A closer look at the rice cake

1. They contain few calories and are delicious with all kinds of toppings: rice cakes. As a bread substitute or quick snack, they are therefore consumed with great regularity. However, there are also reports that rice cakes are poisonous and that the rice and sea salt wafer is not such a healthy choice at all. What is true?

1. Rice cakes are made from puffed rice and a little sea salt. They have - or perhaps had - a relatively healthy image. Yet they are not such a great bread substitute. A rice cake contains few nutrients and very little fiber. So by eating a rice cake, you become less saturated. Since a wafer contains only 30 kilocalories, you can safely eat them as a snack. Especially if you take a rice cake instead of a biscuit or snack. Top them preferably with vegetables, fruit, peanut butter or nut butter, a boiled egg, smoked chicken or salmon, etc. Thanks to that healthy topping you get a little more nutrients and the rice cake becomes a lot more nutritious. [! 152750 => 1130 = 2!] Gluten-free

1. Rice cakes are not really gluten-free, but people with a gluten intolerance can usually eat them well. This is because the gluten in rice, corn and oats has a different amino acid composition than the gluten in wheat, barley and rye. As a result, they pose no problems for people who cannot tolerate gluten.

Toxic from arsenic?

1. The healthy image of the rice cake is now covered by a shadow called arsenic (or arsenic). This is a metal that occurs naturally in the earth's soil and can accumulate in the body and cause long-term damage. Long-term high intake can increase the risk of skin disorders, heart disease and certain types of cancer. It occurs naturally in very small amounts in our diet, mostly in grains, rice, dairy products and drinking water (but even then it is small amounts). For adults, the chance of overexposure to arsenic is relatively small, unless you use a lot of rice from Asian countries. The risk is higher for very young children. Variety is therefore important. Children are allowed to eat a rice cake, but not every day. The same goes for rice.

Glycemic index

1. Another common disadvantage of rice cakes is that they have a high glycemic index. The glycemic index (GI) provides an estimate of the rate at which the blood sugar level rises after a person has eaten carbohydrates. Carbohydrates that break down rapidly during digestion and release their glucose into the bloodstream quickly have a high glycemic index, while carbohydrates that break down slowly and release their glucose gradually into the bloodstream have a low glycemic index. Rice cakes therefore provide a rapid rise in blood sugar levels. There is still much uncertainty about the precise role of the glycemic index, but it is said that the blood sugar fluctuations make you feel more hungry again. A lowering of the glycemic index in people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes may help in the treatment. They better not eat rice cakes.

Waffles with a flavor Rice cakes naturally do not have that much flavor of their own, which is why they are so suitable for topping with all kinds of tasty and nutritious foods. Nowadays there are also all kinds of rice cakes with a flavor for sale. Both sweet and savory. However, these variants are full of colors and flavors and also contain a lot of sugar and salt. Some sweet rice cakes contain more than six lumps of sugar in a 100 gram package. If you still want to vary with the rice wafer, try a pure wafer made of quinoa, teff, amaranth, barley, buckwheat, spelled or corn. Also read Rice: a healthy choice? Rice, unhealthy for young children? Don't miss anything?

1. ]

Don't miss anything anymore?

1. ]