Popcorn: the benefits and harms of making homemade popcorn. Popcorn - benefits and harms to the human body

Popcorn is a whole grain corn product that is widely grown throughout the world. Being subjected to heat treatment, the grains are heated and transformed into a real delicacy. Popcorn is considered a light snack, and quite a healthy food, unlike the same potato chips. Corn is a nutritious cereal rich in protein and fiber.

Popcorn has three main components: the endosperm, the germ, and the pericarp (also known as the hull or bran). The endosperm consists of soft and hard starch granules. The endosperm is always white or yellow in color and is a pure carbohydrate.

The function of starch is to provide energy for the living part of the nucleus, commonly known as the "germ" or "embryo". The outer shell of the nucleus, the pericarp (pericarp), consists mainly of cellulose. The outer part of the fruit is usually white or yellow, although the range of colors includes red, black and many colors in between.

Who doesn't love the combination of a good movie and delicious popcorn? Eating another batch of popcorn at the cinema, it is reassuring to know that puffed corn kernels are quite low in calories and rich in fiber.

Popcorn, which is served at major movie theater chains, can contain anywhere from 200 to 1,000 calories depending on serving size and toppings. A serving of popcorn is healthy and economical, especially compared to other snacks. Whole Grain Snack Benefits:

• Low in fat and calories.
• Whole grains containing fiber are in perfect agreement with the advice of nutritionists.

Fiber should be part of the daily diet of every modern person. Popcorn contains a full complex of carbohydrates, which keeps energy levels up. Dry corn kernels are heated, the kernels explode and turn into popcorn. Made without sugar, without preservatives or additives, popcorn, unlike many other offerings in the grocery aisle, is far preferable.

Popcorn benefit and harm

What is the healthiest popcorn? A light snack best suited for consumption, cooked neat, when the popcorn kernels explode into a balloon when heated.

Moderate consumption of pure popcorn, without abundant oil impurities, chemical food additives can have a positive effect on the digestive organs and stimulate the active work of the intestines:

• cleanses and activates the motility of the gastrointestinal tract;
• assists in the removal of carcinogens;
• maintains stable blood sugar levels;
• provides the body with carbohydrates for active vitality;
• lowers cholesterol;
• B vitamins contribute to the withdrawal from a depressive state;
• improves the digestion process.

How popcorn is made is excellently demonstrated in slow motion:

Harmful properties of popcorn

It should be understood that the nature of the effect of popcorn on the body determines the quality of the corn kernels and the method of preparation. Generously flavored with chemical fillers and flavor enhancers, the product is unlikely to be useful.

Shops, fairs, and movie theaters offer popcorn in an incredible array of flavors. Salty and caramel, sweet and fragrant, but we advise you to give preference to the product containing the smallest offer of additives. Otherwise, you risk not enjoying popcorn, but fully tasting the entire periodic table, exposing yourself to unnecessary danger.

Keep in mind that these calorie numbers can increase significantly when strong flavorings are added to the popcorn. It is the additives that determine the benefits and harms of puffed corn flakes.

What else should you know about popcorn flavors?

Oilseed fillings contain a certain amount of trans fats, which increase cholesterol levels in the body. Sugar burns in the microwave, so sweet popcorn is made from artificial sweeteners. Microwavable packaged varieties, such as caramel, are more likely to be a less healthy snack.

Things like truffle oil and cheese powders aren't usually made from real truffles or fresh cheese, they're made from chemical and artificial flavors.

Light and natural seasonings are your best bet if you want to eat healthy. The ingredients can serve:

• paprika,
• parmesan cheese,
• seasoning - lemon pepper;
• ground ginger.

The health benefits of eating popcorn may actually surprise you. Popcorn is a level higher in antioxidants than many fruits and vegetables. He is good . And after all, it's a whole grain.

Here are nine popcorn tips to help you make the most of this airy, crunchy treat:

1. Air popcorn in the oven. Air Splash uses no oil, which means it has fewer calories. On the other hand, a butter supplement is a great way to consume a healthy serving of fat to help fight hunger.

2. Avoidmicrowave. We have nothing against the stove itself, but ready-made microwave popcorn bars are the least healthy option. Briquettes often contain a lot of salt, artificial flavors in it, and too much portion comes out of it. People tend to eat it in one sitting.

