If you’re an explorative eater, you’ve probably encountered digestive biscuits at some point in your life. These plain, not-too-sweet “biscuits” are often served with tea or coffee, and have been around for about 140 years. They were originally conceived in the UK as a digestive aid, but over time they evolved into something much more like a cookie, with all the typical ingredients your doctor tells you to avoid.
Is there a way to revive that original idea and make it a reality today? Let’s find out.
Brief history of the digestive biscuit
The digestive biscuit had its humble beginnings as a specially designed recipe, patented in the UK by Dr. John Montgomerie in 1876, to help combat some of the common digestive complaints of the time.
“My invention has reference to certain new or improved special mixtures and mode of treatment of ground wheat, corn, or other flour or meal with other matters for the making of bread and biscuits or cakes, which will assist digestion, and be very light, agreeable, and nourishing food for people of weak digestion and for children and infants…
In the manufacture of biscuits my said invention or improvements consist as follows… I take the extract of malt or maltine with the Wheaten flour or meal … and the quantity of water required to bring the mixture to a pasty consistency… mix all together, adding butter or lard, sugar, and any other ingredients that may be desired by the bakers or to suit the popular taste. The dough is afterward kneaded and baked and rolled out and cut into biscuits in the ordinary manner, as is usual in the manufacture of other biscuits. ”
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– excerpt from Dr. Montgomerie’s original patent.
Did it work? Some suggest that the baking soda added antacid qualities, but this property is pretty much neutralized in baking. The whole grains would have provided valuable fiber, but they were mainly used because that’s what was available. Since producing white flour was much more labor intensive at the time, it was considered a luxury item.
As steel roller mills gradually replaced stone mills, however, the more desirable white flour replaced whole-grain flours in many recipes, including Dr. Montgomerie’s creation.
In 1892, the recipe was adapted by Alexander Grant for the popular British biscuit company McVitie’s. Highly refined and mass-produced, this biscuit adopted the “digestives” name for marketing purposes. Although McVitie’s makes no claims that this biscuit actually improves digestion in any way, it quickly became — and remains — one of their best-selling biscuits today.
What’s good for the gut
While we don’t have widespread cholera and malnutrition faced in the Victorian Era, digestive complaints are still a common problem. The American Gastroenterological Association reported in 2022 that “forty percent of Americans’ daily lives are disrupted by digestive troubles.”
We could certainly use a digestive biscuit that is actually helpful rather than harmful to our guts, so let’s see about swapping some of these ingredients.
McVitie’s The Original Digestive Biscuits:
Flour (55%) (Wheat Flour, Calcium, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Vegetable Oil (Palm), Wholemeal Wheat Flour (16%), Sugar, Partially Inverted Sugar Syrup, Raising Agents (Sodium Bicarbonate, Malic Acid, Ammonium Bicarbonate), Salt.
First, let’s tackle the flour. This looks like enriched white flour to me, which means that it has been stripped of all its original nutrition, and then had some vitamins and minerals artificially added back into it. Take that out entirely and replace it with oats.
Oats are famous for their digestive benefits because they contain beta-glucan, a special soluble fiber that supports the growth of healthy gut bacteria, as well as regular bowel movements. Beta-glucan also has anti-inflammatory properties that can help reduce inflammatory conditions.
Next, let’s look at the fat. Palm oil is in plenty of processed foods because it is a versatile product that is easily and inexpensively produced. Unfortunately, it is also tied to deforestation, health concerns, and labor abuses. So let’s swap that for unrefined coconut oil.
Unrefined (virgin) coconut has a subtle coconut flavor and aroma highly compatible with baked goods. It is also incredibly good for gut health.
It is especially rich in medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) — easily digested fats that support the growth of beneficial and anti-inflammatory bacteria in the gut. Virgin coconut oil is also an exceptional source of antioxidants and helps reduce oxidative stress, which is commonly linked to gut inflammation and intestinal permeability (leaky gut).
On top of that, due to its lauric acid (C12) and caprylic acid (C8) content, unrefined coconut oil has the ability to fight pathogenic bacteria without harming beneficial bacteria. Virgin coconut oil even has the ability to protect the stomach lining by increasing stomach mucus production while reducing stomach acid.
Please note that when coconut oil is refined, it not only loses its flavor, but also most of these health benefits.
Now, we are up to the wholemeal wheat flour. This isn’t as bad as white flour, and it does provide some fiber, but we already have an awesome source for that in the oats. Plus, so many people today have issues with gluten that it’s just as well to avoid it. Instead, let’s enrich this biscuit with almonds.
Ground almonds add a wonderful texture and flavor that make these biscuits better than you would believe. The fiber in almonds also acts as a prebiotic, feeding the beneficial bacteria in your gut. In addition, beneficial metabolites like butyrate are produced during the microbial fermentation of almonds in your gut.
Keep in mind: most prepared almond meal is made with blanched almonds, but you can grind your own whole almonds in a coffee grinder or food processor to get all the fiber and antioxidants present in the skin.
Finally, let’s look at the sweetener. Refined sugar has no health benefits whatsoever. It feeds the opportunistic (bad) bacteria and yeast in your gut, which can make you feel bloated. Since it is mainly sucrose, refined sugar is quickly absorbed in the small intestine leaving little food for the beneficial bacteria further down the line. Inverted sugar is no better — it is just extra sweet.
What we will do is reduce the sweetener drastically, and replace it with maple syrup.
Although it is still mostly sugar, pure maple syrup contains over 100 natural compounds, including minerals, vitamins, and prebiotic fibers — more food for the good guys. Maple syrup also contains a group of medium-length chains of sugar molecules called oligosaccharides. Unlike sucrose, these are not absorbed right away, but make it all the way to the large intestine. There, they feed your beneficial bacteria, producing short-chain fatty acids which support overall gut health.
Using these simple, wholesome ingredients, I think I have come up with a digestive biscuit that is genuinely good for your gut. I share my unpatented recipe below and welcome your feedback!
Digestive biscuit recipe (that actually does the job)
Makes 24 small 1-½ inch “biscuits.”
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