Product No Case: Lundberg Rice Cakes

October 10, 2011 General Interest

A few months ago, someone was telling me about Lundberg brown rice cakes and how amazing they are. Now, my level of skepticism climbs pretty darn high when someone says delicious and rice cake in the same sentence. Rice cakes speak of dieting food in my book, but I am always on the lookout for tasty whole grain snacks. So I gave them a try…

 And then I spit it out and threw them away. Ew! These rice cakes are the very reason healthy eating gets a bad rap (tasteless cardboard) and why faithful dieters can’t “stay on the bandwagon.” Ick, ick, ick.

I promise that it is possible to eat nutritiously and deliciously. Check out my last product show case, where I shared with you my favorite whole grain cracker. In the mean time, you can toss your brown rice cakes away.

*In an attempt to help you sort through the advertising hype, each month I write about products that tout themselves as healthy and delicious but I don’t think fit the bill. Do you have any products that you think fit this category? Let me know!

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9 comments

  1. Yes rice cakes taste like styrofoam. But they taste pretty good if you put something on them like raw tahini. How many people do you know that eat toast with nothing on it. That would not taste very good– too dry. Tahini is sesame seed butter. You can

    also put hummus on it. These cakes are used like bread. I have not had them in years but now I am remembering how much I liked them with different toppings.

  2. Fair enough Chuck! I think Lundberg would be relieved to know that you may start buying them again despite my negative review. 🙂 I appreciate your feedback and may be willing to re-consider….if I have the appropriate toppings on hand!

  3. I have a suggestion for a Product No-Case- 100 Calorie Packs, if you haven’t written about them already. 🙂

  4. I have blogged about Fiber One’s 90 calorie bars, but no 100 calorie packs! In fact, I was astounded that I hadn’t done that yet. Fab suggestion, I’m on it!

  5. I believe I told you about these rice cakes at LHI when you came this summer. I was terrified to add grains to my life and this was my safe attempt. You might be glad to know that I have expanded my choices dramatically, but they are still in my cabinet

    for those times that I just need a safe snack.

  6. Hey Audrey! You may be interested to know that you were the first but not the last client to tell me about these rice cakes! I’m THRILLED to know you have expanded your grain options…and please don’t feel bad if they remain a comforting staple in your

    life. 🙂

  7. You would be sad to know that 90-calorie packs of Quaker Rice Cakes exist (and live in my pantry). Honestly, I do think they’re good and come in lots of fun flavors– actually, many of the middle school kids I teach bring them for snacks (along with fruit,

    cheese, etc. ). If they are your only safe grain, that’s an issue, but I do think they are okay for an occasional tasty snack… apple cinnamon and peanut butter is delicious. Another Product No-Case suggestion– I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter spray.

  8. Hi Marci! I do like the occasional rice cake, but I don’t think I would ever describe them as delicious either! I have a suggestion for Product No Case: Arctic Zero ice cream. It advertises itself as a low calorie ice cream, but just the way it promotes

    itself kind of irks me. It says on the container “150 calories per pint!” and that it was designed so you can eat the whole pint and not feel guilty. Ugh. It also asks if you’ve “ever had the urge to eat the entire pint” because now you can. Hm. How about

    having a normal sized serving of regular ice cream and being satisfied? Well, here is a link to their site, it can be found at some health food stores (like the Harvest store) because it is all natural. http://www.myarcticzero.com/ This may be a controversial

    Product No Case suggestion though, since I think it is a popular item for dieters. But the way they play the “guilt” card into buying their product bothers me.

  9. I am LOVING all of these Product No Case suggestions. And I agree with Kara and Lauren. The occasional rice cake isn’t the issue. It’s the false belief that we have to eat food that tastes gross for it to be healthy and that a rice cake = healthy food.

    It doesn’t necessarily! I have a blog post brewing about the irrationality that many Americans have developed- fearing real whole foods (like potatoes) while eating heavily processed/packaged food b/c they are marketed as healthy…odd paradox indeed.

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