By itself, popcorn is a healthy whole-grain snack with no fat, sugar or sodium. A cup of air popped popcorn contains 2 grams of fiber and just 30 calories.

Whole grains have been proven to reduce the risk of heart disease and cholesterol. Being low fat and low calories, it can help prevent obesity, which is a leading cause for high blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes.

The trouble starts when we start adding flavor to the popcorn.

• A teaspoon of oil or butter adds 100 calories
• A teaspoon of salt adds 2,400 mg of sodium
• A large tub of movie theater popcorn can contain 1,200 calories, 980 mg of sodium and 60 grams of saturated fat

The American Diabetes Association recommends eating air popped popcorn as a healthy alternative to oil popped popcorn. They also suggest adding healthy ingredients to liven up the flavor of the popcorn. We've followed some of their suggestions in our favorite popcorn recipes.

• Pepper, paprika or chili powder
• Low-fat parmesan cheese
• Handful of chocolate chips
• Tablespoon of peanut butter
• Basil and garlic

We've also experimented with spicy curry popcorn. And, parmesan has been a very easy flavoring to add to our recipes. Do you have any favorite popcorn recipes? Let us know below.

When watching your weight, popcorn can be a magical snack. As a whole-grain food, it’s a great source of fiber and can curb your hunger between meals. On the flipside, popcorn can be one of your worst enemies. Popcorn calories add up quickly. Like so:

Hot air popcorn calories
Calories in a cup of popcorn equal just 31 calories. So far so good. Hot air popcorn poppers like the Presto Corn Popper are great for the weight watcher.

Calories in oil popped popcorn
Not too bad at 55 calories in just one cup (no butter added).

Calories in oil popped popcorn with just 2 teaspoon of melted butter
We’ve more than doubled the calories at 122. Still not too bad when compared to most Microwave popcorn brands or other snacks (chips, candy, etc.)

Speaking of Microwave Popcorn Calories, how about a ½ bag of lightly buttered microwave popcorn
Now we’re heading to more time on the treadmill. 180 calories

That small bag of popcorn at the movie theater, just hold the butter
Double the time on the treadmill. 400 calories. Wow!

Okay, let’s add butter to that small bag of popcorn at the theater
630 calories. Hmmm. This isn’t looking good. Need to upgrade to the eliptical at the gym.

Calories in large movie theater popcorn without butter
You’re not going to like this. 1,160 calories

Calories in large movie theater popcorn with butter
1,640 calories. That’s almost a daily calorie intake.

So, hot air popcorn poppers win in the calories department followed by oil popcorn makers. Of course at home it’s easy to control how we pop and what we put on our popcorn. At the movie theater, it’s a different story. We’ve chosen to share a small bag of popcorn between two people instead of purchasing those larger tubs.

How do you watch your popcorn calories?

According to a report in the May 2008 Journal of the American Dietetic Association, people who eat popcorn have approximately 250% higher daily intake of whole grains and 22% higher daily intake of fiber than those who don't eat popcorn.  This study is great news for those of us who love to eat popcorn.

The report promotes the idea that "a high intake of whole-grain foods has been linked with reduced risk for coronary disease, stroke and various types of cancer and may protect against type 2 diabetes."

The report concludes:

“Popcorn may offer a healthful alternative to energy-dense, low-nutrient-dense snacks, and may have the potential to improve nutrient status in Americans of all ages and help them meet dietary guideline recommendations to consume three whole-grain servings per day.”

The American Dietetic Association recommends popping popcorn with a hot-air popcorn popper to ensure "a low-fat, low calorie snack."