Popcorn is a popular snack, particularly when it is drenched in butter and salt. Air-popped popcorn is a healthy snack that helps fulfill your daily whole grain requirement for less than 1 g of fat. It is the butter and salt added to popcorn that decreases the nutritional value. You do not have to give up your occasional bowl of buttery popcorn, as long as you understand the nutrition information and plan the rest of your diet accordingly.
Saturated and Trans Fats
Popcorn itself is low in fat, but when you drizzle butter over it, a large dose of unhealthy saturated fat is added. MayoClinic.com reports that saturated fats might elevate your risk of heart disease. Adding just 1 tbsp. of melted butter to your popcorn increases the fat content of your snack by 11.5 g of fat, 7.3 g of them saturated. A 1 oz. serving of microwave buttered popcorn has about 8.5 g of total fat, with 2 g of them being saturated. Many brands of buttered microwave popcorn contain trans fat, which contributes to heart disease and high cholesterol. A 1 oz. serving of buttered microwave popcorn can have between 2.5 g and 3 g of trans fat.
Salt
A liberal shake of salt is a common way to enhance the taste of your popcorn snack, but it decreases the nutritional value. Holding the salt is one way to decrease the sodium content of your popcorn, but most butter used on popcorn is salted as well. Adding just 1 tbsp. of butter to your homemade popcorn adds 101 mg of salt. Microwave versions of buttered popcorn contain more than double that, with 219 mg per 1 oz. serving. MayoClinic.com recommends limiting your intake of salt to help reduce your risk of stroke and heart disease.
Whole Grain Status
Air-popped popcorn is considered part of a healthy diet because popcorn is a whole grain. The Popcorn Board notes that consuming whole grains might decrease your chances of developing dangerous illnesses, including heart disease, diabetes, obesity and certain types of cancer. You should make half of the grains you consume throughout the day whole, and a serving of popcorn will help you reach that goal. The fiber in whole grains is beneficial to your health because it attaches to toxins in your body and flushes them out so they do not cause harm. One cup of buttered popcorn has the same amount of fiber as air-popped, with 1.2 g, but the butter decreases the rest of the nutritional value.
Nutrients
A serving of buttered popcorn supplies small amounts of some key minerals and vitamins you should consume as part of a healthy diet. A 1 oz. serving of buttered microwave popcorn supplies 6 mg of calcium, 0.67 mg of iron and 62 mg of potassium. You will also get trace amounts of B vitamins and vitamin A from buttered microwave popcorn. Air-popped popcorn with butter supplies a similar amount of calcium, iron and potassium, but without the trans fat found in microwave versions.
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