Belvita: A New Breakfast Biscuit From Nabisco

I love LaraBars! The sugar content is a little high, but it's almost all natural sugar from dates. There are so few ingredients that I sometime make my own knock off versions at home- the bars get expensive. Do you endorse these too, snack girl? Also- an apple and a handful of pistachios works for me :-)

Katie

I'm a Weight Watchers leader, so I'm always on the 'look out' for new foods. I looked at these in the COOKIE aisle, saw the PointsPlus™ value.....and kept right on walking. A banana and container of yogurt works for me when I'm in a hurry. :-)

Jan G.

I love your articles, I'll be sure not to buy them!!! I never buy those type of things, I like to make my one, at least I can pronounce the ingredients in my cookies! have a great day and thanks for the review, it's good to know!!

Jennifer @ Peanut Butter and Peppers

I make my own Larabars like the commenter above....chocolatecoveredkatie.com has a great and easy recipe. I pop 2 of these right before a workout. I also like to make a smoothie before I head out in the morning....it's easy, it's portable, and I get everything I need in it! The only downside is cleaning out the cup after being in the car all day! :P

Kelly

Sadness. I actually had a cookie in my mouth while checking my email. Thank you for the review - and I reminder that I have to do better at checking labels and not just believing the packaging. :(

Heather B

Wow, great review! I like your Healthy or Crappy Cereal Test. I'll be using that one!

Carrie @ Season It Already!

I'm so glad I didn't fall for the hype either. Just the work cookie made me wonder, especially when it said they gave you all morning energy. I thought sugar right away. I'd much rather do some good ole chewing rather than slamming a cookie in my mouth. The cereal, cheese stick and an apple is much more appealing, plus an apple a day keeps the Dr away.

Sue K

I love your Healthy or Crappy Cereal Test -- I've never heard of that before. Thanks for another great post!

http://collegecookingandironchefamerica.blogspot.com/

Stephanie G

Well, guess I'll be giving away the box on my desk!

Ann Marie

I love your Healthy or Crappy Cereal Test. I saw these bars just this weekend at the store. Glad I didn't buy them.

Jaki (Slim Down U)

I love the Kashi Honey Almond Flax chewy granola bars and I am very happy to report they pass the Healthy or Crappy Test!!

Caryn

Thanks for the article! If I'm in a hurry and have to eat in the car, I make a smoothie or baked oatmeal. I make the yummy recipe from this site almost weekly and keep it in the fridge. It's a tasty and satisfying snack or meal.

Tina

Bummed since I just purchased these the other week. I was suffering from morning sickness so the carbs helped me feel better. I'll keep them around as a snack, but they definitely won't replace my cereal in the morning.

Michelle

If the SECOND ingredient is enriched flour, then how are these "100% Whole Grain" as snackgirl wrote as the good news about these? I'm sure they are "mostly" whole grain but not 100%. Do these have whole grain council stamp on them? If so, how many actual grams of whole grain are present?

Jason

I love LaraBars. I have been trying them 3-4 breakfasts per week,a different bar each time. I am AMAZED at what these folks can do with dates, some nuts, other fruits (or juice)and salt! So far my faves are Cherry Pie and Key Lime Pie. I had the Peanut Butter and Jelly this morning and it tasted and smelled like the sandwich! These are natural ingredients with nothing you cannot pronounce. The carbs/sugars are from fruit and the fat from nuts. And one bar can sustain me comfortably til lunch (~4 hrs +).

Nancy

Snack Girl, I'm curious if you can comment on this as stats can sometimes confuse me. A serving of my plain, low-fat yogurt (which I thought was a great option over the sweetened kind) has 12 grams of sugar which is about the same as this breakfast bar = 3 tsp. So, would non-fat, plain yogurt also be a bad choice for breakfast or are the sugars in the yogurt different from this breakfast bar? The also just noticed that the yogurt actually has more sugars than my favorite sweetened cereal? I'm so confused.

maria

Hey Snack Girl! Here in Latin America Belvita lent its name to Nabisco's Hony (no, it's not a typo) Bran and Kraker Bran crackers. I always buy the Kraker ones, because the Hony are waaayy too sweet - the Kraker have 120 calories and 1 gram of sugar, while the Hony have 10 more calories, and...7 grams of sugar! (and I'm not sure that includes the "Hony"). Greetings from Venezuela!

