The Health Benefits of Popcorn

When one thinks about the healthy choices they could make for a snack, they usually don't consider popcorn as a viable alternative. Popcorn brings to mind the gallon jugs of processed butter flavor that the movie theater workers can be seen dumping into a fresh batch of popped kernels.But did you know that without all of that extra flavoring added to it, popcorn is still delicious, and even better, it has substantially less calories. This makes plain, or very lightly salted popcorn a great choice when it comes to healthy snacks.

Plain popcorn has the benefits of being a whole grain snack that is naturally high in fiber. It has very few calories, no sodium, and only 1 gram of fat.As with most things, it's the stuff we put on top of the popcorn that really starts to rack up the calories and turns the gourmet popcorn  into a high sodium, high calorie, high fat, and absolutely horrible snacking choice.

One of the best things about popcorn is just how much you can eat as part of one serving. 2 tablespoons of unpopped kernels will make you about 5 cups of hot delicious  gourmet popcorn. Eating those 5 cups should be sufficient to fill you up even though it only contains a little more than 100 calories and has 7 whole grams of fiber! The calories you consume while eating popcorn are really nothing when you consider how long it could take you to munch through 5 whole cups.

Turning your popcorn from a fatty calorie sponge couldn't be easier. Here are a few simple steps that anyone can follow to start snacking the right way.

Look For The Organic Option When Buying Kernels

Organic popcorn uses absolutely no pesticides or residues in production. The FDA has time and time again warned us against the dangers of regular popcorn, and it has been listed as one of the most commonly contaminated foods. Be sure to distinguish between packaging that says things like "all natural," or things of that nature. Make sure the packaging says certified organic.

Pop The Kernels Yourself

Don't freak out, it's easy I promise. There are several different methods that you can use to pop your own popcorn. The main benefit of popping your own popcorn is you get just the corn. There aren't any of the added chemicals that help the popcorn to pop or prevent it from sticking to the bag.

One of the easiest and least known methods for popping popcorn is to use a paper lunch bag, put  1/4  cup of kernels in the bottom and fold the top a couple of times. Then microwave the bag for about 3 minutes and presto! You now have a delicious bag of popcorn ready to go! To learn more visit www.uptownpopcorn.com.

If You Must Top It, Use Something Healthy
This one in is pretty self-explanatory. Don't add unnecessary calories to your snack. Some great alternatives include salt substitute, chili seasoning, cayenne, and nut oils.

Don't be afraid to use other healthy snack choices in addition

Add popcorn to trail mix. Thank me later.