Atkins Diet & Popcorn

The Atkins diet plan is one of the first low-carb diet plan widely promoted to Americans. It was first released in 1972 by Dr. Robert C. Atkins and has helped thousands of dieters achieve and maintain their desired weight. The Atkins diet's success is based on the exclusion and limitation of carbohydrate-containing foods such as grains, legumes, flours, starchy vegetables, fruit and sugar, while emphasizing the consumption of protein and fat at each meal and snack.

Plain Popcorn

A cup of air-popped popcorn contains 31 calories, 6.2 g carbohydrates,1.2 g fiber and 5.0 g net carbs. Net carbs reflects to the available carbohydrate content of a food and correspond to the total carbohydrate minus the dietary fiber. Microwavable oil-popped popcorn provides 64 calories, 5.0 g carbohydrate, 0.9 g fiber and 4.1 g net carbs, while the low-fat version has 47 calories, 7.9 g carbohydrate, 1.6 g fiber and 6.3 g net carbs.

Flavored Popcorn

A cup of cheese-flavored popcorn contains 58 calories, 5.7 g carbohydrate, 1.1 g fiber and 4.6 g net carbs, whereas a cup of caramel-coated popcorn has at least 122 calories, 22.4 g carbohydrate, 1.5 g fiber and 20.9 g net carbs.

Atkins Phases and Carbohydrate Target

The Atkins eating plan comprises four phases with varying carbohydrate targets. The induction phase starts with a carb intake of 20 g a day, which are all provided by non-starchy foundation vegetables. The carbohydrate intake is later increased by 5 g each week on the ongoing weight loss phase by slowly reintroducing nuts, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese and berries. The third phase, or pre-maintenance phase allows an addition 10 g of carbohydrate a week, reintroducing small amounts of starchy vegetables, legumes, fruits and whole grains. Finally, the last phase, or maintenance phase, aims at maintaining the optimal carbohydrate intake found in phase three, which is usually below 100 g a day for most people, to stay at the goal weight for a lifetime.

Popcorn and Atkins

Although popcorn appears to have a relatively low carbohydrate content at first glance, it is important to consider that typical serving sizes average three to six cups of popcorn, which corresponds to a net carbs content of 12 to 38 g, or even up to 125 g in the case of caramel-coated popcorn. Popcorn is definitely off-limits in the first two phases of the Atkins plan and it actually does not appear on the acceptable foods list of any of the Atkins diet phases. However, because popcorn is considered a whole grain, very small amounts could be introduced at the third or fourth phase of the Atkins program to give it a try. However, if popcorn lead to weight gain or increased cravings, its consumption should be discontinued right away to avoid interfering with your weight loss goals.