Popcorn - A Healthy Whole Grain

I used to think of it as "empty" calories.  But I didn't care much.  It was also low in calories.  Unless, of course, you slathered it in butter.  And what snack was better while watching a nail-biting movie?  I'm talking, of course, about popcorn.  Imagine my joy when I recently discovered that what I once thought of as a nutritionally void snack was categorized by the experts at the USDA as a whole grain!   Of course some whole grains are healthier than others so, I had to find out what the skinny was on this all-time popular snack food.  And what I discovered brought a smile to my popcorn-loving face.

It turns out that "popcorn provides more of the dietary fiber and antioxidants than any other snack food, according to findings presented at the meeting of the American Chemical Society" (ABC Medical News , 8/19/09).

First of all, corn is a whole grain whose antioxidants and fiber content are protected from the sun in the process of drying the kernels out.  And very little of the nutrients are lost later in the popping process.  
The healthiest way to eat it is to air-pop it and then add just a little salt.  But, sadly, that is not how most people prefer it.  At your local movie theater, multiple squirts of a buttery flavored goo top what could have been a healthy treat.  Other popular ways to eat this "whole grain" include Kettle Corn (loaded with sugar and a fair amount of oil), Caramel Corn, and a bevy of other flavored variations on the theme.  What to do?  What to do?
 
I am hoping that most of you out there are saying, "Hey!  I like my popcorn air-popped.  And I prefer those low-fat, "healthy" brands.  Pl-lease!"  If so, here's what you're getting with an average serving.  The bowl in the picture above was an entire popped bag of "Newman's Own" Oldstyle Picture Show Microwave Popcorn with 94% fat-free butter.  The bag says it serves "about" 3, but my youngest son easily polished off the whole thing while playing his favorite video game.  This provided him with "about" 330 calories, 4 and 1/2 grams of fat, 60 grams of carbohydrates and 750 milligrams of sodium.  Not too terrible for a whole bag of any snack.  But on top of that, he got 12 - yes 12 - grams of dietary fiber and 9 grams of protein!  I do wonder what exactly "natural butter flavor with other natural flavors" are, but with only 4 and 1/2 grams of fat per bag, there can't be much of whatever it is in it! 

Besides fiber and protein, popcorn contains surprisingly large amounts of free-radical squelching polyphenols, which lower a person's risk of heart disease, some cancers, and other diseases.  Still the experts lament the unhealthy manner in which most people eat this potentially nutrition-packed food.  As for me and mine, it has just taken a front seat on the snack shelf.  Yes, next time I may buy a brand without the mysterious "natural flavors" mentioned above.  But I am happy to see that something "fun" to eat is healthy, too!

Tonight for dinner, I made one of the Tofu Broccoli Quiche recipes that one of you was kind enough to send me.  And it was not bad.  In fact, my sometimes picky husband liked it more than I did!   The one ingredient we both agreed we could have done without was green bell pepper.  I do intend to make the other recipe I was sent as well, especially since that one contains Daiya Soy Cheese, which I think would add a nice dimension to it.  Check out the column at the right for an up-close photo and a link to the recipe. 

I hope you all enjoyed your weekend.  Until next time, Happy and healthy eating!