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.