Next time when you watch a movie, munch on popcorn without guilt. It's a healthy snack, provided it's prepared right.
Eating popcorn prepared in a healthy form can prevent cancer and coronary heart diseases, in addition to being anti-aging.
A study by Dr Joe Vinson of University of Scranton, Pennsylvania claims that popcorn contains more of healthy antioxidant substances called “polyphenols” than even fruit and vegetables. Antioxidants reduce layers of deposited fat in blood vessels.
They are considered effective in prevention of cancer and coronary heart disease. They are anti-ageing too.
So far, fruit and vegetables have been the main focus for intake of antioxidants. Because popcorn has only four per cent water – compared to the 90 per cent water that makes up many fruits and vegetables – the concentration of polyphenols is much higher in the snack food because it is not as diluted.
The new study, presented at the 243rd National Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS), found that the amount of polyphenols found in popcorn was up to 300 mg per serving compared to 114 mg for a serving of sweet corn and 160 mg for all fruit per serving.
However, it is not the fancy varieties of popcorn that we munch sitting in a cinema hall.
“The popcorn they are talking of is without salt and butter. It has to be cooked in minimal healthy oil like corn oil, not vanaspati (hydrogenated vegetable oil).
“What we munch in cinema halls is not the healthy one,” said Dr Rajneesh Jain, senior consultant, cardiology, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.
He added popcorn with butter and excess salt is unhealthy for everyone, especially heart patients. Butter makes popcorn tasty, but risky for heart. Excess amount of salt leads to problems like hypertension.
So adding butter and salt to the antioxidant-rich snack makes it quite unhealthy. The study found the golden part of popcorn right at the centre – which is the hated one for its tendency to get stuck in teeth – has the highest concentration of not only polyphenols, but also fibre.
The study says popcorn is 100 per cent unprocessed whole grain while all other grains are processed and diluted with other ingredients.
Due to this quality, one serving of popcorn provides more than 70 per cent of the daily intake of whole grain.
It said the air-popped popcorn is much lower in calories than microwave-cooked popcorn.