I was thinking about eating fat free popcorn as a snack. Does anyone else eat popcorn as a snack or is it not a good idea. Just trying to see what kind of healthy snacks I can eat between meals instead of chips.

It should be fine Popcorn is actually a whole grain! Popcorn isnt bad for most diets, unless you are on a low carb diet like Atkins, and is especially good for calorie counters. It's what we put on it that causes the problem. Some popcorns are popped in oils that are high in trans fats or saturated fats. If you buy microwave popcorn, read the labels carefully.

I think it's totally fine. I love my fruit but sometimes you just want something more snacky so that's when I reach for the popcorn.

yeah it's the oils and butters on popcorn that can make it high in calorie and fats... I use "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" (ICBNB) Spray, to get that buttery taste. 0 cals in 5 squirts...YUM

I love kettle korn smart pop by Orville Redenbachers!!!!
It is slightly sweet, slightly salty---really hits the spot!
It is 15 calories per cup (popped)
94%fat free, 0 cholesterol

It is my snack for tonight

Oh my gosh, yes, popcorn is a terrific snack! Not only does it satisfy that need to 'crunch', but it's got fiber as well.

However, you have to be careful of the microwave popcorns, as they are full of fats, some of them trans fats. So here's what I do....

I have an air popper. I'll put in 1/4 cup or so of popcorn, and as it's popping, I'll stand there and spritz it a little at a time as it's falling down into the bowl (so it's layered onto the popcorn and you don't have to wait till you have a whole bowl and then try and toss it in to coat all of the corn) with the fat-free butter spray. I use, like many here, the "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" spray, and Parkay makes one as well. And if I'm feeling particularly adventurous and need an extra flavor, I sprinkle it with cheddar-flavored popcorn seasoning.

A delicious, lowfat snack!

Yum, popcorn!

Movie popcorn is pretty bad for you. I eat it on rare occasion, maybe once or twice a year, but you really have to know what you're getting into. A small bag of movie popcorn with butter have about 600 calories and about 50 grams of fat. Yikes!

For other popcorns, I find it helps if you're realistic on what you're going to eat. If a popcorn has 120 calories per serving, and a bag has 3 servings, and you know you're going to munch through the whole bag while watching TV, might as well go into it thinking of it as 360 calories. I can't remember the last time I cooked a bag of popcorn, by myself, and didn't eat almost the whole thing. Though I'm admittedly a bit piggy.

An overpriced but neat item I found lately is single-serving popcorn bags. They're definitely overpriced but when I'm having a month where portion control has gone out the window, I buy them.

I also snack on popcorn. I get those 100 calorie mini bags with 94% fat free butter. It's so yummy

Three cups of popcorn has only about 90 calories (this assuming you've popped it with no oil & added nothing else to it). So unless you're doing low-carb, you really can't find a much better snack, IMO. It's even moderate on the glycemic index, if you take that into consideration.

My hubby had to prove this to me, but it is true: you can pop normal popcorn, the kernels you buy in bags or jars dirt-cheap, and pop it in the microwave with no added oil. Just put a little in a big bowl and cover the bowl, then listen to it like normal microwave popcorn.

Thanks GBMM for the excellent tip about microwaving regular popcorn!!!
I'll pick some up at the store today===it is much cheaper.

hey what do you cover the big bowl with when you cook the regular popcorn in the microwave? Just the bowls lid?? i know its a dumb question..lol but just dont want to do something dumb hehehe

You can also microwave the popcorn in a paper bag - lunch bag size. Just tape the top shut. 1/3 cup of kernels in a bag.

Christy k.

Hmm, I bet a paper bag would work well. Never thought of that one, but when you think about what microwave popcorn comes in, it makes sense.

And yeah, I we just cover the bowl with its lid. Of course, we're still in a learning process when it comes to figuring out how much unpopped corn can go in the largest bowl that fits in our microwave.

I don't understand. Why do like every one on a diet consider popcorn healthy ? Even if you take out butter, it is still full of salt and empty calories .

That all depends on the popcorn. The microwave popcorns, even the lowfat kind, are still full of junk, in my opinion, I stay away from those. However, popcorn is not empty calories.

1 cup of air-popped popcorn is only 30 calories. No fat, no sodium, low in carbs (for anyone watching carbs), has fiber, a small amount of protein, and 26 miligrams of potassium.

Those are not "empty" calories.

Popcorn, when air-popped, is a great snack with very little calories. Something you can munch and crunch on. For a "munchy-crunchy" snack with very little calories and even some nutrients, you can't get any better than that.