Tomorrow, Jan. 19, in National Popcorn Day. Popcorn is one of our favorite snacks. It’s great for people with blood sugar concerns. It lets you have a crunchy, savory snack without a ton of carbs.
Three whole cups of air-popped popcorn have just 93 calories, 18.6 grams of carbs, 3.6 grams of fiber, three grams of fiber and 1.1 grams of fat. That’s without any toppings. You can get plain microwave popcorn. But, our favorite go-to popcorn is hulless popcorn that can be bought in bulk. It’s often found in supermarkets and larger stores like Walmart.
You can easily make it in a covered pot on the stove. We like this method the best. While some people use oil, we skip it and just use a dry pot. Unlike when you make it in the microwave, you decide precisely how much popcorn you want to make at the time. When you are adding toppings, you just add a little oil to get whatever you want to stick. You can use a small amount of melted butter or whatever oil you prefer! While some recipes for air-popped popcorn say you can skip oil altogether, we disagree. You can skip oil while cooking the popcorn, but we have never gotten toppings to stick without a little help from some fat. It can be a tiny amount, but you do need some. And then you can choose your toppings. While some people go for traditional flavors, one person in our office uses the rub she uses for barbecuing pork. That’s a popcorn flavor you can’t buy at the store.
The other big perk of the hulless version of popcorn is that, once it’s popped, it has virtually no hull left. There is practically nothing to get stuck in your teeth at the end. If you love popcorn but avoid it because you worry about your gums, you should try out hulless popcorn! It is a game-changer.
When you have blood sugar concerns, snack time can be a bit hazardous. Potato chips, pretzels, crackers and other savory, crunchy things can be very high in carbs you want to avoid. That’s why it’s so great that popcorn is a fiber-rich whole grain you can enjoy without too much worry. Of course, just as with all foods, you should think about your portion size. But a portion of popcorn is three cups!