Daniella Ivette

I have found that it is much easier to do protein shakes when I am on the run in the morning. Arbonne's shakes are 160 calories with 20 grams of protein along with 20 other essential vitamins.

Kathy Booker

I saw a woman giving away free samples, opposite the cookie island. Being a mindful WW lifetimeer, I pulled out my calculator and was shocked. The woman said "too many pts?"Certainly were. I'll never buy this product.

Ilene

I just saw on pinterest a pin about making overnight oats in a JAR so you can grab and go and eat 'em in the car. Fits in your cupholder. Has a lid. GENIUS! Also, i stumbled onto Fiber One's website via a link i saw somewhere where they have recipes using their not-so-tasty cereals to make tasty breakfast cereal bars and cookie-type treats (haystacks and such). GENIUS! Now i just have to put them into practice. :)

Angie M.

I just saw on pinterest a pin about making overnight oats in a JAR so you can grab and go and eat 'em in the car. Fits in your cupholder. Has a lid. GENIUS! Also, i stumbled onto Fiber One's website via a link i saw somewhere where they have recipes using their not-so-tasty cereals to make tasty breakfast cereal bars and cookie-type healthier-than-usual treats (haystacks and such). GENIUS! Now i just have to put them into practice. :)

Angie M.

Katie, Kelly, Nancy: I recommend you read another great post by Snack Girl titled 'Much Yummier than a LaraBar'...and enjoy the savings :)

Leah

I have discovered a new love-Quaker Oats Soft Baked Bars (NOT the cookies!). These are delicious! They come in 2 varieities: Banana Nut Bread and Cinnamon Roll.

First time I had these, I honestly felt like I was "cheating.:

The best part is: 5g fiber, 6g of protein,3.5g fat, 14 cals (although 11g sugar,but to me, WORTH it!).

Jennifer

When I was working (I'm a SAHM now) I had a 45 min drive to work. I would make my green smoothy, put it in a travel cup and drink it on the way. It only takes a couple minutes to throw a decent smoothy together, a quick rinse of the blender makes it easy to clean later. No whole grains of course, but I would get my flax seed and fish oil in there along with all my greens.

Patricia

Not to mention that there are at least 2 ingredients in these bars that are Genetically Engineered Foods. The less ingredients the better. My favorite grab and go snack is a Lara Bar, Apple Pie flavor. Made purely of fruit, nuts and cinnamon.

Kristen @ Be Fit with Kristen

Thanks! I have been wheat free for a month now and have no joint aches nor pains. I have been reading the Wheat Belly book by Dr. Davis and can't believe the change. I bought Belvita because I like to have a quick-me-up around for my dad who has dementia, never again! They are going to the food pantry. Thanks for this website!

Mogalra

I am on WW and I love these bars! I only eat 1 or 2 crackers and it's only 3 points. It is sweet but much better than a slice if pie or cake. If I eat the cracker with breakfast I usually have a boiled egg for some protein.

Gloria

Thanks for the informative review. I saw them for sale online and had no idea what they are. Thanks to your post, I know to pass them by.

Dana

Just because a serving of Bel Vita is 4 biscuits does not mean you need to consume the entire pkg all at one time; I find if I eat one and 1/2 biscuit cookies in the morniing occasionally to replace a meal or supplement one, I do not get hungry for several hours. That is the plus; and I find that I reach for them quite often as an alternative; I think the apple cinnamon are really quite tasty and satisfying;

Michele

I bought these thinking that I too could quickly eat while I'm leaving in the morning. Once I read the nutritonal facts I was dissapointed. Since they're so tasty though I'll have to remember them so I can buy them as a treat! :)

Hannah

This product has SUGAR. That's all that I need to know.

Sue Donimm

Plain organic Oatmeal with walnuts, ground flaxseed(flaxseed just goes thru your digestive track whole if not ground), real local honey, a tiny bit of salt,chopped apples, good cinnamon is a real good breakfast. If you can't do the bowl on the way in the car, make your own oatmeal Cookies with very little real brown sugar/honey, little salt. Apples for Pectin. added seeds, flaxseed, walnuts. For the bowl, I boil water in a kettle, put most of the ingredients, including farina or scottish oatmeal, to make smoother, less chewy, in a large bowl, pour the water over everything, put a plate on top with a cup(I put milk in it later to microwave) to "cook" while I'm in the shower/dressing. When I'm done, so is my oatmeal. I add the flaxseed(which holds more nutrition Not cooked), cinnamon, acai powder, and honey later on the "cooked" oatmeal.

