How To Add Popcorn To Your Keto Diet Without Impairing Ketosis
As with potato chips, popcorn is surprisingly easy to overeat when we arent mindful of our portions.
To help keep your portion sizes in check while feeling fully satisfied with each serving, consider adding keto fats to your popcorn. The added fat and flavor will make each bite more fulfilling, so a cup or two is all you need to curb your carb cravings.
Other than butter, there are plenty of other keto-friendly popcorn toppings you can use to enhance the fat content and/or flavor:
That said, we must also consider the carb content of the remaining 30%. Occasionally, youll find that you simply cant fit a cup or two of popcorn into your carb limit for the day.
Common Popcorn Types And Brands
Here are a few of the most popular brands to buy and ways to prepare popcorn along with their carb counts. It’s pretty amazing to see how quickly popcorn goes from being a nutritious snack to being an entirely unhealthy one depending on how you prepare it.
Your choice of oil, seasoning, and additives all affect its nutritional value, so keep that in mind as you buy and make your own popcorn.
Note: the following macros are for a 1 oz serving, which is approximately 3.5 cups of popcorn.
Should All Carb Measurements Be Treated Equal In Keto
Even though the article gives an average of 1 cup of popcorn for people to eat on the Keto diet, this is not true across the board. An individuals daily carb intake depends on 3 important factors. The first is body type, second, health history, and third, goals. Every person on the planet is unique and different when it comes to these variables. Make sure you decide upon what goals you have during your diet, how your body reacts to different foods, and how healthy you have been over your lifetime. With this information in mind, you will be able to create a plan that sheds pounds quicker than you ever thought possible.
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How To Make These Keto Cheese Pops
Although there is just one ingredient, these puffy little cheese snacks take a little bit of pre-planning on your part because you have to start the recipe up to two days before you plan to cook and eat them.
But its REALLY EASY!
You can use any hard cheese. I would suggest to cut it into slices and then make it into small squares since it will dry better.
Can You Eat Popcorn On The Keto Diet
If you eat air-popped popcorn or popcorn popped with a healthy fat source like coconut oil or ghee and keep an eye on your serving size, then yes, popcorn is keto-friendly.
Most types of sugary and mass-produced popcorn such as movie theatre popcorn, kettle corn, and microwave popcorn should be avoided on a standard ketogenic diet due to their high carbohydrate content and unhealthy additives.
Homemade and popcorn made with healthier oil is much more keto-friendly. For example, one typical serving of popcorn can have around 30 grams of carbohydrates which is likely enough to kick you out of ketosis.
The thing is, that’s a good amount of popcorn! If you only have a single cup, your snack will be under 10g of net carbs. Just measure your serving size ahead of time to be safe we all know how hard it is to keep popcorn snacking to a minimum!
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Is Popcorn Allowed On Keto
It’s not uncommon for a Keto dieter to completely remove all grains from their meals, corn included.
In excessive amounts, grains can cause inflammation, slow weight loss and a spike in blood sugar.
For these reasons, Keto does not typically include popcorn.
But that’s not to say that it can’t fit into a Keto diet.
Do Cheese Puffs Really Taste Like Popcorn
This keto popcorn recipe is a great way to enjoy popcorn on keto diet without actually eating popcorn!
Like some of the low carb/keto recipes we come up with, this is not going to taste exactly like, or have the same texture as, traditional popcorn.
With that said, these white cheddar cheese puffs are sure to bust through any popcorn craving. The flavor is remarkable, you get crunch and airiness in every bite, and the topping adds a ton of flavor thats just like popcorn.
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What Is A Dirty Keto Diet
Whats Clean or Dirty Keto? If youre following a clean diet, that means youre avoiding processed foods, whereas a dirty keto diet is one that doesnt focus as much on whole foods, but rather seeks to adhere only to the macronutrient ratio that is, the ratio of fat, protein and carbs of the diet.
Movie Popcorn Nutrition Facts
The nutrients found in your movie theatre popcorn vary depending on the theatre you frequent, the size, and the flavorings added. On average, butter-free popcorn ranges from 300 calories for a small tub to 1,090 for a refillable tub.
But the calorie count of a meal is not enough to know whether a food is keto-friendly. As far as carbs are concerned, the numbers range from 40 grams for a small butter-free popcorn to 148 grams for a refillable butter-free tub, according to AMC Theatres. Take note that this is only for flavorless popcorn, so if youre a fan of cheese, caramel, chocolate, and other toppings, expect your popcorn to be higher in carbs.
Fat is a cornerstone nutrient of the ketogenic diet. Fortunately, popcorn adds a significant amount of fat calories. A small butter-free popcorn has about 13 grams of fat and can contain up to 49 grams of fat for the refillable butter-free tub.
