Popcorn
By Kristin Penner
Summertime always has us thinking about our health and looking our best in our swimming suits. One way we can do this is by choosing healthier snacks. Popcorn is a very popular snack not only at the movies but in homes as well. Here are some fun facts about popcorn and why you should choose this snack over others.
- Archaeologist have uncovered proof that popcorn had been around long before the arrival of the Europeans in the New World. Excavations in the bat cave of the West Central New Mexico turned up popcorn ears nearly 5,600 years old.
- Americans consume 52 quarts per person per year.
- Approximately 70 percent of that is purchased at retail stores in both raw and popped form and eaten at home.
- The other 30 percent are eaten at sporting events, movie theaters, amusement parks and many more.
What Makes it pop
- Popcorn is a type of maize, or corn, and is a member of the grass family.
- Popcorn is a whole grain
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- The germ, endosperm, and the hull
- Of the 4 most common types of corn sweet, dent, flint, and popcorn- only popcorn pops
- Popcorn differs from the other types of corn in that its hull has just the right thickness to allow it to burst open
- Each kernel of popcorn contains a small drop of water stored inside a circle of soft starch. Popcorn needs between 13.5-14% moisture to pop. The soft starch is surrounded by the kernels hard outer surface
- As the kernel heats up the water begins to expand
- Around212 degrees the water turns into steam and changes the starch inside each kernel into a super hot gelatinous goop
- The kernel continues to heat to 347 degrees, pressure inside reaching 135 pounds per square inch before bursting the hull open
- As it explodes, steam inside the kernel is released. The soft starch inside the popcorn becomes inflated and spills out, cooling immediately and forming into the odd shape we know and love.
- A kernel will swell 40-50 times its original size
Nutritional value
- Air-popped popcorn has only 31 calories per cup; oil-popped popcorn has only 55 calories per cup.
- When lightly buttered, popcorn contains about 133 calories per cup.
- Popcorn is a whole grain, making it a good-for-you food.
- Popcorn provides energy-producing complex carbohydrates
- Popcorn contains fiber, providing roughage the body needs in the daily diet.
- Popcorn is naturally low in fat and calories.
- Popcorn has no artificial additives or preservatives and is sugar-free.
- Popcorn is ideal for between meal snacking since it satisfies and doesn’t spoil the appetite.
- 3 cups of popcorn equal one serving from the grain group.
So, when trying to choose a snack popcorn is a very good choice as it is very low in calories
