Is Carb in Popcorn Suitable for Keto Diet?

Popcorn has made a long way from the caves to becoming America’s favorite low-calorie snacks. It
was first discovered in Bat Cave, New Mexico around 5,600 years. Historians Herbert Dick and Earle
Smith found popped kernels and tiny corns in the cave in 1948. Corn was one of the most grown
grains in South and North America and was also used as decoration by Aztec Indians and Pueblo
Indians.

Did you know that on popping, the corn can go as high as three feet in the air? According to
Guinness World Records 2015, Indiana State Fair created the world’s largest popcorn in 2013. It was
eight feet in diameter and weighed 6,510 pounds. Charles Cretors takes the credit for inventing the
world’s first popcorn machine in 1885. Microwave popcorn was introduced almost a century later in
1981 and today has become a household staple of every American home. Today, Americans
consume 17 billion quarts of popcorn every year, proving it to become one of the most wholesome
and economical foods available.

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What is popcorn?

Loaded with essential micronutrients, popcorn is a low-carb snack made using corn kernel. It
contains around 14 to 20 percent of moisture at its center inside the endosperm, which when
subjected to heat, expands and forces the corn kernel to explode. The grain has a strong hull, which
further helps in the explosion. The innermost part is the germ, which is the only living part of the
kernel. When germinated, the germ grows into the shoot and root.

A solid hull covers the two components and is made up of cellulose, which humans are unable to
digest. It can either be white, yellow, black, purple, or red in color. A few indigenous varieties are
available in some really interesting colors. The United States is the largest producer of corn in the
world, and most of the farming is concentrated in Corn Belt states [3] of Iowa, Illinois, Indiana,
Nebraska, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Kentucky, and Ohio. The North American country is also the
largest consumer of popcorn.

Popcorn Health Benefits

Weight loss

One cup of popcorn only contain 30 calories, most of which come from the five grams of net
carbohydrates. It contains five times fewer calories in fried potato chips [5] of the same amount. It is
low in saturated fat and high in dietary fiber, which helps control overeating. Popcorn also inhibits
the activity of hunger hormone, ghrelin, which further helps to prevent the tendency of overeating.

Maintain Blood Sugar

The dietary fiber in popcorn helps to reduce high blood sugar levels and in turn, lowers the risks
associated with diabetes mellitus. The fiber binds with sugar in the stomach, and since it can’t be
digested by humans, it carries the sugar out of the body. You get 3.6 grams of fiber when you
consume 30 grams of popcorn, which is an amazing and tasty way to meet the requirements.
According to US RDA [6] women require 25 grams and men require 38 grams of dietary fiber daily.

Lowers cholesterol

When the dietary fiber bounds to sugar in the stomach and intestines, it also absorbs fat, which in
turn reduces blood cholesterol levels. Once the body sees a depreciation in fat, it uses up the
cholesterol available in the blood and stabilizes the whole dynamics. Lowering of cholesterol
decreases the chances of suffering from dangerous lifestyle-related cardiovascular disorders like
strokes, heart attacks, and atherosclerosis.

Improves Digestion

Popcorn is a whole grain comprising of a germ, endosperm, and a hull, which protects vitamins and
minerals and makes them available for human consumption. The fiber content ensures regular
bowel movement and avoids conditions like constipation. If you tend to get constipated often, one
serving of popcorn daily will reduce the recurrences. When your fecal cycle is good, you tend to
suffer from fewer illnesses as the body is receiving all vitamins and minerals required to maintain a
strong immune system.

Increases Bone Density

One hundred grams of popcorn has 36 percent of US RDA of magnesium, which can be important
mineral for maintaining bone density. The mineral helps in better absorption of calcium, which is a
major mineral of our skeletal system. It helps in denser bone crystal formation and reduces
occurrences of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.

If your diet is poor in magnesium, your body loses the majority of the ingested calcium. This puts a
pressure on the kidneys to filter it out from the blood and puts the person at risk for arterial
calcification, which can then lead to kidney stones.

Boosts metabolism

Magnesium from corn kernel is involved in more than 300 enzymatic reactions of food metabolism.
It helps in the synthesis of protein and fat along with transmission of nerve impulse. Popcorn also is
a rich source of B complex vitamins especially B3, B6, pantothenic acid, and folate, which plays a
crucial role in metabolism as well.