Popcorn is known the world over as a munchie that is purchased in movie theaters in enormous bags and even buckets. Popcorn is a delicious junk food that you pour melted butter over and then add a large amount of salt to. There isn’t a better crunchy treat to have when watching a movie at the theater or at home.
Could popcorn be the next good for you food? Its true popcorn could be a food you want to have in your diet on a regular basis. A study done at the University of Scranton (yes the same city the TV show The Office is based in) found that popcorn has more antioxidants than some fruits and vegetables have. The researchers at Scranton University found that in a serving of popcorn there is approximately 300mg’s of polyphenols which if you were familiar with this antioxidant you would know that polyphenols lower cholesterol and fight off some types of cancer.
The polyphenols in fruits and vegetables get diluted by water but in popcorn this doesn’t happen because popcorn has only 4% water. This means that the antioxidants in popcorn are more potent.
Of course if you had a cup of butter and several teaspoons of salt you are adding a ton of fat sodium and calories but if you can keep the butter and salt to a minimum, popcorn is actually a very healthy snack food that you would benefit from if eaten every day. Popcorn is also an unprocessed whole grain, you can’t say that about the chips or cheesies you just scarfed down.
When choosing popcorn try to stick with hot air popcorn and don’t add to much butter or salt. Try shaking a bit of parmesan cheese over the popcorn instead.
If you prefer popcorn that comes in ready to microwave bags then look for lower sodium and fat varieties. If you are good most of the time with your fat and salt intake then once in a while you can indulge in the movie theater style buttered popcorn.
You can order popcorn online at really reasonable prices. The varieties you can find online are endless.
Now that you know popcorn is the new health food will you start eating more popcorn?
