Please don't give your small children a rice cake as a meal

imasinger

Mon, Nov 02 2009, 5:21 pm

I just gave my 3 year old a rice cake with sesame seed butter (not just a tiny shmeer) for lunch today, along with craisins and chocolate milk. He had a snack of cheese and pretzels earlier in the morning, and an afternoon snack of carrots and chumus. I think it was a reasonably nutritious day. His weight is just fine.

I think that in cases where kids are clearly not getting enough nutrition, maybe a parent should look for ways to do better. Outside of that, it's hard to say that a parent would be grateful for such a comment.

Liba

Mon, Nov 02 2009, 5:32 pm

Don't rice cakes melt when they are eaten and become just as dense in the stomach as any other grain?

They don't stay fluffy in my mouth.

I think that as long as the child knows how to chew it isn't an issue whether the spread is on rice cakes or whole grain crackers. An underweight child who needs to gain weight may be better off with the fat laden "ritz" type cracker, but they have their health issues as well.

Happy Mom

Mon, Nov 02 2009, 5:36 pm

I thought your concern might be that people were feeding their children rice cakes because they were trying to keep them at a certain weight. I do give my kids rice cakes as a snack periodically, though I generally avoid rice cakes for reasons other than what you expressed.

Rice cakes are extruded mechanically and the process changes the molecular structure of it, which has a harmful effect on the body (this includes puffed rice and puffed wheat). This outweighs the nutritional advantage of it being a whole grain. However, it's still a lot less harmful than most popular snack foods and it's one of the last things I'd think of mentioning to most people as an area of dietary improvement.

Unfortunately people do a lot of things just because they don't realize it's problematic, and none of us are exceptions to that. So I appreciate when people try to give me new information - sometimes it's of more help or value to me than at other times - but without it I wouldn't have the chance to learn something new.

Mama Bear

Mon, Nov 02 2009, 5:56 pm

I disagree. not every baby or child has to eat ony food that make them grow and make them full etc. my baby is 27 1/2 pounds KEH and doesnt need to eat bread all the time. he doesnt even like bread. rice cake with peanut butter is a delicious snack. it's not dietetic. it's real food. rice is much a starch as bread is.

gold21

Mon, Nov 02 2009, 7:19 pm

I have never seen a mom try to keep her baby on dietetic food. very strange, if thats really true. actually, sick and child abuse, who puts a slim baby on a diet? thats bizarre. anyhow, my 14 month old is 30 lbs and I dont think he needs to be crammed with calories, so I dont feel bad giving him rice cakes to nosh on. in fact, I feel good that its not a high-calories treat. hey, hes gaining fast on his three and a half year old brother, I would prefer if his weight doesnt yet surpass that of a child two and a quarter years older!

mommalah

Mon, Nov 02 2009, 8:14 pm

AlwaysGrateful wrote:

Um, do you have a source for this? Rice cakes are made of brown rice, which is a whole grain. If you're spreading peanut butter or avocado, they're getting plenty of fat and calories from that. Have you actually researched this, or did you decide that since people on diets eat rice cakes, babies shouldn't?

Of course, in a situation where a baby had very little appetite, and eating half a rice cake would satisfy her, I would agree that rice cakes aren't the best idea. But other than that...you make it sound like they're dangerous or seriously unhealthy.

most rice cakes out there are made using white rice which isn't whole grain. They have almost no nutritional value. Hence the 35 calories per cake..the only rice cake made from brown rice I found at trader joe's. They are heavier, substantial, and very filling. They have 70 calories per cAke and taste great. I would and have fed this to my baby and older children knowing it is good nutrition for them. The white rice ones are useless styrofoam..

Reality

Mon, Nov 02 2009, 9:00 pm

Happy Mom wrote:

That is some article! I've been reading Michael Pollans's books recently & it has really opened up my eyes about the industrialization of our food. I'm just not sure what the next step is for me.

Reality

Mon, Nov 02 2009, 9:05 pm

Oh & as far as rice cakes are concerned:

1. They can be a choking hazard for many children. My kids pediatrician does not recommend giving them to your kids as an early finger food.
2. They aren't dietetic. People think they are. But they are very light & not filling at ALL & many times peple eat MANY of them at a time & they aren't that low in calorie. So if each one is 35-40 calories & you eat 4, do the math. That is more calories than a serving of pretzels.
3. Most rice cakes I have seen are made with brown rice.

Marion

Mon, Nov 02 2009, 9:41 pm

Rice cakes CAN be a choking hazard for young children; they get sticky & gummy, and like popcorn, should be avoided in children who don't yet have teeth. However, there are also "pressed" rices cakes (Osem makes them; they're square rather than round) that are 100% safe.

As an aside I wouldn't touch a rice cake for myself with a 10 foot pole. My kids, however, love them, and I'm happy to give it to them as a snack, or shmeared with hummus for "aruchat 10" to switch things up. Certainly, healthier than white bread!

Ashrei

Mon, Nov 02 2009, 10:02 pm

Thanks for the tip about rice cakes! I tend to use them too much as a cruch, when she wants something right away and I just can't think of anything else to give her, or I have nothing else she'd like. Your post reminded me that I really shouldn't rely on them so much. Thanks for looking out (and for taking all the slack to get an important message across... I'm sure there are mothers who got a lot from your post who didn't post as much as others!)

Raisin

Tue, Nov 03 2009, 5:44 am

drumjj wrote:

do u have any suggestions other than rice cakes or corn thins for babies with gluten intolerance there really isnt much more u can give is there?

I've seen oatcakes in healthfood stores or supermarkets with a klbd hechsher. just oats and olive oil.

Mrs Bissli

Tue, Nov 03 2009, 6:12 am

Happy Mom wrote:

Rice cakes are extruded mechanically and the process changes the molecular structure of it, which has a harmful effect on the body (this includes puffed rice and puffed wheat). This outweighs the nutritional advantage of it being a whole grain. However, it's still a lot less harmful than most popular snack foods and it's one of the last things I'd think of mentioning to most people as an area of dietary improvement.

Happy Mom,

Can you please explain how changes in molecular structure is harmful on the body in the case of puffed cereals? Are you saying it is harmful (in what ways?) or just reduces nutritional value? Unless you subscribe to a raw food movement, isn't most cooking--including home cooking--about changing molecular structure of food so it's tasty/easily absorbed etc?

As for the rice cake, I don't find it bulking at all. It kinda melt/shrinks after I eat it and it doesn't stave me off hunger that long. So isn't that true for the little tummies?