Popcorn Nutrition
Popcorn is a snack that tastes good and can be good for you. It is a whole grain and its nutritive value is retained inside the hull until it is popped.
The US Department of Agriculture has found the following nutritive values in one pint of popped popcorn. The figures may vary because of the actual weight or size of the kernels.
weight: 1/2 to 1 ounce
calories: 50 to 110 calories - refers to unbuttered popcorn
carbohydrates: 10 to 22 grams
protein: 2 to 4 grams
fat: 1 to 2 grams
calcium: 2 milligrams
iron: 0.4 to 0.6 milligrams
niacin: 0.2 to 0.6 milligrams
These figures may not sound like much, but compared ounce for ounce with beef, popcorn provides 67% as much protein, 110% as much iron, and an equal amount of calcium.
A pint of popcorn contains three times as much phosphorus as a pint of milk.
A cup of unbuttered popcorn contains less calories than half a medium grapefruit.
Popcorn is a great dieting aid. Eaten immediately before a meal, it will take the edge of an appetite. The cellulose of the popcorn hull is an indigestible carbohydrate. This cellulose is an excellent dietary roughage and compares to bran flakes. Digestible carbohydrates in the popcorn provide energy and are supposed to help the body metabolize fat.
If you are using popcorn as part of a dieting program, skip the butter and just lightly salt your popped kernels.
