Do Rice Cakes Make You Gain Weight
It is possible that rice cakes may make you gain weight. This is especially true if you eat several at a time and top them with unhealthy things.
Rice cakes are a snack food. They are disk-shaped products made of puffed rice . They are low in calories . Other minor ingredients, such as sesame seed, millet and salt may be added to give them a distinct flavor or consistency.
The low-calorie count of rice cakes may be a bonus, but they are not the best weight-loss food. Rice cakes digest quickly since they are devoid of a significant amount of fiber. The spike in blood sugar and insulin levels after ingestion of rice may cause weight gain. Rice cakes may not give a feeling of satiety if a person is just eating one or two rice cakes. Some flavored rice cakes also have added sugars, salt, calories and artificial ingredients. Choose rice cakes made with brown or whole-grain rice because these will be more filling. Carbs can make an individual hungry, so combine rice cakes with a protein source, such as ham, low-fat cream cheese with smoked salmon or a little peanut butter. The nutritional value of rice cakes depends on how an individual is eating them.
Are Rice Cakes Healthy For Weight Loss
If youre looking for a low-fat, high-calorie meal replacement for weight loss, rice cakes may be the answer. The issue is that they may not always meet your needs. Rice cakes may not be easy to make on a low-carbohydrate diet, for example. A serving of rice cakes will usually provide you with 15% of your carbohydrates.
Why Brown Rice Cakes Arent As Healthy As You Think
Can brown rice cakes be sweetened? Brown rice cakes are free of sugar and can contain as much as 12 to 15 grams of sugar. If you consume a number of them, you may end up consuming a sizable amount of sugar. Is brown rice cakes high in glycemic content? Whole grains are high in carbohydrates, fiber, and minerals. Rice cakes, including brown rice cakes, remain high on the glycemic index, as indicated in the diagram above, and most of the nutrients in brown or white rice are lost in the cooking process. Is rice cake safe for children to eat? Rice cakes may appear to be a useful, healthy alternative on their own, but the crunchy snack can cause an increase in blood sugar . If you want a low-GI snack that will not cause you to feel rushed, you can replace the bland, salted rice cakes with unflavored, lightly salted rice cakes made from brown rice and other grains, such as quinoa.
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Are Rice Cakes Better Than Chips
A bag of potato chips is one possible choice when you are craving a crunchy snack, but rice cakes may be healthier. Your snack should satisfy your hunger without being too high in calories. Rice cakes are lower in fat and calories than potato chips, but neither option is high in essential nutrients.
Best Ways To Snack Before Bed
The ADA no longer provide specific carbohydrate counts or recommended diets for people with diabetes.
A person should choose a healthful snack before bed.
Instead, the ADAs Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes 2019 suggest that a person follows an individualized meal plan tailored to their current eating patterns, preferences, and weight goals.
Some general tips that may be beneficial for everyone:
- Eat mindfully by focusing on enjoying the food.
- Avoiding snacking in front of the television or while reading, driving, or otherwise distracted.
- Plan meals, snacks, and treats ahead of time.
- Choose healthful snacks, rather than ones that contain empty calories and low-quality carbohydrates.
- Learn about and pay attention to portion sizes.
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Some Contain Whole Grains
Rice cakes can be made using whole grain brown rice.
A diet high in whole grains has been proven to lower the risk of chronic diseases.
A large study in more than 360,000 people found that those who consumed the most whole grains such as brown rice had a 17% lower risk of death from all causes than those who ate the fewest whole grains .
However, not all rice cakes on the market use brown rice, so look for whole grain brown rice on the label to ensure that youre buying one with whole grains.
Are Rice Cakes Suitable For Everyone
Organic rice cakes are probably the snack with the shortest list of ingredients in the world, comprising only rice and a little salt.
Are the rice cakes the holy grail of snacking, something that everyone can enjoy no matter their diets or food allergies? And are they as good as we they appear? Let’s take a closer look.
This low-carb, low-fats snack seems ideal to those following a weight-loss diet. A typical- sized rice cake has only 27 calories, but almost none of them come from fats or sugars. But there is a caveat. Rice cakes have very few fibres, which makes us digest them quickly without feeling satiated. Also, the lack of healthy fats means rice cakes are not suited for the keto diet.
When trying to lose weight, we must curb our hunger to avoid imprudent snacking. Plain rice cakes don’t do this effectively, but there is a solution: avoid eating too many rice cakes on their own, but instead top them with fibrous and nutritious ingredients like the ones we suggest above. Also, opt for rice cakes made with brown rice, which are more nutritious and fibrous.
Finally, rice cakes are both vegan and gluten-free. Vegan food is also dairy-free and egg-free, making these crispy snacks accessible to the majority of people suffering from food allergies.
We did just that in our recipe above, where we topped rice cakes with wholesome ingredients like fruit, nuts, and seeds to give you the right balance of fibres, proteins, and vitamins.