Pat

First of all, there is no "nutritious breakfast" aisle. We're lucky to find a shelf relegated to nutritious breakfast foods. I am eating a BelVita cookie right this very moment. I must admit, they are scrumptious! And I figure eating one of them is better than popping Oreos! And who doesn't love an Oreo....or 5! I'll reconsider replenishing my supply of BelVitas after reading your review, but I have to admit. They are delish!!

Denise

I bought a box not as a breakfast food but rather as a snack food for my granddaughter. After reading the ingredient list I was just happy to see whole grains and no HFCS. I give her two cookies on occasion as a snack. She also gets fresh fruits and veggies and loves those too. I figure these are a better option than other cookies on the shelf.

Rhonda

I looked for an 800 no. on the package because some of the packets only had 3 biscuits. Quite a surprise. It was a phone sex no. I called again to make sure and yep, it was.

Carla

thank you for the review, it was just what i was looking for. i will use them as a snack as they still seem a step above junk food.

mary chris

Hello,

I realize this is a very old article, but I feel compelled to comment on it. Now, I will not comment on your nutritional analysis (I don't buy into the belvita hype either), but one of the measures you pointed out as being a problem really has nothing to do with the nutrition of the product in question.

You point out that a "clue" as to what the product is can be found on the box, and then show a picture of text that says "found in the cookie aisle". You explaoin that right there proves these aren't suitable for breakfast. This shows a complete lack of understanding of how the supermarket business actually works...allow me to educate you.

Belvita is a product from Nabisco. For the vast majority of supermarkets, Nabisco is what is known as a "Direct Store Delivery" (DSD) vendor. DSD vendors are any company who sends their own staff to order, deliver, stock, and merchandise their products. DSD in the average supermarket include all of the fresh bread products found in the bread aisle; potato chips like Lays, Utz, Herr's, etc.; soft drinks from coke and pepsi; cookies and crackers from Nabisco and Keebler; snack cakes like Little Debbie's, Tasty Kake, Hostess, etc.; most health and beauty aids; some but not all ice cream vendors; and some others depending on where the store is located.

DSD vendors pay for their space in the supermarket. In a full-size supermarket, a DSD vendor would usually be required to buy a minimum of 4 to 8 feet of an aisle. That's a 4 to 8 feet wide section of shelves, top-to-bottom.

Belvita is a Nabisco product. What are Nabisco's primary product lines? Cookies (like Oreo, Chips Ahoy, etc.) and crackers (like Wheat Thins, Triscuits, etc.). This means that Nabisco is already paying supermarkets for 4 to 8 feet in the cookie aisle, and another 4 to 8 feet in the cracker aisle.

You suggest that Belvita should be in the breakfast aisle - and you're right, it should be. But it would cost Nabisco a LOT of money to buy 4 to 8 feet of the breakfast aisle of every supermarket in America.

So the only thing that makes any sense is for Nabisco to sell the Belvita products in the shelf space they already own.

Examples of this exist all over the place in the average supermarket (Dasani bottled water in the soft drink aisle, snack cakes in the bread aisle, slim fast with the health and beauty aids). It is all based on the space DSD vendors purchase for their primary lines. So don't blame Nabisco for slotting Belvita out f category, blame the way the supermarket business works.

Jason E.

I have wondered about these.

A real drawback to me is the way I confuse it with Velveeta. Why would you name a new snack with something so easily confused with an old favorite?? A very weird coincidence, imo.

Betty

check out the oat flavor...they have only 1 g of sugar. they may be the only variety that would pass your crappy cereal test.

me me

Do you have any favorites for low carb breakfast bars? Carbs in the morning spike my sugar.

Thanks

Jude

What- I just wasted 6 points on that?? Although it was pretty tasty...LOL

Wendy Strait

I bought theses bars upon the recommendation of a friend. She said they "held her" until noon. She gave me one to try. And she was right. These bars solved a long time problem for me. I've eaten everything from eggs to oatmeal and every shake in between - but to no avail. Starving by 9:30 am. Theses bars ARE the only thing that ever "held me" until noon. It can't be a sugar high because there is no crash. My blood sugar and energy remain level until lunch and even then I'm not starving. Whatever I ate in this bar was a lot less than a full breakfast and a 9:30 am snack. Also, I am highly allergic to sugar and these bars did not elicit the craving or other symptoms I get when I eat sugar. I do like your test and will use it for other foods. I'm a fit coach and eat a very clean healthy diet, and these bars seemed to fit right in to my diet nicely. I didnt get too alarmed by the sugar content because it's from a lot of fruit and natural ingredients in it. In any case, that's been my Belvita experience!

