Everyone’s Back in Movie Theaters…What about the Popcorn?

A Bite-Size Read for Your Health and Your Waistline

Photo by Felipe Bustillo on Unsplash

With “Barbenheimer” all the rage, everyone seems to be finding their way back to movie theaters…and my health coaching clients are asking about popcorn. Popcorn is one of those foods that’s super confusing — in some scenarios we’re advised to avoid it and in others we’re told it’s a healthful, low-calorie snack. Spoiler: that’s true! Depending on how it’s cooked and what’s added to it, it can either be health supporting or health detracting.

Fun Fact: the kind of corn used for popcorn is not GMO, at least in the US; which is of particular interest for some. Popcorn is naturally gluten free which is also a plus for many. Let’s look at the nutrition popcorn provides. In a 100g serving (a few cups) of air-popped popcorn, you’ll get 387 calories, 5g of fat, 13g of protein, 78g of grabs (15g of which are fiber). With that much fiber you’re going to see digestive health support, blood sugar support and you’ll feel satisfied (full). On the vitamin and mineral side, you get a lot of manganese, magnesium, and phosphorus. As well as a little bit of zinc, iron, copper, vitamin B3, B1, B6 and potassium. Eating air popped popcorn can also give us polyphenols (antioxidants).

But let’s be real…how often are we eating air-popped popcorn? More often, we’re…