Can You Eat Popcorn On Mediterranean Diet

There are those who prefer them salty and those who prefer sweet, but in any case, they all agree, young and old. Always protagonists of parties, aperitifs, and evenings at the cinema or on the sofa in front of the tv, it is difficult to resist the scent of popcorn just bursting and even more difficult to stop, because … One leads to another!

Does popcorn make you gain weight?

Although popcorn is simply corn grains, it possesses a lot of nutritional information that you should know. If you’re doubting whether or not to continue eating this aperitif snack because you’re afraid of gaining weight, we have good news for you: natural popcorn doesn’t make you fat.

However, if purchased at the cinema or prepared with butter, salt, or other seasonings, they will no longer be so healthy, since the number of calories they will bring to your body will increase considerably.

Calories from corn popcorn

If you also worry and count daily the amount of macronutrients taken during the day, it is important that you know the caloric intake of popcorn to include them or not in your diet.

As mentioned before, natural popcorn is quite healthy when consumed moderately. To get an idea 100 g will bring to your body about 350 kcal.

Calories from popcorn

The famous and additive popcorn of the cinema is one of the favorite snacks to watch a movie on the big screen. Not only are they high in calories, but they are also full of unsaturated fats, which could be very harmful to your health. For example, the largest container of popcorn sold in cinemas can exceed 1000 kcal.

Microwave popcorn

When going to the cinema is not among our programs, but we still want to enjoy a good movie in company, microwave popcorn is the most recurring option. A bag of ready-to-heat popcorn in the microwave can hold an average of 500 kcal.

With butter

Although this flavor is the best-selling, it is not the most recommended by nutrition experts, since this type of popcorn has a high content of fats, which could get to clog the arteries and cause heart problems in the future if consumed in excess.

Sweet popcorn

If there is one type of popcorn that you should avoid at all costs to have a healthy diet and not gain weight, it is sweet popcorn. The combination of unsaturated trans fats with the large amounts of sugar that caramel possesses is a very dangerous combination for your body. They could get to cause heart problems, obesity, or diabetes. Approximately every 100 g of popcorn will bring you 500 kcal.

How to make healthy popcorn at home

If you want to follow a healthy diet, surely you are interested in knowing how to prepare natural popcorn at home. You will simply have to heat a saucepan with olive oil and when it is hot enough add the corn and lower the heat so as not to burn them. Don’t forget to cap the saucepan to make sure the popcorn doesn’t come out. Finally, when you feel that the popcorn has stopped jumping, turn off the heat, let it rest for a few minutes and it will be ready to be eaten.

Does popcorn make you fat? Tips for a healthy snack

When consumed naturally, popcorn contains very little fat, simple sugars and sodium. For this reason, they are suitable to be used as a snack or as an aperitif even in a slimming diet, without too many sacrifices. The only recommendation, as always, is not to exceed in quantities, but to consume a portion of popcorn of about 25-30 g.

A contraindication related to their consumption concerns the content of fibers that, on the one hand contribute to increasing the sense of satiety, on the other hand, make this food unsuitable for those suffering from diverticulitis. Another recommendation is not to offer popcorn to children under the age of 4 years due to the high risk of suffocation.

Of course, popcorn can only be considered a healthy snack if it is made from good-quality corn from controlled crops. It is also important that it is a fresh product, prepared at home on the spot with simple ingredients, then with olive oil or directly in a non-stick pan without using other fats, and above all natural, that is, only with a pinch of salt, avoiding other condiments such as melted cheese, sugar, chocolate, syrups, and butter. Instead, attention should be paid to the popcorn ready in the bag, often too salty or rich in saturated and hydrogenated fats, as well as those obtained in the microwave from pre-packaged and pre-treated grains, which may contain artificial flavors and other additives.

Other properties of these foods

Remember that what makes popcorn harmful is butter or caramel, as these corn grains alone pose no health risk. In addition, they are rich in fiber, antioxidants, and carbon hydrates that help reduce cholesterol levels and regulate the digestive system among many other properties.