Linda Bartosik

Make our own breakfast snack cookies, no unatural sugar, no flour:

3 ripe bananas

1/3 puréed apples (1 1/2 in bullet with 1 tbsp water)

2 cups oats
1/4 almond milk or regular
1/2 cup raisins (or a little more ;) )
1tsp vanilla
1tsp cinnamon

Spoon onto baking sheet bake at 350 for 15-20 min

Don't overbake :) delicious!

Quailla

The "soft-baked" cinnamon version has whole grain blend (oats & rye flakes) as it's first ingredient. It also has 5g of fiber (yay!) and only 9g of sugar, which is not a "yay," but it's better than 13g.

Radio

I have been eating theses biscuits for six months now. Today, I again, opened a new box and ate the first biscuit. It was extremely salty! Have you changed the recipe? I put the rest away and will not eat anymore until I hear back from you regarding this issue. Thank you.

A

carrots and almond butter

tomatoes, turkey and romaine 'sandwich'

cube of cheese and apple, pear,strawberries, etc

oatmeal with cinnamon topped with unflavored kefir then a fruit or veggie :)

Veggies with a protein are a great choice for breakfast. They are light but high in fiber so they last until lunch. Delicious!

All easy to grab, easy to eat and healthy. Avoid the processed food aisles- better for you, better for the planet

P

I am very happy the commercial for this has been updated, that was the most annoying commercial with that woman singing, it did not attract attention to their product, it had an adverse affect to remind me not to purchase and help pay for the advertising. With advertising so bad I assumed the product would not be good in taste nor nutritional value.

Lilsparrow

Kashi cereal just had to redue everything because they promised natural ingredients and they in fact weren't. Everyone needs to stop living their lives by what packages say, and start doing your own research. The only way you will ever really know what is in your food, is if you grow the ingredients yourself and make the final product.

Points are especially the worst way to look at a diet. Try moderation and and what's good for your lifestyle as not everyone burns calories the same way/in the same amount.

Melissa

My doctor actually recommended these breakfast biscuits to me. She said that for her they kept her from getting hungry between breakfast and lunch and truly gave her "sustained energy" throughout that time. I have been on weight watchers for years and I am desperately looking for new foods to try. I tried these and I agree with her. Even though they have more points than I would like for breakfast, they kept me from getting hungry, kept my energy level up and was a nice change from fruit and yogurt. Granted I would not eat them everyday don't count them out.

Tammy Stotts

At our house we ALWAYS have Belvita on hand.

We love the crunchy chocolate. But...we are

Wondering why you don't make a PEANUTBUTTER Belvita, crunchy. Peanutbutter is one of the most favorite flavors, close to chocolate, I would think. Chocolate/Peanutbutter would be terrific. Think about it and Thank You for introducing such a great product to my family.

sue giffin

this breakfast is crap dont buy it please and read on why at the date 6th of november in 2014 i opened a package of 6 x 4 biscuits i have opened one of the box and ate one buiscuit when i took second i noticed a WHITE WORM IN PACKAGE btw its expire date is 8th of october 2015 so its less than a year vaild to eat but it has worms now? what a nice gift huh? here is the picture http://imageshack.com/a/img537/2003/Lg7J3M.jpg

I WAS CLOSE TO THROWING UP

im so disgusted

me

I love the BelVita Bites so I was happy to see the chocolate bites on the shelf...

I just ate a packet today...they are terrible! Yuck!

Kind of a funky taste...maybe gone bad?

