Popcorn Nutrition Facts
The essentiality to understanding the popcorn nutrition facts can’t and shouldn’t be neglected as it is one of the famous snacks all over the world and consumed whole-heartedly at all places whether you’re hanging out with friends or munching at home while watching your favorite show.
It is important to acknowledge and compare the popcorn nutrition facts as they keep differing according to the cooking techniques you choose. Air-popped popcorns are a healthy snack for everyone; the difference may arise when sprinkling the seasoning of your choice such as butter, olive oil, grated cheese, salt, or even chili flakes.
We’ll closely look at the nutrients of popcorn because they offer plenty of benefits to your health. Depending on the way you prepare, popcorn can become too healthy to munch almost every day or extremely high in calories.
What is Popcorn?
The literal definition of popcorn refers to a corn kernel that ‘pops’ when exposed to heat. The presence of a little amount of water right in the center of each corn kernel is a nature’s gift that has presented us with such a healthy snack that pops or explodes when allowed to cook on medium-high flame.
Popcorn Nutrition Facts
Most people don’t realize the importance of including air-popped popcorn in their diet as a regular snack. Being whole-grain, they are packed with super nutrients providing countless health benefits.
You’ll be blessed with the following nutrients if you snack on 100 grams of air-popped popcorn. The facts and figures mentioned below are calculated based on recommended dietary intake (RDI), sometimes referred to as recommended daily intake.
- Thiamine = 7%
- Niacin = 12%
- Pyridoxine = 8%
- Iron =18%
- Magnesium = 36%
- Phosphorus = 36%
- Potassium = 9%
- Zinc = 21%
- Copper = 13%
- Manganese = 56%
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Popcorn Nutrition Facts per Serving
The serving size of homemade popcorn is 3 cups; for your information, 1 cup contains 240 grams.
- Energy = 93 calories
- Carbohydrates = 18.6 grams
- Fiber = 3.6 grams
- Sugar = 0.2 grams
- Protein = 3 grams
- Fat = 1.1 grams
Health Benefits of Popcorns
When prepared mindfully, the benefits of popcorn are doubled as they’re already fiber-rich which is necessary for normal digestion. Its lower glycemic index makes it an excellent munching choice for diabetics. Following are a few health benefits of popcorn.
A balanced diet for diabetics contains foods with a lower glycemic index (GI). As popcorns do not provide a rapid spike in blood glucose levels, they are proven to be a good snack for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
Popcorn reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) because they are rich in fiber, and a diet rich in fiber is a natural remedy to cure heart diseases and many other abnormal health conditions.
In addition to fighting against diabetes and heart diseases, popcorn made with negligible amounts of butter and salt is a good snacking option to lower the likelihood of hypertension (HTN).
Popcorn is equally healthy if you’re trying to gain or lose weight. Popcorn as a snack with a controlled amount of seasoning helps you to easily manage weight. If you’re aiming to gain weight, use grass-fed butter and grated cottage cheese to fulfill your dietary needs.
Popcorn nutrition facts are smoothly extendible only if you pay close attention to the implementation of the right cooking methods. It is such a snack that can easily be messed up by overusing salt and butter. It is highly recommended to consume popcorn in plain form or add a balanced amount of seasoning to satisfy your taste buds.