Lundberg Cinnamon Toast Organic Rice Cakes

Lundberg Cinnamon Toast Organic Rice Cakes
Photograph Copyright 2012 by Kelsey Wyatt

For years rice cakes and similar airy foods that are often meant as a food that people trying to lose weight might try and often they were derided for being nothing more than crunchy air. But through the years a lot of different flavoring techniques have come about along with some modifications and experiments regarding the texture of the cakes.

Today's rice cakes often have a lot of salt, high calories and even some fat in them and while this can certainly make them taste better, it does sort of remove the food from the column that marks them as a food meant for low calorie diets. One of the first things anyone should do these days is make sure that if they're looking for a low calorie food that they always take a look at the nutritional facts on the back of the package.

Lundberg Cinnamon Toast Organic Rice Cakes
Photograph Copyright 2012 by Kelsey Wyatt

For many gluten-free foods, this is especially important because the removal of gluten often spells the addition of many more calories than one might suspect would otherwise be offered in a particular food. For Lundberg Cinnamon Toast Organic Rice Cakes, one of the most attractive features of the food is that it's organic and gluten-free, so if you're looking for an organic snack that's not too terrible on the wallet, these cakes are a decent investment.

As for the nutritional facts on these cakes, they're definitely well within the bounds of what could be considered a diet food or low-calorie snack and munching on a half bag of these likely wouldn't put anyone's diet off the tracks. They also happen to taste exactly like one might expect a cinnamon flavored rice cake to taste. The addition of "toast" to the name though probably isn't required. They don't really resemble a piece of toast or taste like one. They just taste like cinnamon and rice pieces.

Lundberg Cinnamon Toast Organic Rice Cakes
Photograph Copyright 2012 by Kelsey Wyatt

Generally the biggest complaint someone might have with these suckers is the fact that all that's required is a light breeze and they look like the debris from an explosion of Rice Krispies. Which might be great if you're going to try these rice cakes in a bowl of milk, but might be a problem if you're eating them with one hand while driving. The picture to the right is simply the result of tossing a few of these things on my counter.

Fortunately the fact that these little things break apart easily doesn't make them taste any less cinnamon-like and the overall taste and consistency is to be expected of how a rice cake might taste. They're likely a great option for anyone who is trying a low-calorie or reduced calorie diet and they a great option for people who want an organic snack. So many foods today simply say "natural" on them, but still seem to include questionable ingredients. Most of the foods that Lundberg manufacturers are organic. 

They also have a lot of information on their website about sustainable farming and eco-friendly farming, which definitely makes it worth checking out their other items as well. They're a great example of a company that is committed to organic food and isn't trying to play the "natural" game with their customers.

Lundberg Cinnamon Toast Organic Rice Cakes
Photograph Copyright 2012 by Kelsey Wyatt

Lundberg Cinnamon Toast Organic Rice Cakes Report Card

The Good Stuff

These rice cakes taste good, are great on nutritional content and have the added bonus of being crafted from organic ingredients. Certainly a trifecta for a healthy gluten-free snack. Definitely worth a try.

What Could Be Better

Clearly, the potential for these rice cakes to disintegrate into rice pellets is a problem and when I bought a bag of these things, it's not like I experienced an earthquake before opening them. It's probably a good idea to eat all the rice cakes that are intact first and then just pour all the rice crumbs out of the bag into a bowl and eat them like little bits of candy (tossing the plastic bag back like you're a bachelor with a carton of milk is also acceptable).