Health Benefits Of Air-popped Popcorn

Popcorn is a snack favorite that can be prepared in a variety of ways with different additives for taste. Air-popped popcorn is considered the healthier preparation choice since it does not require unhealthy fats or oils. Self Nutrition Data, an unbiased online source of nutritional information, provides the nutritional information for a one-cup, or 8g, serving of air-popped popcorn without additives. The daily values listed in the nutritional information are based on 2,000 daily total calories.

Heart-Healthy and Low in Calories

Air-popped popcorn has 31 calories in a one cup serving, making popcorn a healthy, low-calorie snack choice. Popcorn prepared by air-popping with no additives has no cholesterol or sugars and only 1mg sodium. The one-cup serving has six carbohydrates, which is 2 percent of the recommended daily value.

Low Fat Content

Air-popping results in popcorn that is free of unhealthy saturated fats, including trans fats. The one-cup serving has 0.1 mg of monounsaturated fats and 0.2 percent of polyunsaturated fats. Only three of the calories in a one-cup serving are from fat. The one-cup serving has 0.4 percent of the total recommended daily value for fats.

Healthy Fatty Acids

Fatty acids are essential nutrients for the body, which means your body needs them, but cannot make them. You must get fatty acids through your diet. One cup of air-popped popcorn has 4.mg of Omega-3 fatty acids and 200mg of Omega-6 fatty acids.

Dietary Fiber

FamilyDoctor.org recommends popcorn as a good snack choice to increase dietary fiber. A one-cup serving of air-popped popcorn has 1g of fiber, which is 5 percent of the recommended daily intake.

Nutrients

One cup of air-popped popcorn contains many nutrients that are important to the health and development of your body, including 1g of protein and 1 percent of the daily value for iron. The minerals in popcorn include 11.5mg of magnesium, 28.6mg of phosphorus and 26.3mg of potassium. One cup of popcorn also contains 0.1mg of manganese, which is 4 percent of the daily value and 116 mcg of lutein.