Is popcorn the perfect snack food? New research suggests that this flavorful, crunchy treat may be packed with more antioxidants than fruits and vegetables. Can you believe it?
Of course, for popcorn to truly be a perfect snack food, it cannot be coated in butter, oil, and salt. Those types of toppings end up overcoming the positive health benefits that the snack provides.
Joe Vinson, the study's author, said, "The hull is where the most nutritional goodies (polyphenols) are—not the white fluffy part." While the white fluffy part is what draws you to eat the snack, there is no doubt that you ingest plenty of hull along with a bag of the crunchy food.
Popcorn has highly concentrated polyphenols because it is a whole grain and has low water content. Additionally, this snack is normally minimally processed, which helps ensure that a large quantity of the antioxidants actually make it to you when you eat it.
Of course, even though the snack has some health benefits, it shouldn't replace fruits and vegetables in your healthy diet. However, if you are chosing between it and another type of snack, choose a minimally processed bag of popped corn that isn't drenched in oil or some other unhealthy flavoring. You won't be sorry. The fiber will help keep you full, and now the antioxidants may be helping protect your body against cancer, Alzheimer's, and other diseases as well.
How do you like your popped corn? Do you eat it often? If so, was it because you knew it was somewhat healthy, or do you just like it?
Like this article? See more by Kate James at Gather.com
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Comments: 1
From early on in my trucking career I realized one thing, when money was tight you could get buy on a simple large bag of corn chips; it's a simple grain with loads of protein which can get you through slim times in a pinch but it isn't meant to be a replacement for ordinary foods. I had a supervisor who was only about 6 years older than me who used to have a bag of corn tortilla chips on his desk all working hours of the day, snacking on those kept him from eating larger and perhaps fattier meals.
Tragically he didn't consider all the saturated fats that wound up in those chips during the process of cooking them, he looked healthy and happy on Friday... then he dropped dead on Saturday. He wasn't out of shape but he'd made a huge error with regards to what you could get away with. Corn is better for you than flour but it's of huge importance how it's prepared; lightly fried corn chips will of course be less healthful than baked whole grain bread.
So on to the popcorn, I can't think of a better thing to eat when I'm engrossed in a movie because it is healthy... if not only for your digestive system. The reason being is no matter how many times they use the word "butter" on the label it's still just hydrogenated oil and salt, real butter is the last place people should be looking to reduce their chance of heart disease but it's usually the first... cooking with oil and actually eating it as a solid is gonna cause you some problems.
Lastly, there are "3" bags of popcorn in that microwave package at the grocery store and I firmly believe you should stick to that regimen each month, corn is still a source of fiber and that oil slick they call flavoring is gonna run through most normal people pretty quick... Happy Popping (=