3. Portion size management. The serving size depends on the type of popcorn you're eating, but for reference, one cup of plain popcorn contains about 30 calories. Be careful: once you start adding toppings, the calorie count rises quickly.

4. Choose Your Cooking Oil Carefully. Extra virgin olive oil, walnut oil or avocado oil is the best solution. Flaxseed oil or wheat germ oil cannot be heated and therefore cannot be used to make popcorn. Due to their high saturated fat content, avoid corn, sunflower, and soy oils.

Avoid popcorn "improvers"

5. Try to avoid oil - or use it sparingly. Use a small amount - 2 to 3 teaspoons.

6. Limit salt. Popcorn mixed with refined sugar, salt, and butter is a less healthy option as your calorie and salt intake increases. Remember that most people should only get 2300 mg of sodium each day (about one teaspoon). When corn kernels are prepackaged, it's even harder to control the sodium and calories inside. It's best to choose a low-sodium option if possible.

7. Watch out for added sweeteners and chemicals. Avoid buying popcorn, which is more than just corn kernels, as the food becomes less healthy with each addition. Sugar burns in the microwave, so sweet popcorn is made from artificial sweeteners. Look at the package, if it contains caramel or dark chocolate, it is an unhealthy snack.

8. Get creative with healthier and lighter toppings. Looking to spice up your popcorn in a healthy way? Consider adding a hot sauce, or melt a couple of chunks of cheese on popcorn. You can try flavoring popcorn with balsamic vinegar or eat it with pickles and jalapenos. Add natural spices and seasonings, not chemical powders, flavorings and salt.

9. Combine popcorn with protein. One way to fill up on one serving of popcorn and completely eliminate the feeling of hunger is to eat a treat with protein. You can add a tablespoon of peanut butter, 100 grams of cheese, bacon, or another protein source that you like to your popcorn.

nutritional value of popcorn

Corn contains many nutrients in grains, the basis of which is starch. The calorie content of the product increases as the product dries. Heat treatment of grains evaporates water, exploding, they turn inside out becoming airy and weightless.

Drying corn is not accompanied by a loss of useful properties. 100 grams of popcorn contains about 80 grams. carbohydrates. The calorie content of salted popcorn lies within 400 kcal. Airy popcorn is very light, not everyone can eat even a standard 46 gram glass of popcorn in one sitting.

The calorie content of the product mainly increases the vegetable or olive oil used to make popcorn. Sugar, artificial sweetener, caramel and salt affect its level even more.

High-calorie popcorn would likely be a problem, but the trick is that the product is unusually airy. It is impossible to eat this delicacy too much. The foamy volume of corn kernels fills the stomach, and gives a feeling of satiety for a long period. However, corn flakes are not recommended for consumption in large quantities by people who are struggling with being overweight.

A small cup of "air splash" without additives contains 31 calories, 1 g of protein, 6 grams of carbohydrates and 1.2 g of fiber. Popcorn is free of fat, sodium and cholesterol.

Eating a small bowl of plain popcorn in a movie theater gives you:

• Calories: 31;
• Protein: 1 g;
• Fat: 0.4 g;
• Saturated fat: 0 g;
• Carbons: 6 g;
• Fiber: 1 g;
• Sodium: 1 mg;
• Sugar: 0.07 g

By agreeing to three servings, you will get less than 100 calories without going beyond the daily allowance of carbohydrates, sodium or fat.

Popcorn in the microwave

Unfortunately, several health problems have been observed associated with eating microwaved popcorn. Have you ever opened a brown, freshly popped bag of popcorn from the microwave? The smell is simply amazing, it is so strong that it can be heard from a distant room. This happens due to the excess content of flavorings and a number of chemicals.

Experts warn that you should ventilate the kitchen and, if possible, breathe in the emitted odors as little as possible. Chemicals, vegetable oil metabolites - leave the package and can cause lung diseases.

Some microwave popcorn bags are lined with perfluorooctanoic acid, a chemical that has been linked to cancer in animal studies. However, there is currently no evidence that it can adversely affect human health.

