Can there be healthy cookies?

In general, cookies are high in free sugars and saturated fats. They are, therefore, considered unhealthy foods. Including them too often in our diet can be a risk factor for developing type II diabetes, obesity and Alzheimer's throughout life.

That is why they are located at the top of the Healthy Eating Pyramid of the Spanish Society of Community Nutrition, which means that they should only be consumed occasionally.

Currently, more than 1 billion people (aged 600 years and older) in the world are overweight or obese. This figure is expected to rise to 15 billion by 2. In the EU, approximately 300% of adults and 2050% of school-age children carry this unhealthy excess weight.

Cookies that are respectful of our liver
The dramatic increase in obesity, sedentary lifestyle and high intake of unhealthy foods are largely responsible for the increased incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. This ailment has its origin in imbalances in the use of nutrients such as those usually provided by cookies and affects between 15% and 30% of the population.

The problem is that consuming too many free sugars and saturated fats can alter the functioning of the immune system, which in turn influences the absorption, accumulation and use of fats in the body.

Would it then make any sense to add the adjective “healthy” to the word “cookies”? Most professionals related to food and health do not believe this in any case. That is why it is often surprising to know that it is possible to make cookies with health benefits, as long as they include certain ingredients.

Specifically, we are talking about incorporating grain and seed flours, for example, such as quinoa and chia, which promote healthier use of nutrients in the body. However, in stores and supermarkets we find them in a very low proportion, which suggests that their inclusion is more related to marketing than to true considerations about the health of consumers.

Towards precision nutrition
Before “getting into flour”, we must not forget that certain psychological and social factors drive the consumption of cookies. This means that liver diseases can worsen depending on the consumer's circumstances: aspects such as education, income, environment or even the quality of housing are very important. Who is going to eat them and under what conditions they are going to do so becomes very important.

The combination of these considerations has given rise to research on the formulation and ingredients of cookies and other cereal-based foods: immunonutrition.

These studies reflect the changes that nutrition science is experiencing: previously, the intention was to provide adequate nutrients to the entire population, while now the particular characteristics of the consumer and their health status are taken into account. This is what has been called “precision nutrition.”

In any case, it is not easy to predict the effect of cookies from their nutritional profile, since it is highly conditioned by the structure that the nutrients give to the cookie, an aspect to which very little attention has been paid. Nor should we forget that they are part of a variable diet that is accompanied by other foods.

Enriched with chia and quinoa
Taking all this into account, how would you approach making healthy cookies? Its flours (especially whole wheat flours) provide quality nutrients and other natural components that modify the function of the immune system. This means that we could regulate through them the excessive absorption of fats and sugars and their use by the body.

To put it into practice, in our research we partially replace free sugars, flour and fats with whole wheat quinoa flour with chia fiber. Well, the consumption of these special cookies not only reversed the volunteers' tendency to gain weight, but also increased their metabolism and, consequently, the “burning” of fats and sugars. All of these effects are produced by specific changes in the immune system and do not require strict control over diet.

In addition, the new recipe with quinoa and chia ingredients is also respectful of the microbial flora and its activity in our digestive system. This is important, because several microorganisms are responsible for eliminating the fats and sugars we ingest. Keeping them in good condition helps prevent obesity.

For everything explained above, cookies could be an ideal food in certain diets, they would continue to fulfill their social role and help prevent certain nutritional imbalances. And this is not being considered significantly in the production of that range of foods.

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Source: The Conversation. Authorship:

José Moisés Laparra Llopis
Researcher in Molecular Immunonutrition in Cancer, IMDEA ALIMENTACIÓN

Claudia Monika Haros
Scientist in the Area of ​​Food Science and Technology, Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology (IATA -CSIC)

José Moisés Laparra Llopis receives funds from the National R&D&I Plan of the Government of Spain

Claudia Monika Haros receives funds from the Ministry of Science and Innovation.