Rice Cakes??? Good or Bad

  • Ok i love these Quaker Rice Cakes especially the Apple cinnamon kind. They are 50 calories per cake. I was wondering whether or not this is considered a healthy snack. Please give advice.
  • Very high GI, and processed, not much nutritional value but low in calories... depends what you want.

    Personally I think they taste too artificial and they don't fill me up at all, for 50 kcals I'd rather have an apple
  • Diet junk food!!
  • Thanks guys. I feel so stupid now. I actually thought i was giving myself a good healthy treat.
  • Don't feel stupid, be glad that you are aware of things

    An apple or something with a lot more fibre in (or protein) will fill you up more
  • Personally, I like soy crisps (there are several brands out now)- they have a bit more nutrition and are even lower cal/serving. At first I felt the taste was just a little strange, decided to finish the bag anyway, and now have grown to love them. (The same thing happened when I switched to Diet Coke in high school.)

    I find that I just can't go without the "chip" food group, I've got to have that crunchy, salty, flavored, finger food that is supposed to go on the plate next to your healthy sandwich and dill pickle. Diet junk food? Perhaps, but sure a heck of a lot better then junky junk food, and it keeps me happy.

    The trick, of course, is moderation, and making sure that you aren't replacing healthy food that is needed to keep your day's nutrition complete. (In other words, get in your servings of veggies, fruits, lean meat, dairy, etc.)

    One bag of rice cakes, portioned out to last a week, surrounded by healthy options, isn't going to derail anyone's health (imho), and is a better treat than a lot of other choices that could be made.
  • I get the cheddar cheese kind occasionally. I usually dont eat them just because they dont keep me satisfied. But I wouldnt say they are bad for you, as long as you have plenty of other healthy foods in your diet.
  • Quote: Personally, I like soy crisps
    Oh I love those things. I usually get the Gen-Soy brand.

    But I also eat the bite-sized mini rice cakes. No, they're not exactly 'healthy', in terms of nutrition. But they're a heck of a lot better than eating potato chips when I need something salty and crunchy. I mean, sheesh, it's not like they're my main diet staple.

    If you like these as treats every now and then, then eat 'em. They're low in calories and have no saturated fat.
  • I have used a brand called Lundberg that offers an alternative with no salt. The only ingredient is organic brown rice. Used as a replacement for bread or crackers, especially for those unable to eat wheat, with natural peanut butter or a lowfat cheese or a mix of fat free cottage cheese and tuna, it is a nice change. At 70 cals, 0 fat,
    0 sodium, 16g carbs, 1g fiber, 1g protein it's not bad.
  • Personally, I think anything in moderation is fine. I will have a snack of rice cakes occasionally, just for a variety. It is much healthier than grabbing for potato chips. It just all depends on how you feel when you eat it. If it helps you stay on track and you can portion control it then that is great. I need a variety in my diet... it makes me feel much less deprived and much more determined to stay focused. I never ate rice cakes before, so to me they are definitely a much healthier snack than what I was eating. And... they have brown rice cakes now too as was mentioned.