Popcorn for weight loss

When they say that popcorn is good for balanced diets, nutritionists mean the following. First, for weight loss to be successful, limiting your body's access to high-calorie foods is a very reasonable thing. And popcorn, quite satisfies these requirements.

Second, popcorn is a great source of fiber. Vegetable fibers are one of the types of carbohydrates that our stomach is not able to digest completely. The fiber contained in food gives it mass, saturating us with it fills our esophagus and stomach. While in the stomach, fiber slows down digestion, so satiety lasts longer.

A person needs 21 to 38 grams of fiber per day. More accurate indicators are calculated based on the weight, sex and age of a person. Studies conducted in European countries found that in control groups where meals were accompanied by a daily intake of 19 grams of fiber.

Increasing your fiber intake is a great way to lose weight

It was found that when this threshold was reached, weight loss was observed. Popcorn perfectly satisfies the daily need for dietary fiber, which in turn stimulates the body to lose weight.

Popcorn is a low-calorie food despite huge portions. This suggests that you have a respite from the saturation of high-calorie foods. You can eat from 2 to 5 glasses of popcorn, based on the required number of calories, which you monitor while eating. Replacing high-calorie snacks with popcorn will save you extra calories and promote weight loss.

Excess sodium in the daily diet leads to water retention in the body, which will instantly affect the arrow of the scale and upset your weight loss plans. Rid yourself of ready-made packages of popcorn dazzling with colored flakes on store shelves. Roast clean corn kernels in the oven and use natural seasonings to give your popcorn a healthy flavor.

Nutritionists call popcorn kernels "nutritional powerhouses," emphasizing that "popcorn contains more polyphenols, healthy antioxidant compounds, than many fruits and vegetables."

To follow the diet, you just need to eat popcorn instead of something else. There are no hard and fast rules about how many puffed grains you should eat and what time of day. You don't have to replace absolutely all of your meals with popcorn. The "Popcorn Diet" is the least restrictive dietary regimen and is more like a fun pastime.

best popcorn recipe

Oil and salt will pretty much offset any nutritional value of air popcorn, but there are things you can use to spice up the flavor of your snack.

We recommend making homemade popcorn and adding some Parmesan cheese, chopped chili and cumin to it. Herbs like basil, oregano, or red pepper can work wonders. You can also dip your popcorn in flavored mustard, just be careful, using too much of it will increase your sodium intake.

Popcorn or popcorn until the nineties of the last century in Russia was not widespread and was associated with film frames from American life, where people, sitting in a movie theater, constantly chew popcorn. Currently, this American habit has quickly burst into our lives, popcorn has become an indispensable attribute of Russian cinemas. If earlier dates were made with obligatory visits to cinema halls, now they go to the cinema to relax and chew popcorn. Life is changing, apparently the chewing reflex in people turned out to be stronger. The love for popcorn stimulated interest in the question of the benefits and harms of popcorn.

Air has been known on the American continent since ancient times. Of course, then it was used only by Indian tribes, who roasted corn grains with various herbs, cooked soups, prepared corn beer, made original accessories and hats. It was the Indians who in the 17th century treated the first colonialists with puffed corn, and it got its name "popcorn" already in America. Later, at the end of the 19th century, a popcorn machine was invented in Chicago, and American entrepreneurs quickly realized the benefits of selling popcorn during holidays and when people visited the first movie theaters.

So what are the benefits and harms of popcorn? In fact, popcorn is ordinary corn, which is rich in fiber, which helps to improve the functioning of the digestive system, lowering. In addition, the presence in corn of active natural substances of polyphenols, which have an antioxidant effect, has a beneficial effect on the condition of skin tissues. Polyphenols protect the body from numerous diseases, prolong the youth of a person. Popcorn can be successfully used in weight loss programs, since one serving of popcorn contains only 70 kilocalories, it quickly brings a feeling of fullness and is most actively evacuated from the stomach. Puffed corn is a complete grain product, a rich source of carbohydrates necessary for human life. This is the undoubted benefit of popcorn.

When considering the benefits and harms of popcorn, you need to understand what corn kernels are when cooking. Unlike grains of wheat or oats, when heated, the shell of corn grains does not allow water to pass through and does not allow water to evaporate, as a result of which strong pressure increases from the inside, the grains burst, turn inside out and become like little white flowers. Before making popcorn, corn kernels must be properly stored, because dried corn does not burst.

