Popcorn is not only delicious - it can also be useful. They can be used for low-calorie and dietary meals between main meals of the day, but should be chosen carefully: most popcorn sold ready or packaged in the microwave contains huge amounts of fat and salt, which are detrimental to health.
The most useful are prepared at home from a special popcorn - Zea mays var. everta , whose grains are even healthier than those of regular corn because they contain more protein. 30 g of popcorn is loaded with 110 mud and 1.2 g of fat. For comparison, the same 30 g portion of potato chips contains 150 mud and more than 10 times more fat - 12.6 g .
Popcorn is a good source of dietary fiber with 4.3 g per serving. The World Health Organization recommends that 14 g of fiber be consumed for every 1000 cal ingested. They facilitate digestion , improve blood sugar control and reduce the likelihood of developing certain cardiovascular and cancer diseases.
If served unsalted, as they are most useful, each serving of popcorn will contain less than 1 mg of sodium . Low concentrations of minerals, potassium, foils and magnesium are also available. The polyphenols they contain act as antioxidants that protect cells from free radical damage. A serving of popcorn contains over 300 g of antioxidants - almost twice as much as some citrus fruits.
Magnesium stimulates the growth, development and maintenance of healthy bone tissue. Good intake of magnesium from a variety of sources reduces the likelihood of developing osteoporosis and strengthens them against thinning and fractures . One serving of popcorn contains 0.3 mg of magnesium or 13% of the required daily dose for men and 18% for women.
The logical conclusion is that popcorn is in itself a healthy and healthy food, but microwave blanks and especially cracked packaged or offered in the cinema popcorn are too rich in fat and salt, which dramatically increases the likelihood of developing cardiovascular disease. .
The best choice is to buy dried beans and make popcorn at home. It is preferable to do this in the microwave, because in the oven of a traditional stove it is necessary to add fat.