Popcorn....Diet killer? or Healthy Snack?

unicornpoop
unicornpoop Posts: 178 Member
edited November 12 in Food and Nutrition
Hi everyone,

People seem to be on one side or the other about popcorn. I love love love popcorn. I make it on the stove with my Whirly-pop maker several times a week. I don't care for the microwave kind, but it will do in a pinch.

Do you let yourself eat popcorn?
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Replies

  • nebulinda
    nebulinda Posts: 120 Member
    I love popcorn. And it actually is a healthy snack, as long as there is little to no butter. I oil pop it on the stove, and just use salt and pepper (sometimes other spices) as seasoning. It's the butter that makes popcorn unhealthy.
  • 2Bgoddess
    2Bgoddess Posts: 1,096 Member
    love it with butter and salt. so no, I don't have it. i am trying to keep my carbs down, and popcorn is no good for that! popcorn is a way better choice than say, chips, or a candy bar. I just can't do it without blowing my numbers.
  • mfreeby
    mfreeby Posts: 199 Member
    I bought an air popper! Then it's very few calories and really it's only the butter you have to watch out for. I'm not too sure about oil popped. That's what they use at the movie theatre and it's like 1,000 cals for a small! Yikes!!!!
  • Anomalia
    Anomalia Posts: 506 Member
    I love popcorn but I tend to want to lather it up in butter so I only eat it on occasion.
  • charliedingus
    charliedingus Posts: 13
    oil and butter are both needless fats. air popped is the way to go!
  • rugbyphreak
    rugbyphreak Posts: 509 Member
    i love popcorn! i eat it all the time. you just have to be careful about how you top it. lots of butter or salt will kill it, so just be aware of how much you're using. on the other hand, 4 cups of kettle corn has like 100 calories, and it's oh so yummy!!!
  • laurarpa
    laurarpa Posts: 244 Member
    I have one of these:

    http://www.amazon.com/Nordic-Ware-60120-Microwaver-Popcorn/dp/B00004W4UP/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1330914363&sr=1-1

    you can get used to it without salt/butter if you want to. If you decide it's not worth having without salt/butter then that's your choice :)
  • joehempel
    joehempel Posts: 1,543 Member
    whole grain 94% fat free with a little butter is the way I go.....I chomp the whole bag down and it's like 6g of fat and 240-300 calories. AND it takes a while to eat it so I'm just grazing away on popcorn for a while...yum!
  • Raina27
    Raina27 Posts: 133
    I love the Kettle Corn from Popcorn Indiana...and I still have that sometimes!! :) 130cals for 2 cups!
  • sarglava
    sarglava Posts: 206 Member
    I'm eating it right now! Orville 100 Calorie Kettle Corn... mmm. Btw, movie theater popcorn is indeed "oil popped". However the amount they use is incredibly too much, and then they add extra butter-flavored oil on top of it. Yum. -.-
  • TheLongRunner
    TheLongRunner Posts: 688 Member
    I eat popcorn every day and I have lost 80 pounds since June of 2011. I used to eat Healthy Pop by Jolly Time...microwave popcorn. More recently I have gotten into eating Skinny Pop (which is sold in the snack aisle). :)
  • Oo_BrookeNicole_oO
    Oo_BrookeNicole_oO Posts: 165
    I used to eat movie theatre extra butter Acts popcorn all the time. I know that stuff wasn't healthy! :P Now I eat 100 calorie kettle pocorn. It's....decent. For me, butter makes it or breaks it. I haven't had any with butter in about 2 months. I feel a craving sneaking up. :O
  • Cherisehirz
    Cherisehirz Posts: 22
    Delicious healthy snack! AIR POPPED is the way to go! What I love to do is pop the popcorn, put it in a big bowl and then lightly spray with olive oil spray (empahsis on very lightly, just enough to get spices to cling to the popcorn!) Then I sprinkle and toss with my favorite spices!

    Craving something sweet --- cinnamon/truvia mix OR pumpkin pie/apple spice mix is yummy
    Craving something savory or cheesy --- grated parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast, smoked paprika, ect....

