In general, rice cakes are a healthy snack, especially when paired with avocado, fruit, or peanut butter.
Rice cakes are a popular snack—especially for those looking to maintain a healthy weight—because they can be low in calories and carbohydrates. Why? Because a rice cake is composed of puffed rice pressed together to form a patty.
But are those crunchy snacks good for your health? Here’s a primer on the nutritional content, benefits, and drawbacks of rice cakes and how to eat them healthfully.
Nutrients in Rice Cakes
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.
Antioxidants
Antioxidants are compounds in foods that protect healthy cells from damage caused by free radicals. Free radicals are harmful substances that promote premature aging and may increase the risk of chronic diseases.3
A 2018 review published in the journal Antioxidants found that brown rice contains various phenolic compounds, a group of antioxidants also found in tea and citrus fruits.4 Phenolic compounds protect cells from damage linked to a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, obesity, cancer, and heart disease.
Blood Sugar Regulation
A study published in 2020 in the journal Diabetes Care suggests that whole grains like brown rice may control post-meal blood sugar levels in people with diabetes.5 Those whole grains may even help prevent type 2 diabetes.
The reason? Whole grains contain high amounts of fiber. The body cannot break down and absorb fiber for energy.6 Therefore, fiber doesn’t cause a spike in blood sugar like its refined counterparts.
Plus, fiber from whole grains feeds the good bacteria in our gut, like Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. Some good bacteria have been linked to diabetes and obesity prevention.
Weight Management
Rice cakes can help you maintain a healthy weight if you use them to replace high-calorie, high-carbohydrate foods in your diet.
For example, swapping one plain bagel with two organic brown rice cakes can cut out 130 calories and 21 grams of carbohydrates. Making that switch three times per week could result in nearly six pounds of weight loss over a year.
Easy to Digest
Rice, including plain brown rice cakes, is easy to digest as it’s a low-FODMAP food. FODMAP stands for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols—all of which are sugars.
The body absorbs FODMAPs poorly during digestion. And for some people, FODMAPS can result in bloating, pain, cramps, and gas, per one study published in 2017 in the journal Nutrients.7
Additionally, since brown rice is naturally gluten-free, plain brown rice cakes are an excellent option for people who cannot eat gluten.
Source: https://www.health.com
