Popcorn is an old-fashioned snack that can be prepared in a variety of ways. Plain air-popped popcorn has minimal calories and can fill you up quickly. Adding high-calorie ingredients such as butter and grated cheese greatly increases the calories in your bowl of popcorn. Enjoy your favorite snack and keep calories to a minimum by adding toppings that don't have calories.
Popcorn as a Whole Grain
Popcorn is a whole grain food, meaning it contains the entire part of the grain kernel: the germ, bran and endosperm, explains The Popcorn Board. A diet rich in whole grains, such as popcorn, promotes digestive health by keeping you regular, decreasing your risk of heart disease and it may help to lower blood cholesterol. While these are all benefits of popcorn, keep in mind that coating your serving of popcorn with butter or other fatty ingredients increases your fat and caloric intake, making popcorn less beneficial.
Serving Size and Calories
Part of your balanced diet should consist of 3 oz. to 4 oz. or equivalents of grains and at least half of your servings should come from whole grains, says ChooseMyPlate.gov. A 1 oz. equivalent of popcorn is a 3 cup serving, which has less than 100 calories; most of which, come from carbs. Each 3 cup serving of plain air-popped popcorn contains 19 g of carbs, 3 g of protein and about 1 g of fat. This accounts for 79 percent calories from carbs, 12 percent from protein and 9 percent from fat. Make a batch of popcorn in the evening, let it chill and portion it into sealed bags. This way you'll have a low-calorie snack available to grab throughout the week.
High-Calorie Toppings
Butter is one of the most common ingredients to drizzle on popcorn. Movie popcorn or buttered microwave popcorn has over 150 calories per 3 cup serving. If you like the flavor of butter, use a flavored butter powder or butter spray as a way to keep the flavor without adding excessive calories. Sprinkling on 1/2 oz. of grated Parmesan cheese packs on an additional 60 calories. Caramel corn with peanuts contains approximately 120 calories per cup.
Calorie-Free Additions
You can keep your calories to a bare minimum, but still add a little flavor to your batch of popcorn. Toss it with a dash of hot sauce for an added kick. Sprinkle it with cinnamon and sugar, making a sweet treat. If you enjoy garlic. mix your popcorn with powdered garlic while it is still hot. Your entire house will fill up with this enticing aroma.
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