Chiki, or Chiki balls is a product of children’s snacks that nearly all Indonesians are familiar with. Chikis are crisps that is made of approximately the same ingredients with Health Benefits of Hot Cheetos, however if Cheetos has irregular shapes, Chiki balls are of course round! In fact, Chiki is so huge in Indonesia that many Indonesians began to see it as a top-of-mind product for similar children’s snacks.
Unfortunately, more Indonesians are aware of Chiki’s health disadvantages, therefore discouraging children from consuming it regularly. But then, Chiki sure does have its advantages of its own as well. And now, these are the health benefits of Chiki.
Available Flavours of Chiki
Ingredients of Chiki
Palm Olein, Rice, Natural Identical Chicken Flavouring, Soybeans, Wheat, Egg, Flavour Enhancers, Monosodium Glutamate (MSG), Disodium Guanylate, Disodium Phosphate, 5% Chicken Extract, Onion Oil
Nutritional Facts of Chiki
All the information above are in relation to a 2,000-calorie diet. The percentage of daily value (% of DV) may differ depending on personal calorie needs.
What are its Health Benefits?
1. Chiki May Withstand Hunger
As a snack, one of Chiki’s roles is to withstand hunger, especially in between meal times. This further prevents us from overeating when a proper meal comes, and also as a way to hold one’s continuous desire to eat. So then, weight control could be helped, and so is the psychological temptation to eat!
2. Chiki as a Source of Alternative Energy as well as Nutrition
Chiki also serves as a source of alternative energy as well as nutrition because it has a modest amount of calories per serving at 50 kcal, and also natrium at 55 mg or equivalent to 2% of daily value when undergoing a 2,000-calorie diet. Being a snack, it may also help the restoration of lost nutrients from eating unhealthy foodstuff!
3. Chiki Improves Insulin Levels
Insulin is a hormone that roams around the blood and its release greatly depends on food as well as sugar intake. Since Chiki is a snack, it also contributes to the increase of insulin levels, particularly as Chiki is low in sugar. That is one example on how insulin release is hugely dependent on our food intake.
4. Chiki for Improving Brain Performance
According to the American Dietetic Association, snacking in between meals could increase brain performance as well as concentration, especially when the snack consumed has protein elements in it. Concentration is boosted through snacking because it works as a refueling for the body’s supply of energy.
5. Chiki Could Contribute in Energy Increase
Finally, Chiki may contribute in energy increase first through its calories, and also by being a snack. In fact, snacking in between lunch and dinner is needed because of its lengthy intervals, which may lead to energy decline. Snacks in this case keeps our energy and concentration up to stay put and productiveuntil the next meal.
Health Cautions on Chiki
1. Chiki May Cause Obesity
Here comes one notorious problem that Chiki has. Chiki is unrecommended by parents because it contains unhealthy nutrients that lead to health risks of obesity when consumed routinely. Therefore for most Indonesian parents, Chiki is regarded as a junk food. However, consumption of Chiki could still be accepted when done seldomly.
2. Chiki Contains High Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) Levels
One of the ingredients listed inside Chiki is Monosodium Glutamate or MSG. In its simplest terms, monosodium glutamate is a crystal granule that resembles actual salt or health benefits of sodium, made of a cross in between salt and glutamic acid. MSG is also not recommended to children fearing that it may trigger asthma, headaches, or even brain damage.
3. Chiki May Lead to Choking and Coughing for Some
Next, consumption of Chiki, especially for children below 4 is unrecommended because Chiki, despite being shaped like balls have rough textures. When chewed improperly, it may clog the throat of kids, and so choking or coughing takes place. To prevent this, parents have to make sure that their kids chew Chiki properly and slowly before swallowing.
4. Chiki Could Cause Diabetes Type 2
Many of processed snacks contain excessive carbohydrates that may lead to diabetes type 2 in the long run. This happens because carbohydrates are converted into glucose upon reaching our inner body, and of course, the more carbohydrate is consumed, more sugar is produced by the body, which also means higher blood sugar levels that lead to diabetes type 2 and also the symptoms insulin resistance.
5. Chiki Contains Negative Cholesterols (LDL)
Also, it has become a common knowledge that snacks are prone to negative cholesterols, or low-density lipoproteins (LDL) because of the trans fats it could contain. To make things worse, LDL may decrease the amount of positive cholesterol, or high-density lipoprotein (HDL).
Recommendation: How to Create A Healthier Alternative to Chiki Balls
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