Do you really think rice cakes are healthy?

Dark_Roast · July 2013

I think they're probably healthier than expanded polystyrene, which is what they make me think of every time I eat them, which is not very often, because expanded polystyrene is not very appetising.

Yes. This exactly.

Julz1967C · July 2013

No rice!

Rice is not good for health

Care to explain why. Seriously, I am very interested. I am sceptic about many health claims online though so care to explain via some linked peer-reviewed studies why rice is not good for your health?

See, i have a been there done that experiences and i am telling from my own experience and not making up...

Rice contains a lot of carbs, these carbs when digested into the system is converted into fats and you know what happens when a lot of fat is accumulated in the body...

Rice is good for people who work very very hard like farmers and peasants of developing country and not for people in USA.

My weight loss was slow initially but became rapid when i completely abandoned rice!

Maybe you have an intolerance to rice... that does not mean anyone else has. Puffed rice (rice cakes/rice crispies/ricicles etc) has a different value in calories than plain old boiled rice. It is not just rice that is loaded with carbs, bread, potatoes and pasta do too, like everything else it's portion control that matters. Personally I like rice cakes too, in the form of Snack-a-Jacks, the caramel ones are the best!

Incidently... "these carbs when digested into the system is converted into fats" only if you haven't exercised enough to use them up...

__Di__ · July 2013

No rice!

Rice is not good for health

Care to explain why. Seriously, I am very interested. I am sceptic about many health claims online though so care to explain via some linked peer-reviewed studies why rice is not good for your health?

See, i have a been there done that experiences and i am telling from my own experience and not making up...

Rice contains a lot of carbs, these carbs when digested into the system is converted into fats and you know what happens when a lot of fat is accumulated in the body...

Rice is good for people who work very very hard like farmers and peasants of developing country and not for people in USA.

My weight loss was slow initially but became rapid when i completely abandoned rice!

Those carbs will be used up during exercise, therefore not converted into fat.

__Di__ · July 2013

<<snipped some quoted materials. Look above for reference>>

You should read health magazines and papers to know more about effects of eating rice....

See since i am an indian and not caucasian,My body structure and build up is vastly different.Rice is known to be a leading cause of obesity and diabetics amongst asians and specifically south Asians..

I became obese during my teenage years precisely because of my consumption of rice and other items like mango,banana.Even in those days i was not a junk eater...

During my initial days of weight loss program My weight loss was very slow.So i went to see a nutritionist who told me to abandon eating rice completely and now 1 year later i am 94 lbs down and still loosing 2 lbs every week.

First off, health magazines are NOT a good source of info. They give you the latest fads and diet pills sponsored by the sellers. Which is why I asked for Peer-Reviewed research which isn't funded by said companies.

Second, I AM Asian also. We're not unique species. Rice doesn't just magically make us fat and not make white people fat. Rice isn't racist.

Eat the damn rice cake. Just eat it in moderation! I eat fruits, carbs and everything and I, along with many others, are losing weight.

yeah i agree anything in moderation is not bad for health....Unfortunately i am so much afraid of eating rice that i will not be consuming it for a while....

Perhaps you have an intolerance for rice, hence why your weight suddenly shifted when you stopped eating it.

__Di__ · July 2013

I'm starting to think that rice and carbs are NOT unhealthy.

I'm Chinese and my daily lunch and dinner consists of rice/pasta/pizza/fast food. Mostly rice though and my BMI never exceeded 20.5.

Throughout my attempts to cut off rice over the years I had many people advise me against it.. Traditional chinese doctors told me not to because my body needs the amino acids in rice. And even by reducing my intake I did not see significance in weight loss, or feel healthier. In fact felt worse.

2 weeks ago I started restricting my carb intake and reduced white rice consumption by 70%. I ate occasional full portions of brown rice. I am not craving white rice now but I know I need it. I feel weak and nauseous all over and am not functioning properly. Its just that my gut has become quite upset and accustomed to the reduced intake I cannot properly eat. Mistake by crash dieting arghhhhh. I've learnt my lesson ><

I think like what people have mentioned it's not the carbs but eating habits... I ate junk, deserts and snack on chocolates.. but I didn't do it everyday. I also noticed that I cannot finish the big "American sized" portions in Western restaurants here, so I guess Asian portions are generally smaller? I don't know bout eating habits in America but I'm curious to know.

So yes... can't wait to go back to rice!! Hopefully my appetite increases tomorrow. And no I'm not a farmer. I'm a college student who never exercises.

Rice is a staple food and healthy.

Taken off the website: http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/food-nutrition/natural-foods/natural-weight-loss-food-rice-ga.htm

Excerpt from an article about rice:

Rice is an important staple of any healthy diet. This food is an excellent source of complex carbohydrates and complements protein alternatives to saturated fat-laden meat dishes very well.

Rice is the dietary backbone for over half the world's population. In Asian countries, each person consumes, on average, 200 to 400 pounds a year. Americans eat about 21 pounds per person, per year.

Rice is one reason why Asian diets are so low in saturated fat. While Americans tend to view rice as a side dish to a meat-centered diet, Asians view rice as the focus of the meal. Increasing the amount of rice and decreasing the amount of meat served helps reduce saturated fat intake.

Health Benefits

Brown rice, a whole grain, provides three times the fiber of white rice and is an excellent source of manganese and a good source of selenium, magnesium, many B vitamins, and fiber. The fiber and selenium in brown rice may work together to reduce colon cancer risk. Research reported in 2005 showed that rice bran oil (rather than fiber) reduced blood cholesterol levels.

Whole grains eaten daily helped postmenopausal women slow the progression of heart disease. One reason may be linked to the lignans found in whole grains, which have been shown to help reduce heart disease, as well as prevent hormone-dependent cancers such as breast cancer. In addition, whole grains help prevent weight gain, and eating whole grains is correlated with a lower body weight, says a study that followed over 74,000 female nurses for 12 years.

Eat rice people if you want to, it is beneficial.