When you indulge yourself in a large bowl of popcorn, you probably don’t think about whether or not it is something you should be putting in your body. After all, we eat a lot of foods for the simple reason that it tastes good. Fortunately, unlike so many of the foods we indulge in, popcorn is a snack we can eat without any of that added guilt. Here are a few great reasons why you can reach for that extra handful without feeling bad about it.
It’s loaded with anti-oxidants.
Popcorn contains polyphenols. Polyphenols are anti-oxidants that can prevent cancer and keep your body working properly. Since most polyphenols are found in fruits, vegetables, and things like red wine and chocolate, they are often a lot more diluted than the ones found in popcorn. That means there are more polyphenols per bite of popcorn than anywhere else.
It has more iron than spinach.
Most people think popcorn is just a whole lot of nothing, not really good for you, but not bad either. In reality, popcorn has quite a few useful nutrients that make it a healthy snack. While popcorn doesn’t have a whole lot of vitamins, it does have the iron you need to stay healthy.
It is a whole grain.
Haven’t we all read those health articles admonishing us to eat more of our whole grains, and fewer ultra processed ones? Popcorn is the ultimate whole grain. After all, you are eating it shell and all! Just inside out and backwards. The government recommends you eat plenty of whole grains for a healthy diet, and you can help meet those goals by indulging in popcorn as your snack of choice.
It is loaded with fiber.
Although fiber isn’t a nutrient in the fact that our body can digest it, it provides a critical component to our diets for that exact reason. We need fiber to help move things along in our system, keeping our bodies clean and preventing any problematic build ups. The beneficial bacteria in your body that help with your digestive process also benefit from fiber—they feed off the products you can’t.
It is the ultimate diet food.
It isn’t the popcorn itself that is high in calories, it’s all the butter and salt we pile on top of it that makes popcorn so unhealthy. You can indulge in all of the good and none of the bad by air popping your corn. Add your own toppings to turn your popcorn from a less than healthy snack to something fresh and extra good for you. Popcorn isn’t just a great diet snack because it is low in calories, it can also help regulate your blood sugar and make you feel fuller.
There are plenty more reasons why popcorn makes an excellent health snack, but these 5 reasons are a great starting point. Make popcorn your go-to snack so you can enjoy healthy, guilt free eating every single time you want a snack.