Rice cakes are known as a responsible snack (because it is fat-free and low in calories), but there are also sounds that they are toxic. How about?
An average roll of rice cakes (100 grams) contains:
• 14 rice cakes of 28 calories each
• Brown rice (and sea salt)
• 3 grams of fat
• 79 grams of carbohydrates
• 7.5 grams of protein
• 4 grams of dietary fiber
Rice cakes can be poisonous. According to studies, they may contain the toxic substance arsenic. This concerns the white rice cakes that are made in a factory and that are in the supermarket. Arsenic is a substance similar to metal and can cause skin, lung and heart diseases. Especially for children, too much arsenic is harmful. In any case, alternating rice cakes with other snacks is a good idea. A varied diet is a good basis for a healthy diet. Read more about rice cakes and arsenic on the website of the Nutrition Center.
Edit December 2017:Several rice products for babies and children appear to exceed the permitted standard for arsenic. Read more.
There are all kinds of variations on the original rice cake, which is made from puffed rice. There are also waffles made of quinoa, teff, amaranth, barley, buckwheat, spelled and corn. These versions do not contain arsenic.
Rice cakes are low in calories, but also low in nutrients. Without toppings, they will not satisfy your hunger and do nothing for your health. In fact, rice cakes have a very high glycemic index. This means that they are absorbed into your blood as sugar and quickly spike your blood sugar level. Your body processes the rice cake quickly, so that you are briefly satiated and quickly hungry again. That is why you can continue to eat rice cakes without toppings all day long.
You can see a rice cake as an 'empty', crispy bottom on which to pile up your healthy toppings. Because it is precisely the topping that can turn your rice cake into a responsible snack and a hunger reliever. Toppings that contain healthy fats and proteins (avocado, salmon, hummus or chicken breast) ensure that the rice cake is absorbed into your blood more slowly as sugar, the sugar peak is slowed down and you are satiated for longer.
The versions with layers of milk chocolate, vanilla or any other sweet or savory flavor should not be eaten (if it's a healthy snack). They contain sugar and flavourings.
These healthy toppings are also delicious on your rice cake:smoked mackerel and truffle mayonnaise, roast beef and watercress, goat cheese and apple syrup, tuna and bell pepper, boiled egg and pesto, mackerel and cottage cheese, turkey breast and cucumber, peanut butter and banana, strawberries and cinnamon or a layer pure raw chocolate.
