Air Popped Popcorn

You know that amazing popcorn smell when you walk into a movie theater? That pretty much lures me in every time. But, for $6 or more and tons of unneeded calories and fat I try to tell myself to skip it and make my own. Microwave popcorn can be a little healthier but is not that much less expensive and with the popcorn you’re buying a whole lot of unneeded packaging. 

Forget the movie popcorn. Forget microwave popcorn. Air popped popcorn is one of the best snacks you can choose! It is healthy, light, and provides a good amount of fiber. Crunchy, delicious, and still smells great when popping. Ideal if you’re looking to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Get yourself an air popper online or at your local discount store. My favorite is the Presto brand popper, like this Orville Redenbacher version for only $24 sold on Amazon. You’ll have it for years. No oil needed. No hot pans to worry about. No microwave needed. No extra packaging to think about. Instant gratification. Totally fresh without additives. 

Price-wise, air popped corn is so inexpensive. I buy huge bags of organic popcorn kernels in bulk from Whole Foods and store them in a jar at home. The popcorn kernels are under $1.50 per pound! You only need 1/3 a cup of kernels to make a huge bowl of air popped popcorn so it will last you a really long time. 

Eat it plain, as is, or spritz with organic olive oil and grind a little Himalayan or sea salt on the top and enjoy. If you absolutely need the butter, slow melt some Earth Balance and drizzle on top. Other alternatives are to put popcorn in a bag and add parmesan cheese, paprika, a little salt and a tiny bit of olive oil so it all sticks. Go sweet and mix with organic peanut butter and chocolate but that can get messy.. and is not as light. 

Here’s the nutritional info for plain air popped popcorn. Pretty impressive, right? Enjoy, and I’d love to hear your own recipes for air popped popcorn. 

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size – 1 cup (8 oz)

Amount Per Serving

Calories  31 Calories from Fat  3

% Daily Value*

Total Fat  0.4g 1%

Saturated Fat  0.0g 0%

Polyunsaturated Fat  0.2g

Monounsaturated Fat  0.1g

Cholesterol  0mg 0%

Sodium  1mg 0%

Total Carbohydrates  6.2g 2%

Dietary Fiber  1.2g 5%

Sugars  0.1g

Protein  1.0g

Vitamin A 0% • Vitamin C 0% Calcium 0% • Iron 1%

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

(Credits: Info – CalorieCount, Image – webpages.csus)

N.Parkington