Meal replacement? A single glutinous rice cake has an astonishing calorie count...😱

Sigh...

I love chapssaltteok so much.. but it's the same calories as a bowl of rice..ㅠㅠ

Various types of glutinous rice cakes filled with cream cheese or fresh cream are gaining popularity. New slang terms like 'tteok-getting (tteok + ticketing)' and 'tteok-open-run (tteok + open run)' have even been coined. Last month, popup stores selling popular brand glutinous rice cakes were held at several department stores. How about the health effects of glutinous rice cakes?

Glutinous rice cakes are made using glutinous rice, so carbohydrates are the main component and they have a high calorie content. To enhance the flavor, sugar, oil, salt, and other ingredients are added, which inevitably increases the caloric value. According to the Food and Drug Administration's Food and Nutritional Content Database, 100 grams of red bean glutinous rice cake (about the size of a palm) contains 52.65 grams of carbohydrates and 245 kcal.

Cream-filled glutinous rice cakes contain approximately 267 kcal per 100g. Since the rice cakes are sliced thinner than regular red bean glutinous rice cakes and filled with fresh cream, their carbohydrate content is relatively lower at 51.46g. However, fresh cream has a high fat content, which can increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases if consumed excessively. Fresh cream is mainly divided into animal-based and plant-based types. Animal-based cream contains saturated fats, which can raise blood cholesterol levels if consumed in excess. Plant-based cream is made through a processing process that involves adding sugars and other ingredients to plant oils. During this process, trans fats are produced when the plant oils solidify into cream. Trans fats increase the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, including dyslipidemia.

A single rice cake made with glutinous rice is almost equivalent in calories to a bowl of rice (300 kcal). When eating a rice cake, you should reduce the amount of rice you eat that day by the same amount to prevent excessive calorie intake.

Meanwhile, glutinous rice cakes also have a high glycemic index (GI) of 82. The glycemic index refers to a numerical value that indicates how quickly blood sugar levels rise after consuming a food. Foods with a GI of 55 or below are classified as low-GI foods, those between 55 and 69 as medium-GI foods, and those 70 or above as high-GI foods. Diabetic patients should be mindful of the glycemic index when consuming high-GI foods like glutinous rice cakes, as their blood sugar levels can spike rapidly.

<Source: Health Chosun>