Rice cakes on a diet?

I eat them all the time. I love them too. The ones I buy are made from brown rice instead of white, so they're not that bad. Makes a nice replacement for chips esspecially if I buy the mini ones, fruit chutney flavor...mmm...plus their an easy way to hit my 3 serving a day grain goal.

So I've always been a fan of rice cakes, the puffed ones which aren't like those weird flavours under an odd brand name.. just plain old rice cakes with some peanut butter on or something.

But someone recently said they were high in the GI index and will give me an insulin spike? I did a bit of research into it but I don't really get it, but I guess they're sort of nutritionally empty but are around 30calories each - so I've got nothing to lose?

What would you think? Yay or nay; according to the GI index?

I personally avoid them because I feel like they're "empty" calories. It's just puffed up rice, and empty of a lot of nutritional value. Plus, I'm always hungry soon after eating them.
http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsweek/Glycemic_index_and_glycemic_load_for_100_foods.htm

Here's a graph that Harvard made with the rankings for different foods, rice cakes included.

I avoid them like the plague... because I think they're disgusting. You're a fan of them however, so go for it. I sometimes have a particular crispbread that are low calorie (because similarly, they have a lot of air in them!) I have them with nut butter, or pate on as a bit of a snack.

Eat what you enjoy and what helps you meet your goals.

I would eat them if I liked them. I think it's good on a diet to have a few non-vegetable "crunchy" items you can snack on. Eat them for a few days and see how you feel. If you get an energy spike followed by a crash, you might avoid them, or if they leave you feeling hungry, you might eat them less often and eat a hardboiled egg or something instead.

Personally, I think they taste like styrofoam, but as others have said, if you like them, eat them! (In reasonable quantities and as long as they leave you feeling good, not bad.)

If you eat low GI/low GL because you find it helps you control over eating, rice cakes might not be a good choice. If you eat at a deficit and don't worry about insulin then go for it.

I personally don't eat them. In part, because I think they taste and sound like styrofoam, in part because I DO eat slow carb and they don't fit my goals.

I haven't eaten a rice cake before? ... Is it delicious? How does it taste like?

They don't taste like rice and don't taste like cake. To me they are a big disappointment and have no place in my diet. But if they fit your calorie/macro goals and you like them, then eat up.

I think I read here on MFP eating rice cakes help you to lose weight because they are full of air. When they go down into your stomach, the air is released and makes you feel full. So, I would say, eat up!

BURP!

edit: because I forgot to use the sarcasm smiley.

I haven't eaten a rice cake before? ... Is it delicious? How does it taste like?

Styrofoam