Is Popcorn Healthy? Here's All What You Need to Know

Is popcorn healthy? Considering it’s the most popular snack for people to munch on at the movies, you might be wondering about its impact on your diet and health when you’re going out for movies or even snacking on popcorn.

The answer to the question of "is popcorn healthy?” isn’t a simple yes or a no. There are various ways to look at the question before coming to an answer.

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Is Popcorn Healthy?

Popcorn (Photo via Georgia Vagim/Unsplash)

Popcorn, as a snack, can be air-fried or heavily processed. Therefore, if you're unsure and asking yourself “is popcorn healthy?" you should check how the popcorn you're consuming is being prepared.

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Is Popcorn A Healthy Snack?

It’s considered to be healthy if the popcorn is air-fried and garnished with spices and herbs. Additionally, it can still be considered healthy to a degree if it’s air-fried but garnished using butter and salt.

However, if you’re consuming popcorn that has been heavily processed, coated with unhealthy ingredients such as high amounts of sugar, unhealthy oils, and salt, of course the answer to “is popcorn healthy?” will be a strong no.

Hence, the preparation and seasoning of popcorn plays a vital role in determining the final answer to “is popcorn a healthy snack?”

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Is Popcorn Good For Weight Loss?

Weight loss (Photo via Towfiqu barbhuiya/Unsplash)

If you’re debating about “is popcorn healthy” vs “is popcorn bad for you,” remember that it can be both.

First, coming to whether or not popcorn is a healthy snack, it depends on how the popcorn is prepared. Since popcorn is a filling snack, you can consume less of it while quickly satisfying your cravings for a snack.

On the other hand, if you consume popcorn without any control over the amount or if it’s heavily processed with unhealthy seasoning, it’s not good for your health. While it’s understandably alright to consume processed popcorn once in a while, it’s not the best option if you’re looking to consume popcorn as a healthy snack.

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Does Popcorn Have Any Health Benefits?

While processed popcorn isn’t the best option for anyone concerned about calories, air-fried popcorn does come with certain health benefits:

1. Fiber - Popcorn is a good source of fiber that can help with digestion and blood sugar levels.

2. Antioxidants - Popcorn contains some antioxidants that can help against cellular damage and works towards promoting overall health.

3. Low Calories - Air-fried popcorn with herbs and spices as seasoning can be a good source of low-calorie snacks along with promoting weight management.

4. Whole Grain - As a whole grain, popcorn can have different health benefits, such as reducing the risk of certain diseases and improving heart health.

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Calories in Popcorn

Calories (Photo via Kenny Eliason/Unsplash)

If you’re following a diet, you must know that your daily macros and daily calories play an important role in your overall goals. Therefore, it’s advisable that you know the calories in the food items or beverages that you’re adding to your diet. While popcorn can be a low-calorie snack, it does contain calories that should be consumed in moderation.

Here are the approximate values:

• One ounce of air-fried popcorn has approximately 93 calories.
• This number can differ based on what other ingredients have been used in preparing the popcorn such as butter, oil, sugar, etc.
• It must be noted that more often than not, pre-packaged popcorn usually has more calories due to the mass preparation process.

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How To Determine Your Diet?

It’s established that the answer to “is popcorn healthy” cannot be determined without considering external factors. As such, moderation is a key element. Keeping this in mind, you must moderately consume every type of item in your diet. To do this, figure out your daily calories, focus on your goal, and create a diet that includes all three macronutrients.

Here is a brief on the type of diet you need to follow for different goals:

• If you want to gain weight, use a calorie surplus diet.
• If you want to lose weight, use a calorie deficit diet.
• Finally, if you want to maintain your current weight, you need to consume your daily maintenance calories.

Any type of diet that you consider, such as a keto diet, traditional diet, or vegan diet, will revolve around your daily calorie consumption.