    Get Creative! There is SOOO much you can do with popcorn and it is still healthy!!
  • basschick
    basschick Posts: 3,502 Member
    I eat popcorn with melted real butter on it several times per week. Everything in moderation.
  • Justice96
    Justice96 Posts: 29
    Oil and butter can turn a useful snack into a useless snack !
    I too bought a air popper and I LOVE IT :) I add some chilli powder on it and a little bit of cheddar seasoning.
  • GreyhoundGuru
    GreyhoundGuru Posts: 91 Member
    I'm a big fan of Kettle Corn (microwave bags)....mostly because it's perfect without adding any butter or salt.
  • npeters519
    npeters519 Posts: 87 Member
    Whirly-pop is my best friend on munchie days. I tend to pop up a bowl when I'm working on homework about one afternoon a week. It's really not bad considering you only use 2T of oil for 1/3 C of kernels. I never eat microwave stuff anymore. It's just not the same! I got some seasoning from GFS that I LOVE. Yum! Makes me want to go make some right now :)
  • MindyBlack
    MindyBlack Posts: 954 Member
    I just finished a big bowl of air popped with Kernal Seasons butter flavored popcorn spritzer. It is very good. I also have a couple different Kernal seasons flavors but tonight I just wanted a little salt and I was pretty under on my sodium for the day.
  • IrishHarpy1
    IrishHarpy1 Posts: 399 Member
    OMG, I *adore* popcorn! For the past 20 years we've been using an air popper we had gotten as a wedding gift, but my husband came home a few weeks ago with one of those WhirlyPop pans.

    The air popper went immediately into the back of the pantry closet.

    One tablespoon of peanut oil, a handful of kernels, a little time -- and a big bowl of delicious popcorn for the two of us to share for about 100 calories each. No more icky sodium-filled microwave bags, no more overly dry air-popped kernels that get stuck in my throat. There are tons of low-calorie/sodium/fat products to shake on them to add flavor, but I like it just as it is right out of the pan. Yum!!!
  • hedgiie
    hedgiie Posts: 1,226 Member
    oil and butter are both needless fats. air popped is the way to go!
    this.. in addition, it's a good carb and fiber source.
  • bjfmade
    bjfmade Posts: 543 Member
    I love the Kettle Corn from Popcorn Indiana...and I still have that sometimes!! :) 130cals for 2 cups!

    This is my all-time favorite!
  • mixedfeelings
    mixedfeelings Posts: 904 Member
    I let myself have everything in healthy doses. I think popcorn can be a great snack as long as you avoid the ones that are covered in high fat flavourings. But if you pop them yourself they won't be bad at all. I'm a big fan of Tyrells Sweet & salty.
  • Crystal_Pistol
    Crystal_Pistol Posts: 750 Member
    I pop popcorn on the stovetop in a pot with olive oil. DELICIOUS! Needs no additional flavoring and gets some healthy fat in there.

    Added: 0 sodium is the number one benefit of this method for me.
  • kwest_4_fitness
    kwest_4_fitness Posts: 820 Member
    I love popcorn. I air pop mine and use Olivio spray butter. But I found having it every night of the week was killing my digestive system. So I limit it to about three to four times a week and give myself a day or two in between eating it. It's a diet saver for me because it fills me up.
  • chicky89
    chicky89 Posts: 260 Member
    Air pop/oil pop (healthy oil) than use a spray bottle with vinegar and a lil salt. So darn good!
  • lmelangley
    lmelangley Posts: 1,039 Member
    Popcorn with a touch of olive oil and parmesan cheese. YUM!
  • albinogorilla
    albinogorilla Posts: 1,056 Member
    i like it..........plus when bored a 100 calorie bag takes a long time to eat, and can be a much less damaging snack to much on..........
  • Danny_Boy13
    Danny_Boy13 Posts: 2,094 Member
    I'm a big fan of popcorn myself and as long as you don't go overboard with the salt and butter you are golden. Air popped is the best. Has the fewest cals but I will say it is very bland tasting.
  • applejacks1552
    applejacks1552 Posts: 30
    When done right, a healthy snack. Love the air poppers and it's also not bad when made with coconut oil.

    Usually though, I buy the already popped local brand Vic's Lite White Popcorn (half salt) - only 130 calories for 3 cups. It's VERY filling, lots of fiber.
  • Anet47
    Anet47 Posts: 24
    I eat popcorn with melted real butter on it several times per week. Everything in moderation.

    YES! What Basschick said! Isn't that the whole point of MFP, after all? No forbidden foods, just being aware of what we eat. And there's nothing unnatural about popcorn in the Whirley Pop, with a little butter and salt. I can't say the same about the microwave kind, mind you. :-)
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