To say I love popcorn would be an understatement. One time my best friend and I sat in her car, in silence eating popcorn together for over 20 minutes. We each devoured an entire medium sized popcorn from Kernal’s at the mall near our university. They were 2 for 1, so what were we supposed to do? Since then popcorn has kinda been our thing. It’s our go-to snack. So much so, that when I was going to move to India, she even suggested we get matching BFF popcorn kernal tattoo’s – that’s how much we love popcorn.
Since the days of devouring kernals popcorn in mall parking lots, a lot has changed for both of us. For starters we have both evolved into more health conscious people. She is a soon to be Holisitic Nutritionist, and I am a Culinary Nutrition Expert. We have both always loved making delicious, nutritious food for ourselves and others, but we’ve continued to evolve our knowledge and awareness.
Our love of popcorn hasn’t changed, but our awareness about GMO’s has.
One of the hottest topics in the health food industry these days is GMO’s. Genetically Modified Organisms. I’m not going to get into the nitty gritty of GMO foods here, but if you want to read more about them The Non-GMO Project has a great article as does Meghan Telpner! So why am I talking about GMO’s in a recipe about popcorn? It’s because corn happens to be one of the most genetically modified foods around. Which also means they are heavily sprayed with pesticides, herbicides, and other chemical cocktails.
That is not something I want to put in my body! So I always make it a point to purchase organic popcorn kernels whenever I make popcorn at home.
We have also learned a lot about the dangers of microwaves
I can’t remember a time when I didn’t have a microwave growing up. It was fast, easy and convenient to heat up my food. I loved the microwave when I was little. But for the last 5 years I have lived without one. There is actually a large body of emerging evidence suggesting that microwaves are bad for our health. Microwaving our food can add toxicity to the foods were heating up, and can be dangerous for us to just be around.
Microwaveable popcorn contains toxins
I knew when I began writing this article that microwave popcorn wasn’t “good” for you. I assumed if was coated with a cocktail of artificial “butter” flavours, stabilizers, and other junk. But I had no idea just how toxic it could be for your body. This article from Oprah suggests that microwave popcorn has nearly 60 chemicals, some of which when inhaled can actually cause lung cancer. Many of these chemicals are a result of the packaging, the ink from the letters and colouring, but also the “butter flavour” topping.
So what’s a girl to do?
Well, giving up popcorn just ain’t an option for me. But there’s good news. Popcorn – when made correctly with the right ingredients – is actually a very healthy snack option. So here are some tips below on how you can make popcorn as healthful as possible!
- Make your own stove-top popcorn using the recipe below
- Always use organic, non-gmo popcorn kernels whenever possible
- Be mindful of the oils you are using as some can be dangerous at high levels – I use coconut oil or avocado oil, but I’m sure you could make it using ghee, or organic butter
- Use a medium/large sized pot for this (I have used a ceramic dutch oven, as well as a “rock” non-stick pot and had much better results with the non-stick pot)
- Use Himalayan or sea salt as your topping instead of butter
I hope this has been helpful for you! Trust me, I love me some popcorn, but GMO’s, toxins, and cancer causing chemicals – not so much. This recipe is so simple, requires 3 ingredients and takes only 5 minutes. So try this recipe for your next movie night, and let me know how it goes!
| Prep Time | 2 Minutes |
| Cook Time | 5 Minutes |
| Servings |
people
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- 2/3 cups Organic popcorn kernels
- 1/4 cup coconut oil Substitute avocado oil, or ghee
- Salt to taste
Ingredients
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- Place a large pot over medium heat. Add in the coconut oil and three kernels. Cover the pot
- Keep watch of the pot, and once all three kernels have popped, remove them and add the remaining kernels. With the lid on shake the kernels around so they get covered in the oil
- Watch the kernels for the next few minutes, shaking the pot every so often.
- Once there is a gap of a few seconds, remove the popcorn from heat.
- Add salt to taste, or top with nutritional yeast for a cheesy vegan flavour! Enjoy!
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