Are Rice Cakes Healthy?
Nutrition, Calories and Health Effects
Rice cakes are one of the most popular snacks in our society. They are very easy to prepare and they taste great! However, there is no doubt that these little treats contain some unhealthy ingredients such as fat, sugar and salt.
If you have ever had a piece of fried rice cake then you will understand what I mean.
In fact, rice cakes are not just a snack but a staple food in many parts of the world. In America, where they originated from, they are usually served at breakfast time along with eggs or bacon. These days they can be found all over the place – even in your local fast food restaurant!
They are also known as “junk food” because it’s so easy to prepare and consume them without any thought of their nutritional value.
The problem is that they are high in calories and saturated fats. A single serving of rice cake contains between 100 and 150 calories, depending on the type. While saturated fat may seem like a good thing, it actually increases your risk of heart disease.
So if you’re trying to lose weight, don’t eat too much of these foods!
How Many Calories Do Rice Cakes Contain?
If you’re on a diet then you’ll be pleased to hear that rice cakes are very low in calories. They are often eaten by bodybuilders who are trying to keep their weight down and get lean muscles. In fact, they are so low in calories that you really shouldn’t be eating too many of them if you’re on a diet. However, there are some types that are better than others.
The three main types of rice cakes are plain, puffed and crunchy. Here are their approximate calorie contents (keep in mind that this may vary from brand to brand):
Plain: 90 calories
Puffed: 110 calories
Crunchy: 130 calories
This may not seem like much but if you eat too many of them then you’re going to be consuming more calories than you need and this will prevent weight loss.
Are Rice Cakes Good For You?
Rice cakes, in general, are not good for you. Even if you go for the plain ones, you shouldn’t be eating too much of them because they’re low in nutrients and high in calories. If you go for the sweet ones then you’ll be consuming a large number of calories without any nutritional value!
Some people use them as a substitute for bread but this isn’t really a good idea.
Sources & references used in this article:
Gender differences in perceptions of the healthiness of foods by ME Oakes, CS Slotterback – Psychology and Health, 2001 – Taylor & Francis
Nutrition and related claims used on packaged Australian foods-implications for regulation by PG Williams, H Yeatman, S Zakrzewski, B Aboozaid… – 2003 – ro.uow.edu.au
Is” fat free” good for me? A panel study of television viewing and children’s nutritional knowledge and reasoning by K Harrison – Health Communication, 2005 – Taylor & Francis
Effects of food attributes on hunger and food intake by SV Kirkmeyer, RD Mattes – International journal of obesity, 2000 – nature.com
The nutritional quality of gluten-free foods by T Thompson – Gluten-free food science and technology, 2009 – Wiley Online Library
The unhealthy= tasty intuition and its effects on taste inferences, enjoyment, and choice of food products by R Raghunathan, RW Naylor… – Journal of …, 2006 – journals.sagepub.com
