Popcorn Nutritional Value
Nutritional value
Popcorn, air-popped, no additives| Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) |
| Energy | 1,598 kJ (382 kcal) |
|---|---|
| Carbohydrates | 78 g |
| 15 g | |
| Fat | 4 g |
| Protein | 12 g |
| Thiamine (vit. B~1) | 0.2 mg (17%) |
| Riboflavin (vit. B~2) | 0.3 mg (25%) |
| Iron | 2.7 mg (21%) |
One cup is 8 grams. Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults. Source: USDA Nutrient Database | One cup is 8 grams. Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults. Source: USDA Nutrient Database |
Air-popped popcorn is naturally high in dietary fiber, low in calories and fat, contains no sodium, and is sugar free.[18] This can make it an attractive snack to people with dietary restrictions on the intake of calories, fat, and/or sodium. For the sake of flavor, however, large amounts of fat, sugar, and sodium are often added to prepared popcorn, which can quickly convert it to a very poor choice for those on restricted diets.
One particularly notorious example of this first came to public attention in the mid-1990s, when the Center for Science in the Public Interest produced a report about "Movie Popcorn", which became the subject of a widespread publicity campaign. The movie theaters surveyed used coconut oil to pop the corn, and then topped it with butter or margarine. "A medium-size buttered popcorn", the report said, "contains more fat than a breakfast of bacon and eggs, a Big Mac and fries, and a steak dinner combined."[19]
The practice continues today. For example, according to DietFacts.com, a small popcorn from Regal Cinema Group (the largest theater chain in the United States[20]) still contains 29 g of saturated fat,[21] as much as three Big Macs[22] and the equivalent of a full day-and-a-half's reference daily intake.[23]
Health risks
Popcorn is included on the list of foods that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends not serving to children under four, because of the risk of choking.[24] Special "hull-less" popcorn has been developed that offers an alternative for small children and for people with braces or other dental problems who may otherwise need to avoid popcorn.
Microwaveable popcorn represents a special case, since it is designed to be cooked along with its various flavoring agents. One of these common artificial-butter flavorants,diacetyl, has been implicated in causing respiratory ailments.[25]