Popcorn Nutritional Value
<h3 >Nutritional value</h3>
<table class="infobox" >
<caption >Popcorn, air-popped, no additives</caption>
<tbody>
<tr>
<th colspan="2" >Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)</th>
</tr>
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<th ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_energy" title="Food energy" >Energy</a></th>
<td >1,598 kJ (382 kcal)</td>
</tr>
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<th ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbohydrate" title="Carbohydrate" >Carbohydrates</a></th>
<td >78 g</td>
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<tr>
<th >- <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dietary_fiber" title="Dietary fiber" >Dietary fiber</a></th>
<td >15 g</td>
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<th ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fat" title="Fat" >Fat</a></th>
<td >4 g</td>
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<tr>
<th ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protein_(nutrient)" title="Protein (nutrient)" >Protein</a></th>
<td >12 g</td>
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<td ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thiamine" title="Thiamine" >Thiamine (vit. B<sub >1</sub>)</a></td>
<td >0.2 mg (17%)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riboflavin" title="Riboflavin" >Riboflavin (vit. B<sub >2</sub>)</a></td>
<td >0.3 mg (25%)</td>
</tr>
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<td ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron#Biological_role" title="Iron" >Iron</a></td>
<td >2.7 mg (21%)</td>
</tr>
<tr >
<td colspan="2" >One cup is 8 grams.
Percentages are relative to
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dietary_Reference_Intake" title="Dietary Reference Intake" >US recommendations</a> for adults.
<small>Source: <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/" >USDA Nutrient Database</a></small></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<p >Air-popped popcorn is naturally high in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dietary_fiber" title="Dietary fiber" >dietary fiber</a>, low in calories and fat, contains no sodium, and is sugar free.<sup id="cite_ref-17" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popcorn#cite_note-17" >[18]</a></sup> 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.</p>
<p>
One particularly notorious example of this first came to public attention in the mid-1990s, when the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Center_for_Science_in_the_Public_Interest" title="Center for Science in the Public Interest" >Center for Science in the Public Interest</a> produced a report about "Movie Popcorn", which became the subject of a widespread publicity campaign. The movie theaters surveyed used <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coconut_oil" title="Coconut oil" >coconut oil</a> to pop the corn, and then topped it with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butter" title="Butter" >butter</a> or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margarine" title="Margarine" >margarine</a>. "A medium-size buttered popcorn", the report said, "contains more fat than a breakfast of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacon" title="Bacon" >bacon</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egg_(food)" title="Egg (food)" >eggs</a>, a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Mac" title="Big Mac" >Big Mac</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_fries" title="French fries" >fries</a>, and a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steak" title="Steak" >steak</a> dinner combined."<sup id="cite_ref-18" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popcorn#cite_note-18" >[19]</a></sup> </p>
<p>
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<sup id="cite_ref-19" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popcorn#cite_note-19" >[20]</a></sup>) still contains 29 g of saturated fat,<sup id="cite_ref-20" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popcorn#cite_note-20" >[21]</a></sup> as much as three Big Macs<sup id="cite_ref-21" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popcorn#cite_note-21" >[22]</a></sup> and the equivalent of a full day-and-a-half's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reference_Daily_Intake" title="Reference Daily Intake" >reference daily intake</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-22" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popcorn#cite_note-22" >[23]</a></sup>
</p>
<h3 >Health risks</h3>
<p >Popcorn is included on the list of foods that the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Academy_of_Pediatrics" title="American Academy of Pediatrics" >American Academy of Pediatrics</a> recommends not serving to children under four, because of the risk of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choking" title="Choking" >choking</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-23" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popcorn#cite_note-23" >[24]</a></sup> Special "hull-less" popcorn has been developed that offers an alternative for small children and for people with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dental_braces" title="Dental braces" >braces</a> 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,<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diacetyl" title="Diacetyl" >diacetyl</a>, has been implicated in causing respiratory ailments.<sup id="cite_ref-24" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popcorn#cite_note-24" >[25]</a></sup></p>