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Downsides Of Rice Cakes
Rice cakes may raise your blood sugar, particularly if you eat multiple servings in one sitting or if you choose sweet-flavored varieties that contain added sugar.
Theyre mostly carbs and have very little protein and fiber to slow the effect of these carbs on your blood sugar.
To blunt their effect on your blood sugar, combine them with protein, such as meat, cheese, hummus, or nut butter, and add fiber to your snack in the form of fruits or veggies .
Also, if youre choosing them only because theyre low in calories and you think theyre healthy, but you dont actually like them, they may not be the best choice for a snack. There are other nutritious options you can eat.
Summary
Are Rice Cakes A Healthy Option
Brown rice makes a rice cake healthier. Rice grains contain a high concentration of carbohydrates and proteins. Rice that has been refined has a higher nutrient value than rice that has not been refined because it has been stripped away during the refining process.
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Potential Health Benefits Of Rice Cakes
Because there’s so much variation in the composition and size of rice cakes, the best answer to whether they’re healthy is: It depends.
Generally, it’s best to avoid flavored rice cakes containing high amounts of sugar, sodium, and other artificial ingredients.
It would be best if you also skipped those made from white rice. White rice is a refined grain stripped of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
On the other hand, plain rice cakes, made simply from puffed brown rice, offer some health perks.
How To Top Your Rice Cakes
Here are some healthy options to liven up a plain rice cake.
Turkey BLT. Add slices of turkey bacon, lettuce, tomato, and cheese spread on your rice cake for protein.
Cottage cheese and avocado. Top with ¼ cup of cottage cheese and sliced avocado. Cottage cheese is a good source of protein, and avocado has good fat.
Tuna salad. Mix ½ cup of tuna with 1 tablespoon of mayo. Add a leaf of lettuce on top for some greens.
âNut butter. A peanut butter powder mixed with water, cashew butter, and almond butter are good sources of protein.
Hummus and cucumber. Topping with 2 tablespoons of hummus and ½ cup of sliced cucumbers is a healthy way to add flavor to your rice cake. Hummus is a good source of protein and fiber.
Greek yogurt and berries. If you prefer sweets, try ¼ cup of plain Greek yogurt and a handful of raspberries, blueberries, or sliced strawberries. Greek yogurt is a good source of protein. You can also add a dollop of honey to make it even sweeter.
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Healthy Rice Cake Snacks
To make the most of your rice cakes, add toppings packed with protein, fiber and healthy fats. Here are some simple topping ideas for snack inspiration.
- Peanut Butter & Sliced Banana
- Slice of Cheese and/or Slice of Turkey
- Cream Cheese & Smoked Salmon
- Pizza Sauce, Cheese & Pizza Toppings
- Brie Cheese & Apple Slices
Are Rice Cakes A Source Of Inflammation
Rice cake basic carbohydrates are digested in the same manner that sugar isthey are transformed to glucose. Glucose binds to anti-wrinkle proteins such as collagen and destroys them. Rice cakes refined carbohydrates contribute to inflammation, which results in DNA and collagen-damaging oxidative stress.
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Rice And The Glycemic Index
Another way to decide whether a food is suitable for a restricted diet is to use the glycemic index . The GI is a scale that measures how quickly the body converts the carbs from a food into glucose and how rapidly this affects blood sugar levels.
The scores are from 0100, with water being the lowest and glucose the highest. The numbers do not refer to any specific quantity but look at how one food compares with another.
Foods that are high on the scale, such as white bread and sugary beverages, convert quickly into glucose and increase the risk of a sugar spike.
Those that are lower on the scale convert slowly into blood glucose, which helps a person maintain steady glucose levels.
- Low GI foods have a score of 55 or less
- Medium GI foods have a score of 5669
- High GI foods have a score of 70 or more
Below are , including rice and some rice products. The scores may vary slightly according to the brand and level of processing.
- rice crackers: 87
It also contains a variety of vitamins, including B vitamins.
Brown rice can play an important role in a healthful diet.
It is best to choose brown or wild rice because these types have a higher fiber content than white rice, so it takes longer for the body to digest them.
People should check the package to find out exactly how many carbs and other nutrients the rice contains, especially in prepared dishes.
Enriched rice will offer additional nutrients, including vitamins and minerals.
To cook brown rice, follow these instructions:
Portion Sizes And Diet Quality
Managing your total carb intake is an important part of controlling your blood sugar levels. As a result, you should be mindful of how much brown rice youre having at a meal.
As theres no recommendation for how many carbs you should eat, you should base your optimal intake on your blood sugar goals and your bodys response to carbs .
For example, if your goal is 30 grams of carbs per meal, youd want to limit your brown rice intake to 1/2 cup , which contains 26 carbs. The rest of your meal could then be made up of low carb options like chicken breast and roasted vegetables .
