1. The Pitfall of ‘Fusion’ Snacks
Recently, ‘tteok sandwiches’ or ‘tteok toast,’ made using rice cakes like baekseolgi or injeolmi instead of sliced bread, have been gaining popularity as unique snacks. They are sometimes packaged with a healthy image because they are made from rice.
2. Why it Can Be More Dangerous Than Bread
However, for a person with diabetes, a tteok sandwich can be a much more dangerous choice than a sandwich made with regular bread.
– Highly Concentrated Carbohydrates: Tteok is made from finely ground and compressed rice. Because of this, it has a much higher carbohydrate content than the same weight of bread. For example, two slices of sandwich bread (about 70g) have about 35g of carbs, whereas two similarly sized pieces of baekseolgi (about 150g) have over 70g of carbs—more than double.
– Very High Glycemic Index (GI): Tteok is digested and absorbed very quickly, with a GI of over 85, which is even higher than bread (around 70-75).
– Added Sugar: The fillings used in the sandwich, such as sweet pastes, jams, or creams, contain large amounts of sugar.
3. Conclusion: A Carbohydrate Bomb
Consequently, a ‘tteok sandwich’ is a ‘carbohydrate bomb’ that combines ‘highly concentrated refined carbohydrates’ with even more ‘simple sugars.’ Eating this as a meal substitute would mean consuming a significant portion of your daily carbohydrate needs at once and experiencing a severe blood sugar spike.
Summary: Tteok has both a higher carbohydrate density and a higher glycemic index than bread, making it much more harmful for blood sugar management. A ‘tteok sandwich’ that uses rice cakes instead of bread is not a healthy meal but a high-carbohydrate snack that must be avoided.
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