While the amount of fat is great to keep you in ketosis, keep in mind that movie popcorn will also add carbs to your diet, so it might just defeat the purpose of keto.
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A Modern History Of Popcorn
In the 19th century, people popped corn on stove tops by hand. Popcorn kernels were widely available on the East Coast of the United States, and the first written usage of the term popped corn was in John Russell Bartletts 1848 Dictionary of Americanisms.
In the 1890s, a Chicago candy store owner named Charles Cretor invented a steam-powered popcorn maker that was inspired by nut-roasting machines. He sold popcorn from street carts using his steam-powered popcorn maker design, which is still in use today.
Popcorn grew in popularity during the Great Depression as an inexpensive snack. The popcorn business thrived even as other companies failed, and popcorn production became a source of income for struggling farmers.
During World War II, sugar rationing took its toll on the production of candy, and American popcorn production tripled.
People began bringing their own popcorn to movie theaters, which dismayed theater owners, who felt that the snack distracted moviegoers. Soon, though, popcorn makers appeared in the lobbies of theaters throughout the United States.
Orville Redenbacher launched his famous popcorn brand in 1970, and in 1981, General Mills patented the first microwave popcorn bag. Popcorn consumption continued to increase in the ensuing years, and still today it remains the most popular movie night snack.
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A single cup of air-popped popcorn, which weighs just 8 grams, has:
A typical five-cup serving of air-popped popcorn contains:
Can You Eat Popcorn On A Low Carb Diet
In the scheme of things, maize popcorn is not the worst choice of snack. One cup of air-popped corn contains just under 5 net carbs, which is fairly low. The issue, of course, is the amount. A typical serving of popcorn is 24 grams and contains 18 grams of carbs and 4 grams of fibre. And we all know what happens once you get started on a bowl of popcorn… life happens.
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Are The Keto Popcorn Toppings Necessary
If you want this popcorn keto snack to taste as closely to popcorn as possible, then yes! Absolutely use the butter-flavored coconut oil, sweet corn extract, and white cheddar cheese powder. It gives the keto popped cheese amazing popcorn flavor.
However, if you just want to make an easy puffed cheese recipe, feel free to use any hard cheese and skip the toppings.
Here Are Some Other Savoury Low Carb And Keto Snacks We Like:
Veggies and veggie sticks with dips
Low Carb Pizza Bites – like pizza, but without the carbs
Slices of raw sweet potato with cream cheese / almond butter
Genius Grain Free Pretzels – made with Fathead dough
Olives
Nuts and seeds (you can roast them with a little olive oil and spices or herbs such as cumin, paprika, garlic salt, rosemary, thyme
Kale chips – the only way my children will eat kale. They love it . Find the recipe here.
Paleo Almond Low Carb Crackers
Ham rollups – ham filled with cucumber, cream cheese or mashed avocado. Or use nori seaweed sheets instead.
I could go on, but think this list is long enough. And I did not even get started on the sweet snacks!
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Different Types Of Ketogenic Diets
The word “ketogenic” originates from the words “ketos”, meaning a substance that could be reduced to fat, and “gene”, meaning “creation”. In this context, it refers to the process of hydrolysis of fats, which converts fatty acids to ketones, using the enzyme ketone body dehydrogenase. In the presence of glucose, ketone bodies in the blood are rapidly oxidized to form carbon dioxide and water.
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Standard ketogenic diet
This is a very low carb, moderate protein and high fat diet. It typically contains 70% fat, 20% protein, and only 10% carbs
Is Popcorn Keto Friendly What To Know About The Carbs In Popcorn
Everyone has memories of popcorn from movies that they visited in their childhood. But do you remember the last time you had popcorn guilt-free? Probably been a while, right?
When you are on a keto diet, popcorn becomes even more of a question mark. Is popcorn keto-friendly? This might be a question thats bubbling around in your head.
Well, the answer is, it depends. Like everything else, the answer isnt straightforward. Is it ever, though?
There are many different kinds of popcorns on the market right now and thats where the complication arises.
If you are interested in learning more about popcorn and if it is keto-friendly, read on!
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Make Sure The Cheese Dries Fully
The most critical part is for the cheese to dry fully. If its rubbery at all, it needs more time to dry.
The optional step of melting the cheese slightly first is not required, but makes more rounded keto popcorn AND also helps it puff up more than the regular cubes do. Youll still need to dry the cheese fully after the optional melting step.
The Bigger Picture: Low Carb Popcorn And Your Keto Weight Loss Results
Popcorn can be a healthy addition to your keto diet, but only when its eaten with your daily carb limit in mind.
You can even use popcorn as a way to add more fat, flavor, and nutrition to your day with the help of butter, high-quality oils, sugar-free nut butter, keto sweeteners, and seasonings.
