Do you like to eat popcorn? If your answer is “YES”, then we must be good partners on the same front. You might be like me, watching a movie while eating an entire bag of popcorn, or like slathering on cheddar cheese and eating an entire bag of popcorn. But, the question is, is popcorn really healthy?
Is popcorn healthy?
Popcorn is actually quite simple, just popped whole wheat. Many people think that popcorn is junk food, but it’s not. Whole grains are healthy foods, and because popcorn is in abundance, it can actually make you feel full. And the crunchy texture is quite lovely.
However, popcorn usually has a lot of extra flavoring added, which is what makes popcorn unhealthy. The problem is that people often overdose, and the typical serving size is usually a cup, but when you eat too much, you end up with too many calories.
Calories in Popcorn and Nutrition Facts
First of all, a bag of popcorn won’t overload your calorie intake, and air popcorn is a pretty good choice in terms of nutrients. According to the USDA, one cup of plain popcorn contains:
- 31 calories
- 1 gram of fiber
- 1 gram of protein
Not only does it contain a fair amount of fiber, but it is also very low in fat and low in calories. Therefore, it is not easy to consume excess calories, sodium, or fat.
But seasoned popcorn is another story.
Of course, that’s not the case when popcorn has cream, cheese, caramel, or other popular flavors added to it. For example, a three-cup serving of creamy caramel popcorn has a whopping 192 calories (twice as much as plain popcorn for the same amount) and 15 grams of fat (five times as much as plain popcorn).
If you can’t control yourself to just one serving (frankly, it’s really hard to control yourself when it comes to popcorn), then you really have to pay attention to the nutrition label and figure out how many calories you’re about to eat.
Microwave popcorn
It’s best to avoid microwave popcorn. Most microwave popcorn brands contain too much trans fat as well as saturated fat. Be careful with the cream!
In addition, there is a slightly increased risk of popcorn lung (bronchiolitis obliterans). Popcorn lung is a lung disease associated with diacetyl (often used as a food additive to increase the creamy flavor in popcorn). Frankly speaking, if you continue to inhale the gas produced by microwave popcorn, it is really not good for your body.
Teach yourself how to pop healthy popcorn
If you want to eat microwave popcorn safely, it is recommended to put the popcorn in a brown paper bag and pop the popcorn yourself in the microwave, or you can use a popcorn pan.
If you are afraid of trouble and don’t want to do it yourself, you can also use the gas stove at home. Using a deep pan, heat some coconut or olive oil in the pan before adding the popcorn, shaking the pan evenly. When the popcorn pops, add some Parmesan cheese, salt, vinegar, and some hot sauce, or any other seasoning you like. This makes for a healthier and tastier version than other seasoned popcorn flavors!
Popcorn can be quite a healthy snack as long as you try to eat it plain, or just add a little flavor, but like the flavored popcorn sold in the movie theater, don’t eat too much.
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