Find out if it fits into your diet plans.
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The ketogenic diet—also known simply as “keto”—has been around for decades but in the last couple of years, has seen a dramatic increase in popularity. In 2020, “keto” was the most-searched food-related topic on Google with 25.4 million searches. Whether you’re keto now or simply curious about keto diets, people search hundreds of thousands of keto questions per day. One of the most frequent keto Q’s: Is popcorn keto?
Parade consulted Rima Kleiner MS, RD, a Registered and Licensed Dietitian, nutritionist, and blogger at Dish on Fish, to find out more about eating popcorn while on keto and more keto diet-related questions. Here’s everything you need to know.
What Is Popcorn?
For many of us, popcorn has been a staple snack in our household or at the movie theatre since childhood. But you may be surprisingly stumped if someone were to ask you: Do you even know what popcorn really is?
“Popcorn is literally popped corn,” Kleiner explains. “However, it’s a special variety of corn and it’s the only [kind] that expands and puffs up when heated.”
So, is it a vegetable? Not exactly. But in some aspects, popcorn is an even healthier snack than regular corn.
Related: 14 Tips To Eat Keto On A Budget
One ear of sweet corn contains 90 calories, 3 grams of protein, 1 gram of fat, 19 carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 5 grams of sugar, and 3.6 milligrams of vitamin C. But three cups of air-popped popcorn can have as much as 4 grams of fiber and 15 grams of carbs. (More on the nutritional value of popcorn later.)
It’s no wonder popcorn is so, well, pop-ular in the U.S. The Popcorn Board—yep, it’s a real organization—estimates that Americans eat 45 quarts of popcorn each year. So, clearly, we’re a popcorn-obsessed nation.
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Popcorn Nutrition Facts
Popcorn can be a healthy, low-carb snack if made correctly. When considering store-bought popcorn (especially ones with…