Popcorn is a beloved snack and has become part of our way of life. But lately there have been concerns over it’s healthiness hence the question we often get, why is popcorn a healthy snack? Popcorn, A Whole Grain Snack, Can Be Healthier Using A Salt Free Popcorn Seasoning.
Popcorn Glycemic Index: When we talk about snacks that are healthy, popcorn doesn’t usually gets mentioned, when we think of popcorn, what comes to mind is all the butter and the sugar that goes into the making of popcorn. However, this is not the entire picture, popcorn can really be a healthy snack when you use the right toppings such as a salt free seasoning for your popcorn, Popcorn has a Glycemic Index(GI) of 72, with the popcorn glycemic index at a mere 72, popcorn is healthy.
What Makes Popcorn Healthy?
Popcorn is a snack made from whole grain, and this means it is naturally fiber rich, has no sodium in it, low calories and very low in fat(1 gram). You may ask, if popcorn is all this, then why is they so much controversy over it’s health status? The simple answer to this is the toppings, it is the toppings that we use and how we choose to pop our popcorn that is responsible for whether or not it is healthy.
For example just two tablespoonful of popcorn kernels will yield about five cups of popped popcorn, and this translates to only 110 calories and about 7 grams of fiber. That’s a lot of snack to munch on with very little amount of calories.
How to make your popcorn a healthy snack
We have put together a few tips and guidelines to follow that will help you make your popcorn a healthier snack every time.
Tip #1 Choose healthy popcorn toppings. This is important as stated earlier, your choice of toppings for your popcorn will determine whether it’s healthy or not.
Tip #2 Choose popcorn kernels that are organic, this will mean you’ll avoid pesticide residues. Non-organic or regular popcorn kernels has been listed on the FDA’s list of top ten foods prone to contamination from chemicals and pesticides.
Tip #3 Learn how to make your own popcorn and do avoid the popular microwave packets. The health concerns still persists around popcorn from microwave and the chemical additives that are supposed to promote better popping and no sticking.
Tip # 4 Make use of a Popcorn Popper. This greatly increase the efficiency of popping and reduce the number of un-popped kernels, and with these popping machines, you can also add the ingredients you want at the right proportions.
When you choose to eat popcorn, make sure you are doing it right and healthy, you can do this by taking better options to make your popcorn. Try to be creative and think about other ways of flavoring your popcorn with better, healthier flavored oils, seasonings that are healthy and do lower your intake of sodium with salt substitutes or better still choose to eat free of salt seasoning. With all this precautions you can now safely put popcorn back on your list of very healthy snacks.