Popcorn’s Surprising Health Benefits

A reader has passed some important health news along:

Popcorn is good for us.

Here’s an article entitled “Popcorn’s Surprising Health Benefits” from foodchannel.com –

Popcorn has received a bucketful of bad press in recent years—movie popcorn in particular—but a new study confirms that popcorn has some surprisingly good nutritional qualities…

A team of researchers from the University of Scranton (Pa.) ran a lab analysis on several types and brands of popcorn and found that popcorn’s crunchy hull is rich in polyphenols—antioxidants that prevent damage to human cells. Polyphenols are also believed to have disease-fighting properties.

The popular snack actually contains more polyphenols than fruits and vegetables…

Polyphenols are strong antioxidants and responsible for protecting body from various dangerous diseases and conditions. Polyphenols are thought to be much more potent antioxidants than Vitamin C and Vitamin E. These antioxidants provide several important health benefits such as protection from coronary artery disease, protection from cancers, healthy blood sugar levels and prevention from premature aging…

Of course, people shouldn’t count on getting all their fiber and polyphenols from popcorn. It shouldn’t be considered a replacement for fruits and vegetables, Vinson cautions…

Kantha Shelke, a spokeswoman for the Institute of Food Technologists and a food chemist in Chicago who has studied popcorn, says an occasional splurge of lightly buttered popcorn at the movies is okay. “Popcorn drenched in butter or oil is bad. Sprinkled or sprayed and consumed in moderation is good for both the body and the soul,” she says.

Popcorn: it’s official, it’s good for both the body and soul.

(PS – More serious entries coming soon.)