Such a popular treat today as popcorn is not at all an invention of our time. An interesting feature of corn grains is to explode with strong heating, turning into appetizing flakes, people noticed 5 thousand years ago. The oldest flakes found date from this period. And at first the popcorn became popular among the first American colonists who saw and tried this delicacy among the Indians.
But the difference between modern popcorn and the way the wise Indians treated their guests is that in its production they use a large number of additives, as well as oils, which are not always of high quality. This has become a stumbling block for nutritionists. And everyone who loves popcorn. Calorie content from such manipulations grows every two or three, and useful trace elements and vitamins disappear. And it is not for nothing that such flakes are declared harmful. So how do you figure out if popcorn is healthy, and what type of goodies is more acceptable?
Corn in itself is quite nutritious. All useful substances contained in it, and contains popcorn. Its calorie content is quite high, but it is not so bad. Siev 40 g of properly cooked goodies for breakfast, you can completely satisfy your hunger and not harm your stomach. It contains polyphenols, which have high antioxidant activity. Fiber and ballast materials. It is rich in B vitamins - B1 and B2. Microelements contained in this delicacy are especially useful - potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium.
Why is there so much debate about whether popcorn is healthy? What are nutritionists right about, and how to avoid the threat of adding extra pounds by gobbling up a movie to watch this movie? Here are a few mistakes that people who love popcorn often make.
The calorie content of food largely depends on the method of preparation. Nobody argues with the fact that boiled meat is healthier than fried in a large amount of oil. So is popcorn. He gains calories in the cooking process. Do not expect that by frying the corn in a pan with the addition of a sufficiently large amount of oil or fat, as well as salt, you will get a dietary and healthy product. Try not to use them at all or reduce the amount.
The most useful popcorn, the calorie content of which does not threaten the figure at all, is prepared using air under pressure, without salt, sugar and butter. Nutritionists advise to use only spices for taste - black, red pepper or others.
Cooking popcorn from semi-finished products. Such things are already stuffed with various dyes, flavors, sweeteners, etc. Natural corn popcorn is much more beneficial.
Ready popcorn that we buy in movie theaters is really harmful. Both for a figure, and for health. But not by itself, but because of the additives. Some of them are not recommended for use, for example, in the USA. But they are still used in the industrial production of popcorn. In addition, with strong heat treatment (much stronger than in a home pan), most of the beneficial trace elements and vitamins are destroyed.
Popcorn with various additives - cheese, caramel - has a much higher calorie content. If for a simple one it is about 300 kcal per 100 g, then for caramel (dipped in caramel syrup) - already 900.
Popcorn is tasty and light, so you can eat a lot in one sitting. Especially if at this moment you enjoy the thriller. This is what destroys the figures of his fans. If you have such weakness, take only an acceptable amount for yourself. And keep in mind that after salty popcorn you really want to drink. And lemonades are also high in calories.
And yet, if you choose between chips, crackers, chocolate bars and other snacks, popcorn will be more useful. If you do not eat it in the amount calculated in buckets. But that is up to us.