The main negative impact on the properties of popcorn is provided by the methods of its preparation. In pursuit of a profit that far exceeds the profit from the sale of tickets for the sessions, cinema owners offer visitors sweet, salty, cheesy, caramelized popcorn, with many harmful synthetic additives. Moreover, portions sold in cinemas sometimes contain as many as 1200 kilocalories. After eating this much popcorn, you are always thirsty, so people start buying extra sugary sodas. The excessive use of popcorn has turned a rather useful product into a harmful one. In addition, American doctors have found that cooking and consuming large amounts of popcorn can lead to lung diseases that affect many food industry workers involved in the manufacture of a popular product. The occurrence of diseases is associated with the use of oil containing the chemical flavoring diacetyl, which, when strongly heated, becomes extremely harmful to the human respiratory tract.

Finishing the conversation about the benefits and harms of popcorn, it should be noted that popcorn is much healthier than chips, chocolate bars, salted nuts. If you eat popcorn in moderation, there will be no health problems.

Such a popular delicacy today as popcorn is not at all an invention of our time. An interesting feature of corn grains - to explode with strong heating, turning into delicious flakes, people noticed 5 thousand years ago. This date dates back to the most ancient flakes found. And popcorn first became popular among the first American colonists who saw and tasted this delicacy from the Indians.

But the difference between modern popcorn and the one that the wise Indians treated their guests to is that a large number of additives are used in its production, as well as oil, which is not always of high quality. This has become a stumbling block for nutritionists. And anyone who loves popcorn. Calorie content from such manipulations grows two or three times, and useful trace elements and vitamins disappear. And it is not for nothing that such flakes are declared harmful. How to figure out if popcorn is healthy, and what kind of treat is more acceptable?

Corn itself is quite nutritious. All the useful substances contained in it, contains popcorn. Its calorie content is quite high, but it's not so bad. Sieving 40 g of a properly prepared treat for breakfast, you can completely satisfy your hunger and not harm your stomach. It contains polyphenols, which have high antioxidant activity. Cellulose and ballast materials. It is rich in B vitamins - B1 and B2. Especially useful are the microelements contained in this delicacy - potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium.

Why is there so much debate about whether popcorn is healthy? What are nutritionists right about, and how to avoid the threat of adding extra pounds by gobbling up this delicacy while watching a movie? Here are a few mistakes that people who love popcorn often make.

The calorie content of food largely depends on the method of preparation. No one argues with the fact that boiled meat is healthier than fried in a large amount of oil. So is popcorn. It acquires calories during the cooking process. Do not expect that by frying corn in a pan with the addition of a sufficiently large amount of oil or fat, as well as salt, you will get a dietary and healthy product. Try not to use them at all or reduce the amount.

The most healthy popcorn, the calorie content of which does not threaten the figure at all, is cooked with air under pressure, without salt, sugar and oil. Nutritionists advise using only spices for taste - black, red pepper or others.

Preparation of popcorn from semi-finished products. Such things are already stuffed with various dyes, flavors, sweeteners, etc. Popcorn made from natural corn is much healthier.

The ready-made popcorn we buy at movie theaters is really bad. And for the figure, and for health. But not by itself, but because of the additives. Some of them are not recommended for use, for example, in the USA. But they are still used in popcorn. In addition, with strong heat treatment (much stronger than in a homemade frying pan), most of the useful trace elements and vitamins are destroyed.

Popcorn with various additives - cheese, caramel - has a much higher calorie content. If for a simple one it is about 300 kcal per 100 g, then for caramel (dipped in caramel syrup) it is already 900.

Popcorn is tasty and light, so you can eat a lot of it in one sitting. Especially if at this moment you enjoy a thriller. This is what destroys the figures of his fans. If you have such a weakness, take yourself only an acceptable amount. And keep in mind that after salty popcorn you will really want to drink. And lemonade is also quite high in calories.

And yet, if you choose between chips, crackers, chocolate bars and other snacks, then popcorn will be more useful. If you do not eat it in an amount calculated in buckets. But it already depends on us.

