If you are like many who enjoy the delicious crunch and flavour of popcorn you may believe something so tasteful cannot be good for you too. This is where there is good news popcorn contains 100% whole grain as well as essential fibre with 30g giving your body around 70% of your daily whole grain needs!
Popcorn contains the minerals magnesium which are needed for healthy bones and allows muscles to contract properly. The delicious whole grain also gives your body phosphorus which is needed for healthy bones as well as to form proteins and assists in your digestion. Potassium can also be found in this delicious snack, which is your body’s best friend for maintaining healthy blood pressure.
On top of these impressive component’s popcorn contains antioxidants. The antioxidants which your body benefits from in popcorn are called polyphenols or plant-based antioxidants. Corn also contains carotenoids which give the vegetable corn its yellow colour. There are a few specific types of carotenoids which play different roles in your health. These are:
- Alpha-cryptoxanthin and Beta- cryptoxanthin
Two clever carotenoids can be converted to vitamin A. Vitamin A plays an important role in immunity, so you don’t catch every virus or bug which comes your way. As an antioxidant vitamin A also may help reduce the risk of developing disease such as cancer. Vitamin A’s role doesn’t stop there and is also important for keeping your teeth and skin strong and healthy as well as playing a role in wound healing.
- Xanthophyll (Lutein/Zeaxanthin)
An important group of carotenoids for maintaining optimal vision. Xanthophylls have been shown to reduce your risk of cataracts by absorbing the harmful UV rays with more energy or the blue light which your eyes are exposed to and over time damage your eyesight.
So how much of these antioxidants are kept when the corn is heated and pops?
Good news is a lot of antioxidants are left in popcorn. When compared to many fruits which contain around 160mg, popcorn contains a whopping 242-363mg of polyphenols. The major consensus in current studies suggest most of the carotenoid content of Xanthophyll, Alpha-cryptoxanthin and Beta- cryptoxanthin are available for your body to benefit from after microwaving the corn kernels.
Take home message:
Next time you take your favourite variety of popcorn, you can feel good about the benefits this delicious snack gives your body while savouring every crunchy bite.
Reference:
- Prasanthi, P. S., Naveena, N., Vishnuvardhana Rao, M., & Bhaskarachary, K. (2017). Compositional variability of nutrients and phytochemicals in corn after processing. Journal of Food Science and Technology, 54(5), 1080–1090. http://doi.org/10.1007/s13197-017-2547-2
- Pocorn: The snack with even higher antioxidants than fruit and vegetables. https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/pressroom/newsreleases/2012/march/popcorn-the-snack-with-even-higher-antioxidants-levels-than-fruits-and-vegetables.html. Released: Mar 25 2012.
