Is Popcorn Healthy?

Healthy Popcorn Guide and Information

In this article (Is Popcorn Healthy?) we give you the low down on this natural snack and teach you how to keep it good for you and make healthy popcorn!

Most people want to know "is popcorn good for you" which it is as long as you don't make it unhealthy by adding too much fatty toppings or adding way to much salt.

In this article will teach you how to make Healthy popcorn. So lets get started.

Is popcorn healthy? Let's start with the plain popcorn facts! Yes! According to many government agencies and watch groups plain popcorn is a healthy snack For example the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the American Dental Association (ADA) both agree on this as fact! Microwave popcorn nutrition and movie popcorn nutrition are similar (although hull less popcorn loses some of the natural popcorn nutrition as we will discuss below) but the fat and salt content are not the same in different theaters and manufacturers so the question is popcorn healthy is relative to exactly whose popcorn it is and how it is made!!

OK Like they say in Missouri Show Me! Check out the proof:

7 Reasons why Popcorn Is Healthy:

1. YES Popcorn has more protein than any other cereal grain.
2. YES Popcorn is naturally sugar-free, fat free and low in calories.
3. Yes The Popcorn hull and outer layers are rich in iron, phosphorous and protein (remember that before shopping for hull less Popcorn!
4. It has more iron than eggs, peanuts, spinach, or roast beef so is popcorn healthy? YES!
5. IT is a whole grain that contains 40 or more nutrients. 40 or more nutrients! So is popcorn healthy again it is!
6. The "germ" in the popcorn kernel contains all of the B complex vitamins, plus vitamin E,
7. Riboflavin and Thiamine.

Is popcorn healthy? Is popcorn Fattening? Here is the Truth:

Three cups of Plain Popcorn that is unbuttered, no oil, air-popped, only has about 90 Calories!!

So NO! Popcorn IS NOT Fattening and Popcorn IS NOT high in calories!!

NOTE: most people eat way too much popcorn at one time. The average small Movie theater bag has about 6 cups so that has double the calories we listed. But still 180 calories with no fat IF ITS AIR POPPED is fine. But most movies pop in coconut oil or other fattening oils. Check it out below!

Is Popcorn Healthy? What about Butter Salt and other Seasonings and toppings!

OK this is where you can start to get in trouble with popcorn if you let yourself go overboard!

Here is our list, RANKED FROM FIRST BEING MOST HEALTHY TO LAST BEING LEAST HEALTHY

Note the following rules of thumb:

• The maximum amount (Daily Value) of total fat in a 2,000-calorie diet is 65 grams.
• The maximum amount of saturated fat is 20 grams.
• The Maximum salt is About 6 grams a day -which is 2300 mgs of Sodium or about one teaspoon full for a grown up

So Is Popcorn healthy here are the facts:

1. Plain Popcorn, NO SALT NO BUTTER ONLY 90 CALORIES FOR 3 CUPS great!! So is Popcorn Healthy? Plain Popcorn Sure is!

2. Reduced-fat microwave popcorn has only 3 grams of fat per serving size. So it's great too!!

3. Oil-popped popcorn with butter has around 250 calories per 3 cups - still not bad for so much food with the nutrients listed above!

4. Buttered microwave popcorn has 11 grams of fat for per 3cup serving size,

5. Theatre popcorn a kid-sized popcorn WITHOUT theater butter added extra contained 20 grams of fat, 14 of them saturated

6. A large Theater popcorn had about 80 grams of fat, more than 50 of them saturated. That's about the same as 3 big Macs worth of Fat. About 3 days worth of the recommended fat in one sitting. not to cool!

7. A Large Theater Popcorn with added Butter has 130 Grams Of Fat or about the same as 4 or 5 Big Macs WOW!! Worse yet, the cholesterol raising fat soars to almost four day's worth of fat! (Source: Center of Science in the public interest ).

Its not the Popcorn that's unhealthy! Its the butter or Oil its cooked in then glooped on top!

OK so Is Popcorn Healthy? Yes if its air pooped or very light on cooking fat and added fat IE butter or oil. But what about the Popcorn Salt? The Sodium? Is popcorn healthy when it comes to Sodium?

Guys chill! its not as bad as most people think. Is popcorn healthy when it comes to Sodium YES

UNLESS YOU DOUSE IT IN EXTRA SALT!

Government guidelines recommend that people consume less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day -- about one teaspoon of salt.

Popcorn is usually served salted and has a significant amount of sodium of around 270 to 330 mg of sodium. On top of which many of the popcorn Seasonings such as cheese and bacon salt have salt also.

But compare that too these common servings of other food and Popcorn is way healthier when it comes to salt!

• Canned chicken noodle soup (1 cup): 1,106 milligrams
• Frozen turkey and gravy (5 ounces): 787 milligrams
• Canned cream-style corn (1 cup): 730 milligrams
• Teriyaki sauce (1 tablespoon): 690 milligrams
• Vegetable juice cocktail (1 cup): 653 milligrams
• Popcorn 270 - 330mg for the small through large movie theater bags!

Summary Is Popcorn Healthy?

YES IT IS! As long as you don't cook it in oil AND douse it in too much butter and avoid double or triple salting it (added salt, and toppings that may contain more salt!).

OK that's it for this Is Popcorn Healthy Article!

Is Popcorn Healthy?

I know how hard it can be to try and serve your family nutritious snacks