Feel terrible about children having rice cakes when young

[chocolatelimesaredelicious]

Hello,

Not sure this is the right thread necessarily, but I just wanted to offload about a subject I'm really worried about.
My children are now 12, 10 and 7 (twins).
When they were young, baby rice cakes were the "trendy" healthy snack, suggested by health visitors and seen as a good substitute for biscuits.

I used to feed my children them quite often - we always had a bag of baby rice cakes on the go. I think they probably had about 8 a week. When they went to pre-school, they were often given big rice cakes as a snack with fruit-maybe once or twice a week or so.

Fast forward to 2020....last week, I came across an article saying that rice cakes have dangerous levels of arsenic in , and that children under 5 should not have them, particularly not infants as they raise the risk of getting certain cancers later in life. Looking around more, I saw that Sweden have banned rice cakes for under 6s.

I actually emailed the Professor in charge of this project, and he said that individual risk of getting cancer from rice/rice cakes was relatively low, and that also stopping after 5 years would have helped as cancer risks were calculated on a lifetime's worth of exposure.

This made me a feel a bit better at the time, but since then I have become increasingly worried about what I might have done all those years ago to jeopardise my children's health. And I keep on remembering all those rice cakes I fed my children...

Any tips on how to not be consumed by guilt about this?

Also..do spread the word not to feed infants rice cakes...

There are a number of much older Mums on here, I'm 70+, we were brought up eating food cooked in aluminium pans and we're still here!

I'm 61 and everything at home was cooked in aluminium pans and the teapot was aluminium too. I do wonder if that's why we are seeing such a lot of Alzheimers now though.

Even 5 years ago when mine was weaning rice cakes were t he healthy thing to give to children. I thought they still were actually (but mine has long since discovered biscuits and is no longer a fan of rice cakes)

As a side note do you think in 10 years time there will be articles about how alcohol based hand saniter can do lasting damage to under 18s/condemn them to a life of alcoholism and all of us who parented through 2020 will be consumed with guilt?
(lighthearted, I don'y want to actually suggest this is true)

Well it’s common knowledge rice has arsenic in but children in countries where rice is eaten for most meals don’t have higher levels of cancer.
There is nothing to worry about with a few rice cakes.

As lots of people have already said, the advice on sleeping, weaning, feeding etc for babies and adults for that matter changes all the time. In general we are all living far longer than we ever have so I really would take it all with a pinch of salt. What is right this week could be wrong next week.

I was told my unborn baby could be retarded if I didn’t eat oily fish (I am vegetarian). She got AstarAstarA at A Level and has never eaten fish or meat in her life.

I’d be more worried about us 70’s/80’s kids being raised on a diet of crispy pancakes, faggots and second hand cigarette smoke. 😘

My parents were given asbestos to play with at school to show off this new wonder material... I wouldn’t worry about rice cakes.

In this day and age, I'd worry more about the unseen threats to health over rice cakes.

There’s cyanide in apple pips but no one is suggesting we don’t eat them.
Everything in moderation.

@chocolatelimesaredelicious

Thank you SBTLOVE but the article says that white rice cakes are ok-and unfortunately the ones I fed my babies were Organic whole grain baby rice cakes, which apparently have more arsenic.

The risk is far far smaller than just about anything else they do like being passengers in cars, crossing the road and simply going about every day life.

OP Sweden have NOT banned rice cakes for under 6s. Parents are advised not to give them but they most definitely aren't banned.

I have become unusually anxious about this topic, and, yes, there are other reasons for me being anxious the moment and it probably has been displaced.

I hope you can go to see a HCP if you keep on worrying and can't let it rest.

There isn't really such a thing as 'a worrier'. There is anxiety, though, and it can be reduced by various means. Don't hesitate to get help.

I dread to think of how many rice cakes I’ve eaten. I buy 3 packs a week. I love them, so do the DC.

I’m sure they will be ok.

Most processed food aren't great. Gluten-free subs have loads of crap in them. But...
vegetarian diets are not good for children (they lack essential amino acids) and vegan diets are good for no-one (as the lack essential amino acids, vit B12, iron and calcium), processed meats - sausages, ham , bacon can be carcinogenic, non-organic above ground vegetables are covered in chemicals.

Most parents are never going to make everything from fresh, only buy organic produce (or grow/nurture their own), if they did they're likely to be so focussed on cooking that they neglect other areas of their child's life.
Don't worry OP and as long as you give them good, none faddy diets your children will be fine.

Everything is poisen, deadly or toxic. Even water. It's the dose that matters.

Have a watch if this, it will explain it so much better than I ever could...

@thenightsky

There are a number of much older Mums on here, I'm 70+, we were brought up eating food cooked in aluminium pans and we're still here!

I'm 61 and everything at home was cooked in aluminium pans and the teapot was aluminium too. I do wonder if that's why we are seeing such a lot of Alzheimers now though.

I think the increased incidence of Alzheimers is more down to better diagnoses and increased life expectancy than our usage of aluminium pans in the 70s.

Yikes I opened the thread thinking it was going to be a joke along the lines of “now I’ve tasted them”

If you’re finding yourself preoccupied with this worry a wee chat with your GP would be a good idea

oakleaffy I remember that study- I refused pethadine because of it (& was frustrated by MWs who didn’t know the study) as there are several addicts in our family so I felt our genes were “primed” already.

If you’re worried about this then don’t watch the QI clip about bananas. They ruined them for me!

You could probably cover a football field with the rice cakes my kids ate when they were younger - yes, wholemeal, organic ones. C'est la vie!

My DS has had loads of rice cakes and still does! Now I'm really worried as well.

Thanks all. Am actually feeling better about the whole issue after reading all your replies, which, through humour, sympathy or appeal to science, have given me some perspective.
Staffy1- as said above, the professor in charge of the relevant study( who I emailed!) said the relative risk to the individual of eating rice cakes was low - and that studies which have found a link between arsenic and cancer were done on communities who drank high levels of arsenic in water ( far higher than in rice cakes and for decades).

That said, he did say it’s best to find alternatives eg corn or spelt cakes

His research is about reducing children’s exposure to toxicants to as low as possible- but he’s also keen to point out that the risk as things stand at the moment is still low.

I did the same - TBF my DC was/is an extremely eater and if rice cakes would be eaten, then of course he ate lots of rice cakes.

It probably won't harm them as much as the nitrites in all the ham/bacon in this country. When we were in France a couple of years ago, there was loads of packaged ham that was nitrite-free and tasted normal. I don't know why we can't have more of that nitrite-free ham here (there are a couple of brands, but the smell when you open them is horrific and they taste a bit off too).

And I think rice milk is worse than rice cakes?

undertheash vegetarian diets are absolutely fine for children. My children are taller, healthier and brighter than me. They have never eaten fish or meat though by my choice then their choice. In fact there is a strong significant correlation between being vegetarian and how bright you are. However I think this is because brighter people are more likely to be vegetarian not that a vegetarian diet makes you bright.