Nutrition Nutritional Research Healthier Popping
Healthier Popping |
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 We all like to settle into a movie at home or at the theatre with a bowl of just-popped popcorn. Is this healthy snack? The answer is yes! Plain popcorn is really high in beneficial dietary fiber and very low in calories. Unless that is, you pop it in oil, smother it it with butter or sprinkle it with cheese and overdo the salt. Then the inherently healthy qualities of fresh popcorn are out the door!
Try to go for air-popped popcorn, it's the healthiest, with no fat and under 100 calories per serving. Fact: The average American eats about 59 quarts of popcorn each year. Who knew we were popping mad? If you don't air-pop, be careful selecting the oil used to pop the corn., Use only monounsaturated fats, such as canola oil or olive oil when you prepare popcorn. Saturated fats, like coconut oil or palm oil, margarine, or butter are the least healthy and you'll risk raising your cholesterol levels. Fat content, calories andand the amount of added salt vary widely among different brands of microwave or pre-popped popcorn, so read those labels carefully. Look for no more than 2 grams of total fat, one gram of saturated fat and less than 200 milligrams of salt per serving. To their credit, some movie theaters have switched to healthier oils in their popcorn poppers. Ask before you buy, and easy on the butter and salt! |
