Health Benefits of Popcorn

Everyone is familiar with the word ‘popcorn’. It is the expanded form of the corn kernel due to heating. The popcorn is one of the all-time favorite snacks and is liked by the people of all ages. The history of popcorn goes about 9000 years back. The archaeological discoveries are reported from the regions like Peru, New Mexico, etc. Apart from being used as an all time snack, it is loaded with lots of nutritional value and also has health benefits.

Formation of Popcorn:

The corn kernels are said to be very hard and thus large amount of heat and pressure is required to pop these corns. As the corn is heated the pressure inside the corn helps the kernels to burst and form a foamy material which mainly contains starch. Different varieties and colour of popcorns are available based on the different variety of corn kernels used all over the world. There are various Popcorn Suppliers in Sydney, from whom good quality kernels can be purchased.

Benefits of Consuming Popcorns:

Popcorns have high nutritional value as it has a low content of fats and calories. It is sugar-free and  has more quantity of carbohydrates and proteins. The popcorn is said to be good for health due to its ability to regulate blood sugar, improves digestion, prevents cancer, helps in weight loss, lowers the cholesterol levels, etc. The various benefits of consuming popcorn include:

• Proper digestion: Corn is a whole grain. As a result, it contains high amount of fiber content which helps to have proper bowel movements. These fibers along with minerals, vitamin E and B-complex vitamins help to have healthy digestive track and avoid causing constipation. The fibers enhance the peristaltic movement of the intestinal smooth muscles which induces the secretion of the digestive juices that lead to a healthy digestive tract.
  
• Improves cardiovascular conditions: The higher fiber content proves to be very beneficial for the body. This fiber helps to remove the excess of cholesterol from the walls of the arteries and the blood vessels which in turn decreases the overall blood cholesterol level. This reduction in cholesterol level lowers the risk of severe cardiovascular conditions such as stroke, heart attack, atherosclerosis, etc. which leads to improved cardiac health.
  
• Maintains blood sugar levels: The corn does not contain any sugar in it and the fiber present in the corn helps in maintaining the level of insulin which in turn helps to manage the blood sugar levels. Popcorns are suggested to be added to the diet of a diabetic person as it helps to reduce the fluctuations in the blood sugar level.
  
• Prevention of cancer: The popcorn contains large amount of polyphenolic compounds which are said to have antioxidant activity that helps to scavenge the free radicals. These free radicals are the cause which has the potential to mutate the DNA and cause cancer.
  
• Anti-aging: The free radicals are also the root cause of age-related problems such as wrinkles, spots, macular degeneration, osteoporosis, dementia, hair loss, etc. The antioxidants from the popcorn help to eliminate the free radicals which are the root cause of all these problems.
  
• Helps in weight loss: The high fiber content in popcorn inhibits the release of ghrelin which is a hunger hormone thus giving the feeling of fullness and prevents overeating.

Enjoy popcorn as a healthy snack anytime of the day!