Are Rice Cakes Truly a Healthy Choice?

We've naturally gotten used to associating rice cakes with healthy eating. We snack on rice cakes when we want to keep our weight in check and feel like we've eaten "healthy."

But are they really nutritious and beneficial?

It turns out rice cakes have a high glycemic index, meaning consuming a lot of them causes a rapid increase in blood sugar levels and higher insulin production.

In other words, they raise blood sugar levels easily, much like other snacks—crackers and pretzels—despite their low calorie count.

Additionally, rice cakes usually contain a high level of sodium—a significant amount of salt that is harmful and generally not recommended, especially concerning blood pressure. Salt is one of the contributors to high blood pressure.

Many of us feel we're being punished when eating this "styrofoam," and when adopting a healthy lifestyle and losing weight, enjoyment is important.

During the preparation process of rice cakes, a significant part of the nutritional values found in brown rice is destroyed and lost. Rice cakes are also hard for the stomach to digest—they're unfamiliar to the stomach and weaken it.

Furthermore, in the preparation process, rice cakes expand, causing them to release more sugars and break down more sugar into the blood as we consume them, which increases cravings for sweets and leads to weight gain. Instead, it's better to consume the grain itself—eat rice or buckwheat bread instead of rice cakes. These options contribute to a feeling of fullness and reduce the desire for sweets.

Rice cakes contain a small amount of fiber and a high amount of carbohydrates. Fiber aids digestion, delays sugar absorption, and allows for smoother digestion. We're convinced that a single rice cake contains a small amount of calories, but in practice, we usually eat a few at a time (at best). Often even more.

The amount of carbohydrates in rice cakes is greater than in bread, and bread is more satiating and contains more vitamins and minerals.

Many endure the task of eating rice cakes, believing it's beneficial for their health. However, the opposite is true. Eating two slices of quality bread—delicious, enjoyable, and satisfying—sends a signal to the brain that we've eaten, and we feel full for longer, making it more efficient than consuming rice cakes, which create a short-term feeling of fullness and hence the natural tendency to eat them in large amounts and continue snacking.

In any case, try to eat rice cakes in moderation, adding only healthy toppings like avocado, hummus, tahini, and vegetables.

Zohara Sharbvit is an N.D. naturopath and an iridology expert, with many years of experience in treatment, advice, and workshop facilitation. To book a free workshop, call 073-2221290