Is popcorn that is unbuttered, healthy, not healthy or neutral as a snack?

I don’t think of it as the best or the worst, so I’d say neutral. Remember, corn is what they fatten cows with.

It’s healthy. It’s really low cal, too. It’s great if you’re trying to lose weight.

There is a difference between sweet corn, that people eat, and field corn, which is what they feed cows @jca2.

@Dutchess_III Did you mean that for @jca2 ?

I edited @janbb. Thx.

It’s supposedly very healthy. As I understand it, the volume of popcorn obtained from the relatively scant volume of kernels provides a good source of fiber, with the bonus of satisfying hunger with far fewer calories than comparable snacks, such as chips.

@HP That’s the impression I have too.

There are some really cool and really cheap devices that will allow you to pop the standard kernels oil free in the microwave. The only requirement is that you have to devise a way to distribute perhaps a tablespoon of melted butter throughout a gallon of popped corn in order to get any salt to stick to the popcorn.

“When prepared well, popcorn actually is a pretty good snack,” said Maya Vadiveloo, an assistant professor in the department of nutrition and food sciences at the University of Rhode Island. “It’s stable. It’s inexpensive. It’s fairly tasty. For people who might be struggling to eat adequate fruits or vegetables or other whole grains, it’s a low-risk snack to start.”

Reference article.

Fruits and vegetables are whole grains?

A diet that I was on encouraged having popcorn as a snack—plain air-popped corn with no oil or butter. A little salt. Popcorn salt works well because it is so fine that is adheres to the kernels a little bit.

Popcorn can do dsmsgr to ones instestines.
I met a man who had operations that removed parts of his colon and instestines..all due to years of eating popcorn.
Apparently the kernals cause the damage.

“Substances which cause scarring or provide anchorage when embedded in tissue can contribute to carcinogenesis. Sharp outer fragments of popcorn kernels may contribute to the type of tissue fibrosis associated with colorectal cancer.”
Link to artilce:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6419028/#:~:text=Substances%20which%20cause%20scarring%20or,fibrosis%20associated%20with%20colorectal%20cancer.

More disappointment. Is nothing safe?

Pure energy. If you are in an active part of your day you’ll burn it right up.

Probably neutral. I don’t think it would taste good. I had plan popcorn once and it tasted awful.

I think calorie-wise it’s healthy. But it’s really hard to find non-gmo corn. So, in that sense, probably not the healthiest.

Plain popcorn is about as tasty as cardboard. The salt of course is bad for you.

Popcorn can be a problem for diabetics.

@Inspired_2write that article is nearly 40 years old and it’s conclusions regarding popcorn causing colon cancer have been widely discredited.

I love plain popcorn.

Unbuttered movie popcorn is horrible for you. They cook it in coconut oil and it contains an obscene amount of fat. When people say plain popcorn is healthy, they really mean plain.

^^ I’m mainly asking about the microwave popcorn that you make at home.

@janbb It’s my understanding that microwave popcorn is generally bad for you. If you were to use an air popper and do the kernels yourself, then it would be ok.

Supposedly microwave popcorn is extra bad because of the chemicals it contains. I think an air popper that uses no oil would be ok, so it’s just the kernels in the machine.

As for salt, 75% of the salt in our diet comes from processed foods, therefore, things like cheese, frozen foods, canned foods, condiments, restaurant foods, snack foods like potato chips, etc. are the majority of the salt in our diet. Table salt, a sprinkle on a bowl of popcorn, is minimal and not an issue.

All good info, thanks. It’s not something I regularly eat but was considering adding it as a snack. So maybe just very occasionally now.

@janbb Air poppers are pretty cheap if you wanted to go that route. They do take up significant cabinet space though.

^^ No – not worth it to me.

I use the twister stove top popper with olive oil and lightly salted.

https://franklinspopcorn.com/products/whirley-pop?gclid=Cj0KCQjw3IqSBhCoARIsAMBkTb10Eq60Em5kKT_hZmaUZyPg521X7dZQ9UvBx0rpLu4G2PvYfR_P_AcaAk1IEALw_wcB

Define “healthy”.

If you look at one of the words on the link it says “pop” so that is interesting.

Really. To be “safe” buy jars of plain, unpopped corn and pop it yourself on the stove. That way you control exactly what and how much goes in it.
Yes it’s just as healthy as corn.

Popcorn vs. corn, nutrition facts: https://calories-info.com/corn-vs-popcorn/

@Dutchess_III that is what we do here.

What? Buy your own corn @KRD?
When I was a kid Mom would pop up a huge pot of popcorn and put a whole stick of butter on top to melt down.

@Dutchess_III we get unpopped popcorn. Also did your mom make sure to get some popcorn with the butter?

When I do want store bought popcorn, I get this one (photo just to show you what it is):

https://www.costco.com/skinnypop-popcorn%2c-0.65-oz%2c-28-count.product.100381415.html

I bought a giant bag of it yesterday at Costco for 6.99. If shopping from a regular grocery store, I only buy it when it’s on sale because it’s such a cheap product and it kills me when they charge a lot for it.

It’s low salt, no artificial flavorings, not very oily.

I bought this one for making popcorn at home -

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B019HR91W4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

@KRD….That was in the 60s. We didn’t have designer popcorn then.

@jca2 ”...not very oily.”

SkinnyPop has 10g of fat per serving. Just something to be aware of.

@gorillapaws it’s not the worst as far as bagged popcorn. Some of them, your fingers will be covered with oil. In the movie theater, same thing even without butter.

I had some bagged popcorn once and it was good.