Surprising cinema snack could lower risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes

Despite its reputation as a sugary snack for a movie night, popcorn can be healthy. But, only if it is prepared in the right way.

Standard cinema popcorn or pre-packaged popcorn at the supermarket isn't the healthiest option, but without any added fats, sugar and salt, it could be really good for you.

If you bought a bag of pure corn kernels and popped them yourself, you're onto a winner.

While some people wouldn’t consider popcorn as the healthiest of snacks, it actually comes with a whole range of important nutrients. This is mainly due to popcorn being a whole-grain food.

In one 28g serving of plain, air-popped popcorn, there is approximately 4.2g of fibre - which makes up for 17% of the recommended daily intake. The snack is also rather low in calories (108kcal per 28g of popped corn) and low fat with 1.2g per portion.

Whole grain foods are considered healthier than processed grains like white rice and pasta. This is because they have not had any part of their husk removed - keeping several important nutrients in tact when they reach your stomach.

Studies link eating whole grains to health benefits like reducing the risk of developing illnesses such as heart disease or type 2 diabetes. This is likely down to the high mineral content and abundance of antioxidants with anti-inflammatory properties present in most whole grains.

Popcorn in its plain form contains zero cholesterol, which makes it an especially great food for those who suffer from heart conditions. If you air pop it in a pan or your microwave, you won’t need to add any oils or butter, which may contain bad cholesterol.

These powerful grains are also packed with fibre that leads to feeling fuller for longer and reducing your appetite. This, in turn, can help those looking to manage their weight loss.

How can I make my homemade popcorn healthy?

What makes most store-bought popcorn unhealthy is the salt and butter that’s usually used to flavour and cook it. If you can’t find any healthy premade popcorn, buy your own kernels and air pop it instead.

A healthy portion size of popcorn is about 25-30g. While plain popcorn can be enjoyed as a low-calorie snack, portion size is key to keep calories in check.

This BBC Good Food recipe is a handy basic guide to making your own popcorn on the stove at home in five minutes.

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1/3 cup of high quality popcorn kernels
• Salt (to taste)
• 1 tablespoons of butter (optional extra)

Method:

• Heat the oil in a 3-quart saucepan on medium high heat. If you are using coconut oil, allow all of the solid oil to melt.
  
  
• Put 3 or 4 popcorn kernels into the oil and cover the pan. When the kernels pop, add the rest of the 1/3 cup of popcorn kernels in an even layer.
  
  
• Cover, remove from heat and count 30 seconds. This method first heats the oil to the right temperature, then waiting 30 seconds brings all of the other kernels to a near-popping temperature so that when they are put back on the heat, they all pop at about the same time.
  
  
• Return the pan to the heat. The popcorn should begin popping soon, and all at once.
  
  
• Once the popping starts in earnest, gently shake the pan by moving it back and forth over the burner. Try to keep the lid slightly ajar to let the steam from the popcorn release (the popcorn will be drier and crisper). Once the popping slows to several seconds between pops, remove the pan from the heat, remove the lid, and dump the popcorn immediately into a wide bowl. With this technique, nearly all of the kernels pop, and nothing burns.

• If you are adding butter, you can easily melt it by placing the butter in the now empty, but hot pan. Note that if you let the butter get just a little bit brown, it will add an even more intense, buttery flavour to the butter and to your popcorn. Just drizzle the melted butter over the popcorn and toss to distribute.