popcorn good or bad?

flippy1234

Is popcorn a good or bad snack? I eat it with just a little salt. Or should I find something else? Trying to lose some weight.

cmriverside

I love popcorn, and have a huge bowl a couple times a week. About 350 calories for me...I use coconut oil and butter, though. I make it the old fashioned way, in a pan on the stovetop. Lots of fiber, which is great.

debtay123

I eat the 100 calorie bags often- as long as it is within your calorie range- it is "good to go"

murp4069

It’s a good snack if you like to eat it and it fits your calorie goals.

kam26001

Boom Chicka Pop - Light Kettle Corn. It's really good and low in calories.

Erfw7471

I just finished a bowl - it's a great way for me to get a good amount of fiber in. 40 grams of kernals is 130 cals, 24 carbs (6 fiber), 3 protein. I use an air popper then toss with either 14 g melted butter or light spread & whatever seasonings I'm in the mood for.

ahoy_m8

You know, like a lot of things, it just depends on context.

My meals tend to be low fat so I depend on high fat snacks ( nuts, cheese, fat bombs, etc) many days. But if I pre-log my day and I'm fine on fat but low on fiber, I'm going to have a popcorn snack and love every bite. (I airpop with no fat added.)

Popcorn is awesome fiber and a little protein for not too many calories. It can certainly help you hit your macro & calorie goals.

Fitnessmom82

I love SkinnyPop!! You can eat a ton and it's low calorie!

estherdragonbat

Delicious! And usually fits my calories unless I'm going for an obviously calorie-dense option (Movie theater popcorn, caramel corn-cheddar corn combo, I'm looking at you!).

AlyssaPetsDogs

I love popcorn! I will regularly have air popped popcorn. I don’t even need salt - it’s something about the crunch.
When we have family movie nights and I’m going to just cheat/not log, I make it the old fashioned way on the stove with butter, oil, salt!

sgt1372

Plain popcorn is not a problem. It's only a problem when you start adding salt & butter to it.

I can make 2 quarts of popcornq w/only 1/4 cup of popcorn kernals and 2 tbsp of olive oil to start it popping (w/o burning) in the wok that I use to make it.

That's about 210 cals for the corn and 220 cals for the oil - 430 cals, total. I usually split it 50/50 w/my GF when watching a movie on TV. So, popcorn is about 215 cals/quart or about 55 cals/cup to me.

Add butter and that's an extra 100 cals/tbsp, which is about 90% pure fat. Add salt and that's about 2400mg/tsp; 1500mg/day is the limit recommended by the American Heart Association.

Just plain popcorn for me.

mabearof6

kam26001 wrote: »

Boom Chicka Pop - Light Kettle Corn. It's really good and low in calories.

I absolutely LOVE this stuff!

mmapags

Good or bad for what?

lemurcat12

murp4069 wrote: »

It’s a good snack if you like to eat it and it fits your calorie goals.

This. I like it, it's one of my favorite snacks although you remind me I have not had it lately.

I tend to pop mine with coconut oil or, if I want to save calories, I have a popper thing you can use with kernels in the microwave and then I spritz it with olive oil.

I don't like popcorn without salt -- and see zero reason why I should eat it without salt -- and so log the cals from the oil.

alicebhsia

i find popcorn to actually be fairly high calorie but then i'll eat like a whole bowl of it with tons of salt. if you can control your portion size then it's probably fine. be careful chewing though, i cracked a molar real bad on a popcorn kernel once. (i pop mine in oil in a pan.)

BeccaLoves2lift

I actually enjoy eating plain air popped popcorn, very low in cals. Occasionally I'll add a bit of coconut oil, a sprinkle of sugar and salt.

JillianRumrill

As long as you're not eating anything drowning in butter or salt, it's fine. I like the smartpop 35 calorie white cheddar.

kenyonhaff

Let's re-frame your question in a new way:

NO: "Is popcorn good or bad?" (Because on MFP there's no food off limits.)
YES: "Will popcorn fit in my calorie allotment?"

The "Will popcorn fit in my calorie allotment?" question is much more useful. Now you have to go look at your calorie allotment and figure that out. If you're tracking macros (fiber, fat, sodium, etc.) that's additional guidance on what's a good fit in your plan for today.

I'm guessing the answer will likely be popcorn being a great food in your day. For me, it was a filling, yummy, easy food that is pretty low calorie as long as not too much butter is added. It's also something you can find in any grocery store, it's cheap, you can stick some microwave popcorn in a desk drawer at work, and it's a nice normal food that is a crowd pleaser.

Big takeaway: MFP demands that you learn what works for YOU. There are no "good" or "bad" foods. There are foods that fit easily into your diet, and ones that will not. It's up to you to actually do a little bit of research, a little bit of planning, and a little bit of reflection. But it's worth it because then you don't depend so much on other people to make choices.

H_Ock12

I can eat the whole bag for 300-400 calories as part of dinner. I enjoy it. However, after unknowingly getting a husk stuck in my gum and having an infection, I don't eat it now.

Need2Exerc1se

Unless you are insulin resistant or diabetic it's fine.

cwolfman13

It's neither good nor bad...