Everyone love popcorn. Who doesn't like munching a pack of popcorn while watching movies in the middle of the night? When I was a seven years old kid, I love walking around "Pasar Malam" in my housing area. Eventually, I will stop at the popcorn's seller staring at large pot containing corn kernels which are ready to be popped. It was cool. In this article I will be giving you three reasons why eating popcorn is healthier thank you ever think.
It's good for losing weight
Before I ramble about the benefits of eating popcorn for losing weight, please note that we're talking about air-popped popcorn, not the one which you bought before you're going into the cinema which has been drenched with butter, fat and sugar. The popcorn that we've been buying as a pre-requisite item to watch a movie has up to 1000 calories which are not suitable for losing weight. In 2009, the Center for Science in the Public Interest had found that a medium size popcorn and a soda can combo has 1610 calories and 60 grams of saturated fat which is equivalent to 3 days recommended dietary fat requirements for saturated fat. Air-popped popcorn, on the other hand, only contains 30 calories with a negligible amount of saturated fat. I think it's pretty apparent that this low calorie can induce weight loss.
Polyphenol; A useful antioxidant
Air-popped popcorn is high in a specific type of antioxidant that can be found in the fruit and vegetable which can reduce inflammation and increase longevity. The antioxidant is called polyphenols. This particular antioxidant is massively diluted in fruit due to its rich water-content thus we enjoyed a minimal benefit of it. Air-popped popcorn, on the other hand, contains only four percent of water. The reduced water content in popcorn makes the polyphenol more saturated especially in the shells of popcorn which usually stuck between your teeth. A bowl of popcorn usually contain up to 300-400mg of polyphenols; fruits usually provide 255 mg of polyphenols; vegetables only gives 200 mg of polyphenols. So if the amount of polyphenols in the popcorn is higher than any other fruits and vegetables, can we replace it in our diet? The answer is no. This is because fruits and vegetables are relatively rich in vitamins which is an important component of our diet to live healthily.
The other benefit of eating foods which have higher polyphenols content lies in the ability of this antioxidant to block the enzyme which can cause cancer. Traditionally, we can reap the benefit of polyphenol by incorporated fruits and vegetables into our diet but now, eating popcorn has been seen as an alternative to prevent cancer and live a healthy life. It was also speculated that this particular antioxidant could reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease due to its substantial anti-inflammatory property.
Want to avoid constipation? Try eating popcorn instead.
Popcorn (the air popped one) is composed of unprocessed grain which contains high fibre which would keep your digestive system in check. The notion of increasing the amount of daily fibre intake is to enjoy the benefit of healthy digestive system and consumption of popcorn can increase the amount of fibre intake by a whopping twenty-five percent. In a study conducted by Joe Vinson has found that even though cereals usually are marketed as whole grain foods, the real meaning was more than half of the cereals is a whole grain, not a hundred percent like a popcorn has.
The high fibre component can keep us satiated longer than any other food as it will take us lots of times to digest food with high roughage content. This can contribute to weight loss which is the initial benefit of eating popcorn that we've discussed.
References and reading materials
- Claire Nowak. "9 Reasons You Need Popcorn in Your Diet". Reader's Digest. https://www.rd.com/health/healthy-eating/eating-popcorn-healthy/ 3rd March 2018
- Jill Corleone. "Popcorn and Weight Loss". Livestrong. https://www.livestrong.com/article/283458-popcorn-for-weight-loss/ 3rd March 2018
- "‘Two Thumbs Down’ for Movie Theater Popcorn". Center For Science In The Public Interest. https://cspinet.org/new/200911182.html 3rd March 2018
- Baba. "A battle between popcorn and healthy food". World Of Female. http://www.worldoffemale.com/a-battle-between-popcorn-and-healthy-food/ 3rd March 2018
- "‘5 Surprising Benefits Of Popcorn". Organic Facts. https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/cereal/popcorn.html 3rd March 2018
- "How Does Popcorn Benefit Your Health". Speedy Remedies. http://www.speedyremedies.com/how-does-popcorn-benefit-your-health.html 3rd March 2018
- American Chemical Society (ACS). (2012, March 25). Popcorn: The snack with even higher antioxidants levels than fruits and vegetables. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 3, 2018 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120325173008.htm
