Is a multigrain croissant healthier than a regular croissant?

The answer may surprise you, because a croissant is still made from dough rich in saturated fats. Saturated fat raises your ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol, which in turn increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. Eating saturated fats is unavoidable, because every type of fat always consists of a combination of different types of saturated and unsaturated fats. Nutritionists, scientists and the Nutrition Center do, however, recommend that processed products rich in saturated fats, such as croissants, should be left out as much as possible.

Little difference with multi-seed croissants

You may expect multigrain or multi-seed croissants to contain more fiber. That is unfortunately not always the case. Butter croissants often contain just as much fiber as multi-seed croissants. In some varieties, the butter croissant contains even more dietary fiber. While a multi-seed croissant contains an average of 2.3 grams of dietary fiber per 100 grams, a butter croissant often contains 2.3 or 2.4 grams of dietary fiber per 100 grams – depending on the croissant of course.

Multi-grain or multi-seed croissants?

Multi-grain croissants, not to be confused with multi-seeds, contain different types of grains, but can still be made from white flour. Due to the various added grains, such as spelled, rye and wheat, multigrain croissants often contain more fiber. Think of an average of 3.8 grams of fiber per 100 grams. A croissant weighs about 80 grams.

The number of fats is also somewhat lower than with butter croissants: this is about 19 grams of fat, of which about 11 grams are saturated per 100 grams for a multigrain croissant. With a butter croissant you quickly reach 25 grams of fat, of which 17 grams are saturated per 100 grams. The difference between multi-seed and multi-grain croissants is minimal in terms of fats: multi-grain croissants contain about 21 grams of fat, of which 12 grams are saturated per 100 grams. The two don’t differ much in terms of calories either: a multi-seed croissant contains an average of 292 per croissant of 80 grams, the multi-grain 290 kcal each. That is a bit more for a butter croissant, namely about 340 kcal each.

The best choice

So there is a difference between multi-seed, multi-grain and butter croissants, although the difference is not always that great. A multigrain croissant contains more fiber, less saturated fat and fewer calories than the rest, but it remains a product that is recommended not to be eaten on a daily basis. A healthier bread choice would be a whole-wheat sandwich because of the dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals it contains. Eating whole-grain products lowers the risk of certain heart diseases and type 2 diabetes. That does not mean that you can never eat a croissant again: if you regularly put fiber-rich products on the menu, such as vegetables, fruit, nuts and legumes, you can and have a croissant at brunch.

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