Top 10 Best Healthy Popcorns in 2021 (Pop Zero, SkinnyPop, and More)

Kara Swanson is a certified nutritionist and the founder of Life Well Lived. She is married to her best friend and the proud mother of three. Her passion is to make nutrition simple, easy, and delicious! You can find her amazing nutrition plans and learn tips and tricks to staying healthy on her website, Instagram, or Facebook.

Popcorn - even packaged popcorn - should be little more than corn, salt, oil, and maybe some spices or cheese as seasoning. If you want the healthiest popcorn, avoid products with additional ingredients like artificial flavors or dyes.

You can also start with a plain, air-popped popcorn that just contains corn and maybe salt, and then you can add your own flavorings! It's more work, but it can turn into a fun activity.

In particular, it’s important to keep an eye on the fat and salt content. Generally speaking, you want to keep it under five grams of fat and 100 milligrams of sodium per two-cup serving. This will leave you plenty of wiggle room in terms of the rest of your meals for the day.

When it comes to flavored popcorn, especially sweet varieties, you should also pay attention to the sugar content. Less than six grams is ideal since that would be a quarter of your recommended daily intake of added sugar of 25 grams or less. And of course, always remember to check nutrition labels against serving size!

In terms of health and safety, there isn't a huge difference between pre-popped and microwave popcorn. Harmful chemicals like PFOA that used to be included in the lining of microwave bags have been mostly done away with, so which type you choose depends on effort, space, and preference.

Pre-popped popcorns take up more space but are less effort to prepare. They also might not taste as fresh as microwave popcorn since they've already been popped for a while. On the other hand, you're less likely to end up with unpopped kernels in pre-popped versions.

Microwave popcorns are great if you want snacks that have a longer shelf life and don't take up a lot of space. They do take some time and electricity to prepare, but the end result is a hot and fresh taste.

Turn the heat to medium and give the pot a shake every 15 seconds. It should begin to pop in about 30-45 seconds, and once it does, shake the pot consistently to prevent burning. Once the popping slows, remove the pot from the heat and take the cover off to let the steam out. Empty the popcorn and assess if you need to return any remaining kernels to heat.

Now that you've gotten the basic information about how to choose a healthy popcorn down, expert Kara Swanson has a few more tips to add into the mix about making your own popcorn and flavoring it in a healthy way.

Peanut butter cups are an amazing sweet treat that is hard to keep away from! However, it can be high in calories and fat. Instead of pigging out on the candies, why not try this healthier, popcorn-inspired alternative? Kara Swanson's prepared an amazing, healthified recipe. You can find the exact same recipe on her site, here. 

*Please note that the picture provided is not of the completed recipe.

Ingredients:

• ⅓ cup Hy-Vee white popcorn kernels
• ¼ cup Hy-Vee honey
• ¼ cup Hy-Vee coconut sugar
• ¾ cup Hy-Vee peanut butter (no oils or sugar added)
• 6 oz Hy-Vee dark chocolate
• 6 Unreal Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups, chopped

Directions:

1. In an air popper, air pop the popcorn kernels. If you can have an air popper, you can make the popcorn on the stove with a little bit of oil.

2. In a small saucepan, combine honey and coconut sugar. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add the peanut butter. Stir until combined.

3. In a large bowl, pour peanut butter mixture over popcorn. Gently toss with a wooden spoon until popcorn is coated. Spread popcorn on a sheet of parchment paper. Drizzle popcorn with melted chocolate.

4. Cool completely and stir in the chopped peanut butter cups.

If you're looking for a snack that will fill you up, give you some much-needed nutrition, and taste great, consider these vegetable snacks recommended by certified nutritionist Kara Swanson!

If you want something else to munch on with your popcorn, consider one of these options!

Popcorn should be little more than corn and maybe a little salt or oil. Granted, it may take a while to accustom your palette to the lighter flavors of plain popcorn, but there are plenty of healthy options that also pack flavor. We hope we've given you some healthier alternatives to your popcorn addiction!

Author: Jacqueline Oshiro

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