But will be throwing away the rest of the package and go back to the oats and the fruit types.

dm

Does the banana velVita soft baked one have any milk in it. It doesn't say it does, but sometimes it is hidden in something else

Mary Tersigni

The issue with ANYTHING that Kashi makes and a lot of other "diet" foods is that they use a filler called chickory root fiber. A lot of people, including me cannot digest it and it leads to big time gastro issues (the smelly kind - ewww). Also in those 100 calorie Chobani yogurts. These Belvita bars are tasty but too much sugar. However at least they don't have chickory root fiber which makes them an OK grab for me on rare occasions (when I have nothing else handy)

Denise Gagne

I started eating these, because sometimes breakfast is just too boring, but too important to skip. I heard Ellen say on her show she ate Belvita. So I figured if she likes them and she's health conscious,I'll consider it. Well, it didn't give me energy, it zapped my energy and an hour later I was ravenously hungry. Then it hit me. It must have a high SUGAR and CARB content. And sure enough, that's it. So, I guess I'll search for other thing to eat. Not a good thing for folks who had Gastric Bi-Pass, I guess I have been getting "dumping syndrome." Belvita is a terrible choice for a breakfast replacement. They should be ashamed of themselves for lying to the public. They should at least make a product without all that SUGAR!

Cathe

Iv always by bel vita by the case because that what my grand children and I have everyday . But the last case I got everyone the boxes the biscuit where crushed the boxes was not crushed just the biscuit. So now a don't dare to by them but the case. So now I have to pay more.

Crystal

Tried the Blueberry flavored biscuits on a recent flight on Southwest Airlines.They are outstanding. Bought a box and now on second one. Tried the Banana soft baked ones. Not something I would rebuy. Dry and crumbly. Would like to see more fruit flavors of the hard biscuits like the mixed fruit but not as a soft baked.

Richard Koop

I just checked out the chocolate ones, and there are 4G of fiber, 11g of sugar (yikes) and whole grain wheat flour as the first ingredient... yay!

jordan

I saw the peanut butter breakfast sandwiches and thought that would fix a craving! well opened one today and ate it and thought this is just like eating nutter butter cookies! looked up and compared equal serving sizes(4 nutter butter's to 2 belvita's)...belvita's are only slightly less in each reading than just eating cookies. these will be fine for my '20' day- on my 80/20 plan- if I'm craving dessert, but no way for an every day snack. wool is gone ;)

lolo

i cant eat these thins ! i am a diabetic

erich

Opened a box of Blueberry Belvita Biscuits yesterday and started to eat, only to look down and find the biscuit was covered in live bugs and worms. The box was sealed and the good through date was December 22, 2016 PLEASE BEWARE!!!

Nicole

I love Belvita Breakfast Biscuits. I have a pack every morning and it keeps me from wanting to munch before luch. However, I find that occasionaly I get a box, such as the one that I am using now, and the Biscuits are flat and chewy but do not taste old. This box does not have the crunch. The expiration date on the box is December 2017. I was hoping you might give some insight as to why this happens.

Susan Carter

THEY ARE GENETICALLY MODIFIED CRAP!!!°

MARY

My 11 yr. old son was eating one for a snack and started freaking out. The bar contained live worms crawling on it! I called the company to inform them, they offered us a coupon for another one. BEWARE!!!

Florida

This breakfast is piece of crap. Containing live worms, i encountered it myself, never, ever eating belvita again

As esu

I LOVE these!!! I just discovered them yesterday. They’re so tasty and they actually did keep me full til lunch at 1:00 today. I got the coconut ones & the mini cinnamon brown sugar ones. I don’t always have time on the go for brekkie and this morning was one of those on the way to a hair appointment w/BFF. She loves them too! It’s like I always say about everything—MODERATION in all things, people. These breakfast cookies are just fine if you need to grab something out the door and don’t want your blood sugar to drop. I get so tired of all the alarmist reviews on things that people needlessly get freaked out over. These aren’t something to have on a regular basis, but they’re fine once in a whil and especially when you’re pressed for time. Plus they’re DELICIOUS!! Stop clutching your pearls realize these things are just FINE when you eat a balanced diet in general. Like I said—MODERATION IN ALL THINGS. ;)

Lizzie

we love plain vanilla &or with vogurt, but find them anywhere, why not?

Floyd Miller

You guys will complain about anything! You are going to die from something, so eat what makes you happy! The Bevita Breakfast biscuits tastes good and come in a variety of flavors - if you ate worms because you didn't look at the food first, your own fault! I have IBS and eating these at least twice a week has solved that issue. Plus its an easy go-to snack at work! And just saying, some of you need to go back to school for your English and grammar...see ya!

April

Larabars have 27g of sugars compared with 13g in Belvita. I'm wondering why people think Larabars are better?

AnnieCee