Chicago Gourmet Popcorn Can Reduce Risk Of Disease
Popcorn baskets are, of course, filled with popcorn, which is made of whole grains.
According to the USDA website, the following are benefits derived from eating whole grains:
* Consuming foods rich in fiber, such as whole grains, as part of a healthy diet, reduces the risk of coronary heart disease.
* Consuming foods rich in fiber, such as whole grains, as part of a healthy diet, may reduce constipation.
* Eating at least 3 ounce equivalents a day of whole grains may help with weight management.
* Eating grains fortified with folate before and during pregnancy helps prevent neural tube defects during fetal development.
Alt Text: The biggest group on the food pyramid is the whole grains group, which makes up the base. Chicago gourmet popcorn falls into this category.
A quick checklist of popular snack foods reveal a definite lack of whole grains in a normal American’s diet. Potato chips, candy bars and even some “granola” bars lack whole grains. Or, like many cereals, are “made with whole grains,” which can mean a variety of things. Often this means there is either only a small portion of whole grains contained in the product or that whole grains. Sometimes it is too little to even gain a good amount of nutrition from it!
Popcorn, on the other hand, is a whole grain and a tasty one at that! This means the three parts of a grain–bran, germ, and endosperm–are still present. When grain is refined, the bran and germ is removed. This makes the grain more refined and extends its shelf life, but it also removes many of the B-vitamins, dietary fiber and iron. Enriched grains–a term commonly used in processed foods–means B-vitamins and iron have been added back into the grain but not the dietary fiber. Thus, whole grains remain the most nutritious of them all. And why get only part of the vitamins when you can have them all?!
Which is a plus when it comes to Chicago gourmet popcorn! Because whatever type of popcorn you eat–be it gourmet caramel popcorn, gourmet cheese popcorn or anything in between–the basis of it remains popcorn. So make snack time more nutritious than ever, and try some Chicago gourmet popcorn!