Can You Have Popcorn On Keto? The best popcorn options for a low carb keto friendly diet & net carbs in popped popcorn.
Can You Have Popcorn On Keto?
You many think if corn is off limits on a low carb keto diet, so must popcorn, right? But, is there a way you can enjoy the popular snack without blowing your desired net carbs for the day?
Well, a typical cup of the yellow sweetcorn that you may have had before needing to monitor your carb count has slightly over 30g of carbs.
Making sweetcorn a very high-carb food, potentially containing even more carbs than your total daily carb limit to achieve ketosis while following the ketogenic diet.
That’s a lot of carbs. Not exactly the best way to eat for someone who is on a low-carb diet.
And if you are like me who finds you need under 30 g of net carbs to stay in ketosis, sweetcorn’s high carb content doesn’t exactly make it the best option for keeping within your desired carb intake.
So if a cup of corn has over 30 grams of carbs, surely a cup of popcorn cant be much better as a keto-friendly snack?
In fact yes you can, and popcorn is a great snack to have on a low-carb diet. You can have popcorn on the keto diet.
Nutrition Facts Popcorn vs Corn
Below are the nutrition facts of a cup pf popcorn (7.9g) without added sugars:
- Calories 44
- Total fat 2.7g (Saturated fat 0.6g)
- Grams of carbohydrates 4.4g
- Grams of fiber 0.8g
- Sugars 0g
If we compare the nutritional value of a cup of sweet corn (149g)
- Calories 143
- Total fat 2.2g (Saturated fat 0.3g)
- Grams of total carbs 31g
- Dietary fiber 3.6g
- Grams of net carbs 30.5g
- Sugars 6.6g
How? Well first know there are six types of corn which include the one we are interested in – popcorn.
Here are the 6 forms corn can take:
- Popcorn
- Dent
- Flint
- Pod
- Flour
- Sweetcorn
When compared to sweetcorn, popcorn has a hard shell which keeps all of the moisture out. It is then dried, then the popcorn kernels are removed ready to be heated up to become popped corn.
So named, as the remaining moisture in each kernel turns to a vapour increasing the pressure within the kernel until it ‘pops’. Each popcorn kernel can expand up to 30 times its original size becoming the delicious nutritious snack popcorn.
The reason you can sometime be left with ‘un-popped’ corn is the moisture in those unpoppable kernels wasn’t enough to cause an expansion to pop the kernel in the first place.
For us, we heat popcorn in a saucepan with coconut oil, then we add salt to taste making it ideal for a low carb diet.
A third of a cup or 40g of corn kernels, once popped, serves our family of four two full bowls of popcorn each. So, we tend to get 8 full bowls of popcorn per whole saucepan.
As each of the 8 portions has only 3 grams of carbs. It makes popcorn keto-friendly and one of the best keto snack foods while following a high-fat diet.
Health benefits
Popcorn contains a compound called polyphenols, A compound within some foods that has been suggested may reduce risk of some medical conditions such as::
- Type 2 diabetes
- Coronary heart disease
- High blood pressure
- Infectious diseases
- Plus reduce free radicals
In addition popcorn may help with your weight loss and improve your metabolic state. Plus, popcorn may be one of the best snacks to help fill you up so reducing the amount of carbs you might otherwise consume. A win-win.
Other Ways To Enjoy Popcorn
You can add olive oil, butter, or nut butter to your cups of popcorn to add extra flavor, while adding good healthy fats.
If are worried about too much popcorn consumption you may want to add cheese. For example, grated cheddar cheese or cheese cubes which adds more fat content making popcorn even more filling.
Store-Bought Popcorn v Homemade Popcorn
Like all things, if you make your own popcorn you are in more control of what’s in it.
From the number of carbs to serving size or added toppings, as long you achieve the goal of a keto diet (to stay in a state of ketosis), popcorn can be a tasty healthy snack.
The bottom line is, as long as you don’t have over the top large quantities, and monitor your portion size, popcorn can be one of those snack options that can fill you up in-between meals, while having fewer net carbs throughout your day.
In conclusion, to answer the question can you have popcorn on the keto diet?
Yes, you can. But for best results you have to decide how much fits with your own personal macros.
Happy popping!
MORE KETO DIET INSPIRATION:
10 Keto Breakfasts Without Eggs
17 Keto Snacks On The Go Ideas
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