Making your popcorn healthier

how can you make your pop corn healthier In our earlier post we discussed a healthier alternative to pop corn – lotus seeds or tal makhana.

While popcorn does provide several nutritional benefits, you can take some steps to make it even healthier!

Here is a table representing nutritional comparison between the two.

	popcorn	lotus seeds
calories	382	89
calories from fat	36	3.5
Total fat	4	0.5
saturated fat	1	0.1
cholesterol	0	0
sodium	4	1
total carbohydrate	78	17
dietary fiber	15
sugar
protein	12	4.1
Vitamin A	1%
Vitamin C	0
calcium	1%	4%
iron	15%	5%

Here are some nutritional facts about pop corn and some tips to make it healthier:

Popcorn is relatively high in fiber – a cup of air-popped popcorn contains just over a gram of fiber.
It also contains 1 gram of protein and 6 grams of carbohydrate.
It contains no cholesterol, it is virtually fat-free (only 0.1 g per cup) and contains only 100 to 150 calories in a serving of 5 popped cups
Popcorn is 100 percent unprocessed grain, it is a whole-grain food.
One serving can provide about 70 percent of the recommended daily intake of whole grain.
Popcorn also contains a number of vitamins: folate, niacin, riboflavin, thiamin, pantothenic acid, and vitamins B6, A, E and K.
A serving of popcorn contains about 8 percent of the daily value of iron, with lesser amounts of calcium, copper, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium and zinc.
The popcorn hull is the source of much of the food’s nutritional value.
Hulls contain beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin that are important in maintaining eye health. They also contain polyphenols with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties believed to protect against cancer and cardiovascular disease.
These health benefits are derived from air-popped popcorn.
They are diminished by adding too much salt or too much butter or margarine. These should be used sparingly.
For variety, try olive oil instead of butter or margarine.
Instead of salt, try a mixture of dried herbs such as basil and oregano with a dash of salt. Put this on the air-popped popcorn just after popping as this is when the moisture from the steam released during the popping process helps the seasonings stick to the popcorn.
Or try lightly spraying the popcorn with a non-butter flavored cooking spray before sprinkling on your seasonings.