Crackers are a perfect side dish for the main meal. Crackers add a savory and crunchy taste so that eating becomes more delicious. However, do you know how many calories crackers are? If consumed too much, crackers can also pose health risks.
Table Of Content
1. Cracker calories
2. Danger of overconsumption
3. Healthy advice
Cracker calories
Before you know the calories of crackers, you need to understand the ingredients in them. The main content of crackers is tapioca flour.
Then, there are some spices that are added, such as shallots, garlic, sugar, salt, and powdered broth.
Calories in one piece of white crackers weighing 15 grams is 65 kcal. If you eat one serving, the equivalent of 3 pieces or 45 grams, the calories are 194 kcal.
Of course, this number of calories is relatively large, even almost meeting the recommended calories from a daily snack, which is 200 kcal.
The following details the nutritional composition of white crackers.
1. Fat: 2.11 grams.
2. Protein: 0.83 grams.
3. Carbohydrates: 10.4 grams.
4. Sodium: 57 mg.
5. Potassium: 9 mg.
So, why are the calories of crackers relatively large? This is because crackers are high in fat and carbohydrates.
As much as 65% of a cracker is composed of carbohydrates and 30% consists of fat.
These carbohydrates come from tapioca flour and these fats are obtained from the oil that is absorbed when frying crackers.
This way of cooking does make the crackers feel crunchy and the taste blends in on the tongue. However, frying certainly increases the number of calories.
Indeed, carbohydrates and fats are nutrients that the body needs to meet daily energy needs.
Even so, crackers are a nutrient-poor food.
Eating too many crackers does not provide important nutrients for the body, instead increasing your daily calorie intake.
Summary
“The calorie of a cracker is 65 kcal. A serving of crackers consists of 3 pieces and the calories are 194 kcal.”
The dangers of consuming too much crackers
Because the nutrients are not balanced, there are some dangers that lurk when consuming too many crackers.
Here are some risks of excessive cracker intake.
1. Obesity
This is a risk that is very likely to occur if you consume excess white crackers.
White crackers are not a filling food so you can eat them in large quantities. However, this makes your calorie intake increase.
Keep in mind, the body will use calories as energy for physical activity. However, excess calorie intake will be stored in the form of fat.
This accumulation of fat leads to excess weight and eventually obesity.
2. Heart disease
In addition to adding calories, oil for frying crackers contains saturated fat. The body will convert saturated fat into cholesterol.
Over time, cholesterol builds up in the blood vessels and blocks blood flow.
This condition can increase the risk of various heart diseases, such as heart attack to stroke.
3. Diabetes mellitus
The flour used to make crackers is a carbohydrate.
Carbohydrates are digested and broken down into sugar. Later, this sugar also circulates in the blood circulation.
If you eat too many high-starchy foods, more carbohydrates are broken down into sugar.
If you eat too many crackers, the risk of having high blood sugar also increases. As a result, you are also susceptible to diabetes mellitus.
4. Digestive disorders
The fiber in crackers is very low. In fact, you still need fiber intake every day so that bowel movements are smooth so that dirt does not accumulate in the intestines.
In addition, research published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology (2016) also states that saturated fat from cracker cooking oil will disrupt the balance of intestinal bacteria (intestinal microbiota ).
Healthy advice to eat crackers
Basically, the calories of one white cracker are not too big.
However, these foods are relatively light so you will want to eat them in large quantities at one time.
This is what makes the consumption of crackers cause excessive calorie intake.
Even so, you can avoid the dangers of consuming excess crackers. Here’s a healthy way to eat white crackers that you can try.
1. Eat just a piece to avoid excess calories.
2. Avoid fried side dishes to limit saturated fat intake.
3. If available, fry the crackers yourself using an air fryer.
4. Limit dipping the crackers with the sauce so it doesn’t add to the salt content.
Calorie crackers as much as one chip is not too high. However, when consumed a serving or three pieces, the number of calories almost meet the calories of your daily snack.
In fact, you are not necessarily full after eating crackers.
If you are reducing daily calories while losing weight, you can limit crackers in your daily life.
Instead, you can eat other healthy and nutrient-rich snacks.