Popcorn is a favorite delicacy of adults and children; not a single trip to the cinema can do without it. Today there are a large number of its types: sweet and salty, with various fruit, cheese, chocolate flavors. Popcorn is both good and bad for human health.

The history of the delicacy

Corn cultivation began about 7,000 years ago in the mountains of Mexico. Later, this culture became widely used in American cooking.

The ancient Indians found that one of the varieties of corn explodes when heated. The reason for this is the content of a certain amount of liquid starch in the grain. When this liquid is heated, steam appears, which breaks the shell of the grain, while it opens and increases in volume.

In Europe, such a variety of corn was found around the 15th century, but it was not until the late 19th century that they began to make popcorn from it, when a special machine called popper was invented in America in 1885 by Charles Kritors. In this regard, popcorn received such a “name”. Currently, popcorn machines are manufactured on the principle of those machines.

However, to prepare this delicacy at home, you do not need to buy such a machine. Therefore, in 1984, the production of popcorn for microwave ovens began. Corn is in special packages so that the grains do not scatter in the microwave.

Product nutrition

Corn, from which popcorn is made, is very healthy and quite nutritious. After cooking such a delicacy from the grains, its calorie content increases. As the liquid in the corn evaporates, it becomes much lighter while retaining its beneficial properties. 100 g of this product contains 80 g of carbohydrates, and its calorie content reaches 400 kcal.

But popcorn is very light, so it will be difficult to eat a lot of it. This applies to the product without any additives. However, basically this delicacy is sold in a completely different form. In its production, oil, sugar, salt and other additives are used. This changes the nutritional value of the treat. The calorie content of the caramelized product increases by approximately 50 kcal.

Beneficial features

Popcorn in its purest form is more useful than harmful. But it should be consumed in moderation. Otherwise, you can harm yourself by overeating and disrupting the digestive tract.

• Popcorn contains many antioxidants - polyphenols that prevent premature aging.
• Corn contains a lot of fiber, which aids in digestion. It quickly saturates and prevents the increase in blood sugar levels. Fiber is found in the husk of this product.
• Corn is rich in vitamins B1 and B2, potassium, magnesium, sodium and calcium. These useful elements protect bone tissue, have a beneficial effect on nails and hair.
• The starch contained in the grains also has a positive effect. It nourishes nerve cells, helps muscle growth. Corn contains vitamins PP and E.
• The carbohydrates found in popcorn provide the body with additional energy.

Popcorn is mostly good, and it won't cause any harm when used in moderation.

Harm

Why is popcorn bad? The negative impact of such a delicacy on health is associated with the method of production of the product. In its pure form, popcorn is currently almost impossible to find on sale.

For a beautiful appearance and interesting taste, flavors, dyes and synthetic substances are added to it. Especially harmful is the delicacy with the taste of caramel, chocolate, caviar and cheese.

In the course of research on the dangers of popcorn, it was found that its negative impact depends on a number of factors:

1. The use of large amounts of sugar or salt in its production. A salty product retains fluid in the body and causes severe thirst. Sugar makes the delicacy more high-calorie, which can harm the figure, it also loads the pancreas.
2. Sometimes the product is fried in palm oil. When it is heated, harmful carcinogens are released that provoke cancer. It also increases the calorie content by almost 4 times.
3. For cooking, the harmful additive diacetyl can be used. This synthetic substance adversely affects the respiratory system and can cause pulmonary fibrosis or Alzheimer's disease.
4. Many manufacturers add various flavors to popcorn. In unlimited quantities, they can lead to colitis, gastritis, stomach ulcers, and flatulence.
5. Some believe that such a treat can be addictive.

Diet use

Many are interested in the question of whether it is possible to eat popcorn during a diet. Of course, a product in oil, salty or sweet will not help you lose weight.

However, homemade treats are quite healthy and contain much fewer calories. In moderation, such popcorn can be used as a snack, consumed instead of bread.

Since the human body is weakened during the diet, popcorn prepared with various chemical additives should not be consumed.

During pregnancy

Is popcorn bad during pregnancy? During this period, it should be used with caution. Various dyes, flavors, oils and other hazardous additives used in production can adversely affect the development and health of the fetus.