That being said, there are plenty of low-carb popcorn alternatives that are much easier to fit into a keto diet. Pork rinds and cheese crisps, for example, have a much lower carb content than popcorn and are packed with high-quality fats and flavor.
However, if you are struggling to stay keto and get the results you want, then a popcorn substitute is unlikely to help. In this case, we must shift our focus to your overall meal plan and macronutrient needs.
To help you figure out what keto lifestyle changes to make, weve included several tools thatll get you on track toward achieving your health and weight loss results:
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Popcorn Carbs And Diabetes
After numerous online resources refer to popcorn as a food that doesnt necessarily harm blood sugar levels, the question arises as to whether it is suitable for people with diabetes.
Cornstarch is a polysaccharide. Thats complex sugar. For this reason, many people talk about complex carbohydrates in connection with popcorn as being healthy.
Although popcorn does not cause enormously high blood sugar spikes, its glycemic index is not precisely low at 55.
It may be true that our liver first has to convert the multiple sugars into simple sugars , but that doesnt make it any less sugar.
Feeding diabetic people with foods that keep blood sugar at a continuously high level sounds as controversial as it is.
Permanently high blood sugar causes continuously high insulin levels, promoting insulin resistance, the root of type 2 diabetes .
So if you feel like developing diabetes or making it worse, you should regularly reach for popcorn and other foods that are predominantly complex sugars.
Melt Cheese Slightly Before Drying For The Best Shape
The optional step of melting the cheese slightly first is not required, but makes more rounded keto popcorn and also helps it puff up more than the regular cubes do.
I highly recommend this step, but do watch closely during initial melting! You want to just barely round the edges, but if the cheese melts into a completely flat puddle, it likely wont puff up later.
If the cheese melts too much, youll get cheese crisps instead of cheese puffs. Crisps are still delicious, but not the greatest keto popcorn substitute!
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Useful Tips For Making Keto Cheese Pops:
- Cut the cheese very small , and try to keep the pieces all the same size. That way they will puff and cooks more consistently.
- Dont crowd the pan, make sure they are not touching each other by leaving a little space between them.
- Let the cheese puffs cool on a paper towel to absorb any extra oils that are released from the cheese while cooking.
- Once they are cool, enjoy them as a snack or a garnish for soups and salads.
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How Many Carbs In Popcorn
How many carbs in popcorn, exactly? A single cup of plain, popped popcorn has 6.2 grams total carbs and 5.1 grams of net carbs .
That doesnt sound like much, but heres why its best to avoid popcorn on keto:
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What Is A Ketogenic Diet
A ketogenic diet primarily consists of 80-90% fat, 10-20% carbohydrate, and 2-5% protein, and is practiced by many for weight loss, type 2 diabetes, epilepsy, and seizures.Weight loss can be a goal of people on a ketogenic diet, but the diet’s popularity has led to an ethical debate over who should be encouraged to eat the diet.Some say that, while a diet should help the overweight and obese lose weight, a ketogenic diet may be dangerous to the health of those without serious medical conditions, since it contains such low levels of carbohydrates.
- Acid Reflux
Net Carbs In One Cup Of Popcorn
Whenever you are calculating net carbs, be sure to subtract dietary fiber from the carb count. Net carbs simply refers to the digestible carbohydrates in a food.
Popcorn contains some fiber. For the purposes of keto or other low-carb diets, subtract the fiber from the carbs to get the net carbs.
- Microwavable popcorn: 3-8 net carbs per cup
- Air-popped popcorn: 2-5 net carbs per cup
- Oil-popped popcorn: 3-8 grams of net carbs per cup
- Kettle corn: 8-11 net carbs per cup
- Movie theater popcorn: 3-6 net carbs per cup
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Is Skinny Pop Keto
It is more keto-friendly than most other types of popcorn.
Skinny Pop is incredibly popular. It’s low in calories, tasty, and convenient. Skinny Pop has 7g of net carbs per small bag, making it pretty keto-friendly.
So while it is lower in carbs than typical popcorn, it’s still best to substitute Skinny Pop for lower-carb snack options like beef jerky sticks, cucumbers, hard-boiled eggs, and nuts.
Ingredients Needed For Keto Popcorn
There is only one ingredient in this recipe. All you need is a block of white cheddar cheese!
In this post, Ill share some other flavors, ideas, and ways that you can change it up and make different types of keto popcorn.
Please note: Check out the recipe card at the bottom for a full list of ingredients used to make this low-carb recipe.
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Is Popcorn Keto And How Many Carbs Are There In Popcorn
No matter if you are a first timer doing the Keto diet or you have been a mainstay, there is always something new about this eating plan. When it comes to popcorn, you may not connect this food to Keto, but rather to the movie theaters. But, the carb amounts vary between how much popcorn you eat and what types of popcorn you choose.
