When I’m in a rush in the morning, Belvita has been my go-to. They definitely get the job done as far as grab-and-go healthy breakfasts are concerned. Belvita’s biggest marketing claim is “4 hours of nutritious, steady energy,” which I’d like to explore in this review as well. Today let’s take a deeper look into Belvita’s breakfast biscuits to see if they’re worth your buy.
How Much Does Belvita Cost?
At Market Street where I purchased my pack of 5, I paid $3.19 ($0.36/oz). At Target, they cost the same $3.19!
On Amazon I found a 6-pack of boxes, making each box $2.99.
How Does Belvita Taste?
These are actually very good!
Sometimes whole grain items don’t taste great to me, and one of the things Belvita promotes about this product is that it has 19g of whole grains per serving. I thought that would make it taste kind of…blah. In reality though, they have a LOT of flavor. My favorite flavor is Cranberry Orange. It’s on the sweeter side of the flavor spectrum, and you really feel like you just ate a cranberry and an orange.
With the chocolate flavor that I have pictured above, the flavor isn’t as strong and the fact that you’re eating a biscuit is much more prevalent, but it’s still nice! I think the chocolate biscuit would taste better with nut butter spread on it, to give it some more flavor.
Other delicious flavors include cinnamon brown sugar (their most popular flavor, from what I can tell), toasted coconut, and blueberry (another of my faves)!
Nutrition Breakdown of Belvita
For how great it tastes, I was surprised at the nutrition label Belvita’s got. For the purpose of the info below, we are taking a look at Belvita’s Chocolate Biscuits. Here’s the goods:
What stood out to you?
For me, there’s a couple things that caught my eye:
1 serving is 1 package, or 4 biscuits. Sometimes labels can be a bit tricky because the label will boast about how much of X nutrient it has per serving…but then the serving size is unrealistic to the amount that most people would actually eat (usually on the smaller side!). My favorite example is with Oreos. The serving size is three cookies. THREE. I know I’m not the only one who opens a package of Oreos and then eats more than three!
There is 4g fiber and 4g protein. This is where I believe the “4 hours of nutritious, steady energy” claim is mainly based in. Fiber and protein take longer to digest when compared to carbohydrates, so when we’re talking about getting lasting energy from food, items with a good balance of proteins, carbs, fats, and fiber usually give a more steady increase in energy levels.
In my experience with eating this product (I’ve been eating these on the reg for about 3-4 months now) it does give a couple hours of energy–meaning I don’t feel hungry again for about 3 hours. I wanted to be sure to make something clear: everyone’s body is different, and there is no guarantee that this will keep you full for 4 hours. For me, that ended up not being true, and I’m totally okay with that! I still enjoy eating Belvita and buy them regularly to enjoy as snacks or a quick breakfast on the go.
Another quick tidbit here: I would suggest eating this with something else if you want to stay full longer. Whatever works with your situation is fine, but here’s a few ideas: a banana, apple or orange, a yogurt cup, a small smoothie, scrambled eggs (if you’re able to sit down and eat in the morning, or if you can find a creative way to take those with you on the run–ha!).
There are 11g of sugar, all of which are added sugar. This is a bit of a drawback for me, but in all honesty I think this is fine, especially when compared to some alternatives (such as energy drinks–a popular breakfast option). The USDA recommends limiting added sugars in your diet to 25g (2 tablespoons) per day for women, and 38g (3 tablespoons) per day for men.
There is 1.8mg iron. This is something I’m always looking for in foods. A lot of breakfast foods don’t have much iron (with the exception of certain hot cereals, and some cold cereals). As a woman, I’m always looking to keep my iron levels up since we often lose more iron than men due to menstruation. This has 10% of your daily iron needs and I think for 4 yummy biscuits, that’s a wonderful perk!
What This Product Is Good For…
A quick, convenient breakfast with lots of whole grains and a good amount of protein and fiber that will likely hold you over for a while.
A delicious snack that’s easy to carry in a diaper bag or purse.
What This Product Isn’t Good For…
If you’ve read my product reviews before, you know there’s always one thing I say: this product isn’t a good choice for you if you are choosing it to “be good.” The reason I say that every time is because it’s just true–your morality doesn’t come from food! You have to make the best choice for you, so I’m not going to tell you a food is “good” or “bad” because food doesn’t work that way. All foods fit into a healthy diet! For more on this, go to my first product review where I talk more about this.
As I stated above, I think this also isn’t a good breakfast to eat by itself. I have done this–and it didn’t leave me feeling my best. I felt better when I ate it as a part of my breakfast and listened to my hunger/fullness cues.
I hope you enjoyed this product review! Have you tried Belvita? If so, what’s your favorite flavor? Is there anything else you want to know about this product? Are there products you’d like me to review in the future? Let me know in the comments below!
I’ve been a Belvita fan since they came on the market. And I agree with all their goodness you’ve mentioned and your favorite flavor choices 🙂 These are an easy grab for a much needed snack between my breakfast and late lunch at the office… and I take a pack to my Saturday morning job because I skip breakfast there altogether. Over the past year I have really scrutinized my sat fat, and sodium. But I also want to limit my sugar intake and know my “daily habit” of Belvita needs a revamp. (Or maybe I don’t need all 4 cookies!) 😛 … I am definitely going to take a closer look at your no bake trail bars recipe which might be a healthier substitute. Thank you for that!
Hi Marybeth, thank you so much for your kind words! This shouldn’t be taken as medical advice as I don’t know your health history, but one idea you could try is to bring a handful of almonds or cashews to eat with your Belvita, if you enjoy eating them. This will add some protein and healthy fats to the mix! My trail mix bars are another great on-the-go option. If you do try them, I’d love to know what you think! Best of luck on your health journey. 🙂
Thank you for mentioning how important it is to honor our own bodies rather than assign food morality to our food choices. I find myself falling into that trap of “is the ‘good’ for me?” when looking at food items, and the reality is, no one—nor can a label—decide that for me aside from myself. I appreciate you, thank you for sharing!
YES, exactly Brianna, you said it perfectly! I am so glad that’s what you took away from this post, that is at the core of my philosophy. There are no good or bad foods!