How Many Calories does Popcorn Have
Popcorn is a snack that we eat quite a lot of in our society, whether at the movies while watching a movie or at home with the microwave version. There is a study by the American Chemical Society that says popcorn is high in antioxidants and in polyphenols, which can lead us to think that apart from being very rich, they are healthy. But are they really? How many calories does popcorn have? Are the movie and microwave-types both healthy? In this OneHowTo article we answer your questions.
Movie popcorn
When we talk about the amount of calories in movie popcorn, it is better not to eat it or to binge on it, because it is high in saturated fats and sodium, besides being a calorie bomb.
A small popcorn box contains an average of 420 calories, and the bigger ones, an average of 1200, so you have to be careful! The bigger ones can contain up to 60 grams of saturated fat, which is equivalent to two days' worth of our normal intake of this element. Furthermore, they also contain 1.5 grams of sodium, which almost reaches our recommended intake for a single day.
And make no mistake, many people who eat popcorn, have a drink with it that contains much more sugar that we would sometimes think. So now you know, if you go to the movies and you don't want to die by popcorn, get a small size box along with a bottle of water.
If you are thinking that instead of eating salty popcorn, you will eat sweet ones, your salt intake will decrease but on the other hand, your sugar levels will increase disproportionately because they contain a lot of sugar. Eat it if you like, but always in moderation!
Microwave popcorn
Microwave popcorn is also high in saturated fats, plus it has added flavorings and additives. One important thing to remember with this popcorn directly concerns people who have to control their salt intake: it contains a fairly high amount of salt, and even popcorn is not a good snack for people who suffer from hypertension, the microwave version is worse than those made in the pans.
100 grams of popcorn contains 500 calories and 30% fat. Moreover, about 2% is salt.
Pan or homemade popcorn
This type of popcorn is by far the healthiest of all because the grain doesn't contain any chemicals, additives or preservatives. To make them the procedure is very easy because you only need the corn kernels and some oil or butter.
Take a large pot with a lid and grease the bottom and sides with a little oil or butter then put on the heat. Add the corn kernels to the pot and put over a medium heat. Put the lid on quickly as the grains will already start to pop and turn into popcorn. Don't lift the lid during this because otherwise a lot of the grains will not pop. It is best to wait until you only hear a pop every 30 seconds or so, then you can take it off the heat. Add a little salt or a little sugar to taste, and it is ready for you to devour!
This type of popcorn contains calories so you still need to limit your intake somewhat but obviously not as much as the ones you buy, so you don't have to worry as much.
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