During pregnancy, you can eat this delicacy if you cook it at home by buying the appropriate variety of corn. In this case, popcorn will only benefit.

At home, it is better to cook this product in a pan, and not in a microwave, to avoid burning. Since heat is distributed unevenly in the microwave, some grains burn out, others have not yet heated up. As a result, most of the popcorn is wasted.

In moderation, a pure product will not harm a pregnant woman, it will only benefit her.

Video: popcorn - benefits and harms.

Benefit or harm to children

All children are very fond of popcorn and can consume it in large quantities. However, do not forget that the product bought at the cinema or entertainment center contains many different additives that are harmful to children. And they love sweet caramelized popcorn. In this regard, its frequent consumption should be avoided.

Before a walk in the park or going to the cinema, it is better to feed the child well and take fruit or nuts with you. You should also explain to him why you can’t eat popcorn on the street. You can cook it at home by sprinkling the delicacy with powdered sugar. Then you get a natural sweet product that children will love.

Popcorn is the favorite snack of most people. With proper preparation of treats and moderate consumption, this product will be very useful for the human body.

Cinema once upon a time entered our lives, and remained there, firmly taking its position in the ranking of the most popular entertainment. And, of course, when talking about cinema, there is no escape from talking about cinemas. Any holiday, almost all weekends, and sometimes just pleasant free evenings after work, most people are used to spending in a dark room in front of a big screen. Supernova novelties, fascinating action - that's what draws us there.

And if you ask anyone what things are for him an indispensable attribute of watching a tape in a cinema, most of them will answer simply and quite predictably: a glass of carbonated drink and a bucket of popcorn. We will not argue about whether we are useful or harmful in this article - in the end, a lot has been said about this and even more will be said. Let's talk about a more burning issue: popcorn - the benefits and harms of this product for our body.

Many will say: what's wrong with it? After all, even if we take into account that it is seasoned with sugar, sprinkled with caramel, salted from the heart or served with sauce - depending on the recipe - the reaction will still be the same: even fashionistas who follow the figure will most likely say that this is just only corn and once, under an interesting movie, you can eat it.

Are they right? In the end, popcorn, the benefits and harms of which will be discussed in this article, is one of the favorite foods of many people. It has received special distribution on the American continent, where the Indians have been eating puffed corn for a long time. The colonists fell in love with it to such an extent that they began to actively produce it (it was invented in Chicago at the end of the 19th century), they gave it a special name and made it an integral attribute of various parties and holidays, and then visiting the first cinemas.

So, what are the positive and negative aspects of the influence of popcorn on the human body? The benefits of the product can be understood if we remember that popcorn is, in fact, ordinary corn. This and active natural substances - polyphenols, which have an antioxidant effect, which has a beneficial effect on the condition of the skin. In addition, the benefits of popcorn also lie in the fact that it has a positive effect on the function of digestion and the digestive system as a whole, lowers the level of sugar in the body. Plain popcorn has only 70 calories per serving, making it suitable for a variety of weight loss programs.

However, as you may have guessed from the previous sentence, all of this applies to plain popcorn, regular popcorn. If we consider the product that is sold in cinemas and other similar establishments, we can easily conclude that the main harm of popcorn depends on the method of preparation of the product. Cinema owners offer cheese, sweet, salty, caramelized popcorn and so on to our stomach.

And such popcorn, of course, contains a huge amount of synthetic additives harmful to the human body. The calorie content of a serving of this product is 1200 kilocalories, after which you feel thirsty, which makes people buy extra water. As a result, eating one serving of popcorn can add a significant amount of fat to your weight. Doctors also found that the harm of popcorn also lies in the fact that after its consumption, the development of lung diseases is possible, which is associated with the use of oil in the production, which contains diacetyl, a chemical flavor that causes incredible harm to the human respiratory tract when heated strongly.

Thus, we can conclude that popcorn, the benefits and harms of which were discussed, becomes incredibly harmful and even dangerous to the body when cooked according to modern standards. At the same time, popcorn prepared without additives, the benefits and harms of which have a completely different ratio, is much more useful for our body and has a beneficial effect on many aspects of its functioning.