In addition to watching portion sizes, its important to remember that whole grains are just one part of a balanced diet. Try to incorporate other nutritious foods at each meal, including lean proteins, healthy fats, fruits, and low carb vegetables.
Eating a varied, balanced diet one thats high in whole foods and limited in processed, refined products not only provides more vitamins and minerals but also helps maintain stable blood sugar levels (
You may want to consult a healthcare professional to determine what a balanced diet looks like for you.
summary
Maintaining a balanced diet thats high in whole foods and low in overly processed ones has been associated with improved blood sugar control in people with diabetes.
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How Can You Make Rice Cakes Better
Ross says that if you really want to eat rice cakes, one way you can mitigate the potential damage is to slather them with some type of protein-rich spread such as peanut butter, hummus, sliced turkey, or avocados. Eating protein together with carbohydrates will reduce the swings in your blood sugar levels.
As Ross tells us, rice cakes aren’t really what you’d call harmful unless eaten in excess, but they are lacking in nutrition. Still, she says they are fairly low in calories, and Heathline agrees that they have a lower calorie count than do most types of breads and crackers. Plus, there’s the fact that the air that rice cakes contain may help to fill you up, at least temporarily. Ross’s advice is to “pair them with something healthy, and they can be a great weight loss tool.” As she always tells the clients who come to her for nutritional advice, “eat from the food groups in correct portion sizes, and in the correct number of servings to maintain a healthy weight.”
Rice Cake Snack Ideas
A plain brown rice cake, such as one by the brand Lundberg, is available at major grocery stores. Plain brown rice cakes are typically healthier than flavored high-calorie rice cakes.
Plain brown rice cakes don’t have a strong flavor. But you may find a slightly nutty taste that lends itself to both savory and sweet accompaniments like:
- Mashed avocado sprinkled with sprouted pumpkin seeds
- Hummus topped with veggies, like baby spinach, sliced tomato, and cucumber
- Nut-based cheese, like vegan ricotta, garnished with pepper, sliced tomatoes, and basil
- Chocolate hummus topped with sliced berries
- Almond or cashew butter topped with banana slices and dusted with cinnamon
- Melted dark chocolate topped with pomegranate arils, or sliced figs
- Peanut butter or sunflower seed butter dotted with raspberry preserves
- Coconut butter topped with chopped walnuts and dark chocolate shavings
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The Best And Worst Type 2 Diabetes Choices By Food Group
As you pick the best foods for type 2 diabetes, heres a helpful guideline from the NIDDK to keep in mind: Fill one-half your plate with nonstarchy vegetables. One-fourth of your plate should feature your protein , and the final fourth should include a grain or other starch, such as starchy vegetables, a piece of fruit, or a small glass of milk.
Because processed and sugary foods are unhealthy carbs, limit them in your diabetes diet, says Massey. That includes soda, candy, and other packaged or processed snacks, such as corn chips, potato chips, and the like. And while artificial sweeteners like those found in diet sodas wont necessarily spike your blood sugar in the same way as white sugar, they could still have an effect on your blood sugar and even alter your bodys insulin response.
A previous study found that when 17 obese, non-insulin-resistant people ingested a beverage treated with the artificial sweetener sucralose before taking a standardized dose of glucose, their blood sugar and insulin levels rose more than when they drank plain water. On the other hand, a meta-analysis published May 2018 in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that artificial sweeteners didnt increase blood sugar levels. More research is needed to determine how artificial sweeteners affect people with diabetes.
For now, heres what you need to know about choosing the most diabetes-friendly foods from each food group.
The Basics Of The Type 2 Diabetes Diet: What Should You Eat
To follow a healthy diet for diabetes, you must first understand how different foods affect your blood sugar. Carbohydrates, which are found to the largest degree in grains, bread, pasta, milk, sweets, fruit, and starchy vegetables, are broken down into glucose in the blood, which raises blood sugar, potentially leading to hyperglycemiaaccording to the Mayo Clinic. Protein and fats have little, if any, impact blood sugar, notes a past review. However, both should be consumed in moderation along with carbs to keep calories down and weight in a healthy range.
To hit your blood sugar level target, eat a variety of foods but monitor portions for foods with a high carbohydrate content, says Alison Massey, RD, a certified diabetes educator in Frederick, Maryland. have the most impact on blood sugar level. This is why some people with diabetes count their carbohydrates at meals and snacks, she says.
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Bottom Line: Are Rice Cakes Healthy And A Solid Snack Choice
While not a terrible choice, overall, you could do way better. Most people arent committed to crafting a heartier rice cake with smart toppings, so chances are high they may sit down and accidentally eat half a sleeve of them, says Largeman-Roth. For those individuals, I suggest going straight to a healthy fat and fiber, like avocado on sweet potato toast or grapes and almond butter, she added. Not only will these options up your fruit and veggie intake for the day, but theyll also keep you satisfied for longer. Because the less hanger, the better.
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