Popcorn is one of our truly native foods. Even before Columbus set sail for the New World, Native Americans were popping corn in shallow clay pots. Today, Americans eat 16 billion quarts of popcorn each year. Like most foods, it depends on what you put on it and what you eat with it.
Plain popcorn is a nutritious, low-calorie snack.
But drenched with butter or margarine and doused with salt, popcorn begins to fall out of favor with nutritionists and dietitians. Add sugary syrups and you have a snack that promotes cavities. But every tablespoon of oil used for popping adds around 100 calories, as does every tablespoon of melted butter added after popping. To control the fat and salt in your popcorn, start with plain kernels and an air-pop machine. The two main types of popcorn, yellow pearl and white rice, pop differently.