Biscuits vs. Rusk vs. Mathri: Tea is an integral part of the morning and evening routine in Indian households. It often becomes a habit to pair tea with snacks like biscuits, rusk, or mathri. While this combination may taste good, the choice of snack becomes crucial if you are focused on weight management, staying fit, or maintaining a healthy diet.

Commercially available sweet biscuits, rusks, and fried mathris, in particular, can be high in refined flour (maida), sugar, salt, and fat. Consuming them frequently with tea can increase your total daily calorie intake. However, it would be incorrect to label any single food item as entirely "bad," as the impact depends on portion size, ingredients, and your overall diet.

Let’s explore which of these options—biscuits, rusk, or mathri—might be the most detrimental to fitness and what better alternatives exist.

Which is more harmful with tea: biscuits, rusk, or mathri?

Determining which of the three is the worst option depends on the quantity consumed and the ingredients used to make them. If eaten regularly in large amounts, all three can hinder your fitness and weight management efforts.

Mathri

Mathri is typically made from refined flour (maida) or wheat flour and is deep-fried in oil or ghee. This process significantly increases its calorie and fat content. If you are trying to lose weight, consuming mathri with tea on a daily basis is not considered a good choice.

Sweet Biscuits

People often view biscuits as a light snack, but widely packaged varieties contain high levels of refined flour, sugar, and fat. The habit of eating multiple biscuits with tea—rather than just one or two—can lead to an increase in daily calorie intake. 

Rusk

Rusk is another popular snack enjoyed with tea. It is typically made using refined flour (maida), sugar, and fat. Although it may appear light, it is not necessarily low in calories; therefore, it is best consumed in moderation.

Which option is better for fitness?

If your goal is to manage your weight or maintain fitness, you might choose more nutritious options instead of consuming packaged or fried snacks with your tea every day. Roasted chickpeas (bhuna chana), fox nuts (makhana), a handful of nuts, or a lightly salted snack would be better choices.

Keep these points in mind while having tea.

Adding excessive sugar to tea can increase your daily calorie intake. Therefore, keep the sugar content low and pay attention to the portion size of your snacks. Most importantly, fitness does not depend on a single food item alone; it is influenced by your overall daily diet, physical activity, sleep, and lifestyle.

PC Social Media