Most people consider popcorn a healthier alternative to chips and other processed snack foods. Additionally, many nutritionists and dietitians prefer air-popped popcorn to any of the popular snack foods available at supermarkets. But is Smartfood® Popcorn good for you?
Smartfood® White Cheddar Popcorn is the healthiest of the Smartfood® flavors with only 80 calories per cup. The ingredients are natural, without all the additives and sugar. Snacking on a cup of this popcorn is a good snack alternative.
Read on to learn more about why Smartfood® Popcorn is healthier than other popular snack options.
Why is Smartfood® Popcorn Good for You?
At an almost trivial 31 calories per one-cup serving, air-popped popcorn delivers far fewer calories than the average 153 calories in a single serving of potato chips.
In addition to more calories, the calories contained in chips and other snack foods lack nutritional value and are known as “empty calories.” Chips and some packaged popcorn brands also have high amounts of fats, sugars, oils, salt, preservatives, and other ingredients that can cause adverse effects.
While Smartfood® Popcorn contains more calories and more ingredients than air-popped popcorn, one cup of Smartfood® White Cheddar Popcorn contains just 80 calories.
Those calories are relatively free of unhealthy ingredients and popcorn is gluten-free. And at only 6 grams of net carbs and zero added sugars, it won’t ruin a ketogenic or low sugar diet.
However, one cup of popcorn is a minimal serving size and won’t satisfy most people. Smartfood® Popcorn lists a serving size as 2 ½ cups and 160 calories for the healthiest flavor, White Cheddar.
Are wondering if your popcorn is vegan, read the article How To Make Sure Your Popcorn Is Vegan
Will Smartfood® Popcorn Help Me Be Healthy?
The best way to build muscle, lose weight, or reduce fat is to eat healthy foods, exercise regularly, and drink plenty of water.
Eating Smartfood® Popcorn will not cause any physical changes in your body on its own, but it is a healthier substitute for other snack foods like chips and snack mixes.
Taken in moderation, Smartfood® Popcorn won’t sabotage your nutritional plan or cause weight gain.
Smartfood’s White Cheddar Popcorn contains mostly simple, natural ingredients, including popcorn, vegetable oil (corn, sunflower, or canola oil), salt, buttermilk, cheddar cheese, and whey.
The nutritional value chart on the bag lists 5 grams of fat (with zero saturated fats or trans fats) along with small amounts of protein (2 g), calcium (30 mg), and iron (0.2 mg).
Other flavors contain more ingredients, including artificial colors and preservatives like the Flamin’ Hot® White Cheddar Flavored Popcorn, which adds four different artificial colors, sodium caseinate, lactose, and more. These added ingredients add more fat, sodium, and sugar, without adding much more nutritional value.
How Does Smartfood® Popcorn Taste?
The most popular flavor of Smartfood Popcorn is White Cheddar, a mild, savory, cheesy flavor that’s slightly salty. The texture is crunchy, light, and airy. It’s delicious and if you like cheesy popcorn, you’ll probably enjoy this original flavor.
Other flavors include sweet and salty Kettle Corn, Buttery Movie Theater, and Caramel and Cheddar, which mixes two perennial favorites – sweet caramel corn and savory white cheddar – in one bag.
Spicy food fans will like Flamin’ Hot® White Cheddar, and the Krispy Kreme® Original Glazed® Doughnut flavor can satisfy a sweet tooth, sans the sugary calories.
Certainly healthier than the doughnut itself, the popcorn has just 0.5 grams of saturated fat. However, it also contains 21 grams of carbs, including 10 grams of added sugars, which is 21 percent of the recommended daily allowance.
It’s worth noting, too, the serving size on the Krispy Kreme® flavored popcorn has been pared down to 1 ½ cups at 140 calories instead of the 150 to 160-calorie 2 ½ cup serving sizes on other flavors.
Is Smartfood® Popcorn Worth It?
Whether it’s movie night at home or snack time at work, Smartfood® Popcorn is a better choice than many snack foods for your body and mind.
It won’t leave you feeling foggy like a heavy, carb-filled snack, and it won’t boost your energy only to crash a couple of hours later like sugary snacks.
It’s easily accessible and portable so you can take it with you anywhere. And if you want to make sure you’re eating a single serving size, measure the right amount into a re-usable container with a sealing lid and stash it in your bag.
Cash-wise, Smartfood® Popcorn costs more than buying a bag of popcorn kernels and popping your own at home. But at around $3.29 for a 7.75-ounce bag, it’s half the price of movie theater popcorn.
You can find Smartfood® Popcorn at Walmart, Target, and most nationwide grocers.
As far as pre-packaged snacks go, Smartfood® Popcorn is about as close to healthy as you can get. Smartfood® Popcorn’s sweeter flavors, like the sweet and salty Kettle Corn or Krispy Kreme® Doughnut flavors, are a solid, second-best option to satisfy a sweet tooth.
Are you curious about organic popcorn and it is worth it? Read the article here
You can make popcorn the old-fashioned way – in a pot on the stove with a healthy, high heat oil like coconut or avocado oil. Just don’t overload it with butter and salt and you’ll have one of the planet’s healthiest snacks.
The healthiest option is to make your own popcorn at home in an air popper. You can then lightly spray your popcorn with olive oil before adding seasonings like garlic and herbs.
Give it some spice with chili powder or add nutritional yeast for a healthy, flavorful cheese alternative. If you like cinnamon, you can sprinkle that on your popcorn too.
Creativity is the key when it comes to seasoning; don’t be afraid to experiment. We like to make popcorn and then put a little bit in small bowls and add a spice to see how we like it.
We have been surprised by spices that we didn’t think would taste good together that we now love. For example, taco seasoning was not high on my list to try but we did and we now enjoy it every Taco Tuesday Night.
