Nutritionist Elena Golubnichaya tells how many calories are in regular popcorn without additives, and explains why it is better not to give it to small children.
Elena Golubnichaya
Nutritionist
Popcorn is made from a special type of corn kernels that have a shell four times stronger than regular corn.
When Columbus discovered America in the 15th century, the indigenous population was already “blowing up” corn kernels in clay containers on fire. In the 19th century, a resident of Chicago, Charles Creetors, figured out how to make money from a national delicacy, and created poppers on wheels that can make popcorn anywhere. Now you see more modern versions of these machines in every cinema. At the end of the 20th century, in 1984, popcorn appeared that could be cooked in microwave ovens. In the USSR, popcorn was called "popcorn", but this snack gained massive popularity in the 90s, when the first companies began to sell ready-made popcorn and vending machines for its production.
BBC Future columnist Veronique Greenwood cites the following statistics: "An American consumes on average about 50 liter glasses of popcorn a year."
What is the calorie content of popcorn?
The calorie content of popcorn changes dramatically if it contains sweet or salty additives. That is, in 100 grams of plain popcorn from dry corn kernels, which you made at home, about 350 kcal. If you buy ready-made popcorn from a grocery store or movie theater, it could be 500 calories. Plus, you can't control how it was prepared and what flavorings were used.
How do you make popcorn to be healthy?
If you want to get the most out of your popcorn, cook it in a dry nonstick skillet without adding oil, sugar, or salt. This plain popcorn contains no additives polyphenols - they prevent the development of heart disease.
Also popcorn contains vitamins B1, B2, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, iron. It is a good source of carbohydrates (in the composition of popcorn without additives there are about 60% of them) and fiber (13 g in 100 g of popcorn).
From this we can conclude that popcorn is a good idea for a healthy snack. But since this is a fairly high-calorie food, eat it not every day, and preferably in the morning.
Can children eat popcorn?
Popcorn contains a lot of fiber, which is not very good for a child's body. The digestive organs in children are not yet fully formed, so such an innocent snack can cause constipation. Popcorn without additives is even recommended for children over 6-7 years old.
Who else can't popcorn?
It is better to refuse popcorn for people suffering from allergies, diseases of the stomach and intestines. If you have gastritis or ulcers, overweight, diabetes mellitus, increased blood clotting, you also should not use this product.
If I am completely healthy, what harm can popcorn with additives do?
Popcorn can cause swelling and water imbalance. Of course, this is more true for salted popcorn.
Sweet popcorn is high in fast carbs. The body is quickly saturated with it, you eat and cannot stop, and an hour later you are hungry again. And this is a direct road to weight gain, overloading the pancreas. With frequent use, this product harms the stomach and intestines, provoking the development of ulcers or gastritis.
