
You’re considering a 0% sugar digestive and want to know what other ingredients it contains. Albert Heijn lists polyols in its variety and warns that excessive consumption may have a laxative effect.
First decide what role the biscuit will play at breakfast. Then compare the nutritional information if fibre or sugars matter to you, or choose between the flavour of a digestive and that of speculoos.
| What to consider | What should you check? | Who is this important to? |
|---|---|---|
| Role at breakfast | Decide whether the biscuit is an addition to other breakfast foods, rather than the whole breakfast. | I already serve something like wholemeal bread or yoghurt with fruit and just want to add something crunchy. For around 42% of consumers, this supporting role is the priority. |
| Fibre, wholemeal content and sugars | Compare fibre and sugars per 100 g; for a wholemeal variety, also check the proportion of wholemeal flour in the ingredients list. | If I’m looking for more fibre, I also want to know how much sugar the biscuit contains. This balance is the deciding factor for around 33% of consumers. |
| Flavour and type of biscuit | Choose between a digestive and speculoos based on the product type and its described flavour, not just the shape of the biscuit. | With my coffee, I might want a plain wheat biscuit or a caramelised speculoos biscuit. Biscuit type and flavour are the first things around 25% of consumers consider. |
A biscuit can be part of your breakfast, but it won’t automatically replace the other breakfast foods. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre lists wholegrain products, fruit and dairy or alternatives among its breakfast suggestions.
First decide what else you want to eat, then add a biscuit if you fancy something crunchy.
According to Albert Heijn’s product information, AH Digestive wholemeal contains 6 g of fibre and 20 g of sugars per 100 g, compared with 3.2 g of fibre and 16 g of sugars per 100 g in AH Digestive. So, with these two varieties, more fibre doesn’t mean less sugar.
Check both fibre and sugars per 100 g, and look at the stated proportion of wholemeal flour.
Albert Heijn lists 14 g of polyols per 100 g in AH Digestive 0% sugar and warns that excessive consumption may have a laxative effect.
Check the polyols, the rest of the nutritional information and any warnings on the pack too.
Albert Heijn and Jumbo list wheat in the product information for the digestives discussed here; Jumbo also lists gluten. The name of the biscuit won’t tell you whether a particular variety is suitable for someone with an allergy.
Before buying, check the current ingredients and allergen information for the pack you’ve chosen.
This own-label range includes a standard digestive, a wholemeal variety and a 0% sugar variety.
Its own-label range includes a crunchy 400 g digestive; Jumbo also stocks McVitie’s digestives.
A speculoos biscuit for anyone who fancies a caramelised flavour with their coffee or weekend breakfast, rather than a classic digestive.
An ALDI own-label range of wheat digestive biscuits, including a 300 g pack shown here.
Lidl’s own-label biscuit range; Lidl also stocks plain Digestives.
This selection of Joybuy products includes a plain digestive, two chocolate-coated digestives and a Lotus Biscoff speculoos biscuit. Choose the plain digestive if you want an uncoated biscuit; the other products are better suited to a preference for chocolate or caramelised speculoos.
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A plain digestive for a crunchy addition to your weekend breakfast. Check the current nutritional information and the allergens on the pack if they’re important to you.
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A speculoos biscuit for anyone who fancies a caramelised flavour with their coffee, rather than a substitute for a classic digestive. If you have allergies, check the full ingredients and allergen information on the current pack.
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A milk chocolate digestive for anyone who’d prefer a chocolate-coated biscuit with their weekend breakfast rather than a plain one. Check the current pack for allergens and compare nutritional values on the same basis.
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A chocolate-coated digestive for anyone who doesn’t want a plain, uncoated variety. Check the current pack to see which type of chocolate, allergens and nutritional values are listed for this product.
It’s best to think of a digestive as an addition rather than your only breakfast item. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre suggests options such as wholemeal bread with a topping or yoghurt with fruit and oats, so decide what else you’d like to serve too.
Not necessarily: Albert Heijn lists 20 g of sugars per 100 g for AH Digestive wholemeal and 16 g per 100 g for AH Digestive. The wholemeal variety does contain more fibre. So compare both figures on the labels of the products you’re considering.
As well as the sugars, check which polyols are used and read any warnings. Albert Heijn lists 0.3 g of sugars and 14 g of polyols per 100 g for AH Digestive 0% sugar, along with a warning that excessive consumption may have a laxative effect.
Read the allergen information on the specific, current pack. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority states that allergens must be listed on the label of prepacked foods. Albert Heijn lists wheat in the digestives discussed here, while Jumbo lists wheat and gluten in its own-label variety.
Follow the storage instructions on the pack you’ve chosen and seal it carefully after opening. Albert Heijn and Jumbo’s product information recommends storing the digestives discussed here in a cool, dark and dry place.
