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Is popcorn really a healthy alternative to crisps and other snacks? | Is popcorn really a healthy alternative to crisps and other snacks? |
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It’s been trumpeted as being high in fibre, comes in flavours as diverse as marshmallow and blue cheese, and is one the UK’s fastest growing grocery products. But is popcorn really a healthy alternative to snack food staples such as crisps? | |
Popcorn has its benefits. For starters, it is a whole grain – a type of food linked to the prevention of cancers and heart disease due to their content of fibre, antioxidants as well as various vitamins and minerals. | Popcorn has its benefits. For starters, it is a whole grain – a type of food linked to the prevention of cancers and heart disease due to their content of fibre, antioxidants as well as various vitamins and minerals. |
“If you use a machine [at home] and you pop it in air and don’t add anything to it – or you are buying manufactured popcorn and it is cooked in a very, very small amount of oil – then I think it is a good snack,” said Clare Thornton Wood from the British Dietetic Association. | “If you use a machine [at home] and you pop it in air and don’t add anything to it – or you are buying manufactured popcorn and it is cooked in a very, very small amount of oil – then I think it is a good snack,” said Clare Thornton Wood from the British Dietetic Association. |
But, she warned, many popcorn products are not so innocent, having been cooked in fat and then doused with sugar, salt and flavourings. “If you take a packet of plain crisps and a packet of popcorn, they are coming in a similar sort of calorie value,” said Thornton Wood, noting that when it comes to popcorn’s nutritional value “there are better ways of getting antioxidants”. | But, she warned, many popcorn products are not so innocent, having been cooked in fat and then doused with sugar, salt and flavourings. “If you take a packet of plain crisps and a packet of popcorn, they are coming in a similar sort of calorie value,” said Thornton Wood, noting that when it comes to popcorn’s nutritional value “there are better ways of getting antioxidants”. |
A 32.5g bag of Walker’s ready salted crisps contains 10.4g of fat, 0.46g of salt and comes in at 171 calories. By comparison, 32.5g of Tyrrells sea-salted popcorn contains 6.3g of fat, 0.38g of salt and has 159 calories. | |
But what about “skinny” popcorn? Looking at Metcalfe’s sea salt offering, 32.5g contains 141 calories, 5.4g of fat, and 0.29 g of salt. Lower values than a bag of crisps, but still more than you might expect. | But what about “skinny” popcorn? Looking at Metcalfe’s sea salt offering, 32.5g contains 141 calories, 5.4g of fat, and 0.29 g of salt. Lower values than a bag of crisps, but still more than you might expect. |
And for some of the more exotic popcorn products, the calories jump up: the same weight of sweet popcorn contains 174 calories, 10.3g of fat and 7.5g of sugar. | |
But, Thornton Wood points out, bags of popcorn generally weigh less than that of crisps, meaning that a bagful could contain fewer calories. “Popcorn is fairly moreish though,” she adds. “I think people have got to be a bit careful about portion control.” | But, Thornton Wood points out, bags of popcorn generally weigh less than that of crisps, meaning that a bagful could contain fewer calories. “Popcorn is fairly moreish though,” she adds. “I think people have got to be a bit careful about portion control.” |
To avoid the bittersweet side of the snack, Thorton Wood recommends popping corn at home using a fat-free machine. “Just put the kernels in, turn it on, it heats up and then it just pops them with the hot air,” she said. | To avoid the bittersweet side of the snack, Thorton Wood recommends popping corn at home using a fat-free machine. “Just put the kernels in, turn it on, it heats up and then it just pops them with the hot air,” she said. |