Is popcorn healthy or junk?

Correct me if I'm wrong but popcorn can also be healthy if you make it yourself using an air popper with no oil instead of buying the ones in packets that you popped in the microwave.

I don't know if it is healthy, but the popcorn sold on the streets use lot of oil , chilly powder , it causes acidity, some times my wife pops the corns using a pressure cooker.. We have another thing, we call it 'murhi', it is made from boiled rice by puffing it in a hot pan, i like this, no oil, no spices

I think that oil is definitely bad for you. But if you buy the microwaveable bags, they have "light" or "no butter" and "100 calorie" varieties. Stay away from the "extra extra butter" varieties of course!

hey thanks for an interesting discussion. to be very honest, popcorn cannot be prepared without oil and hence it would obviously fall into the category of junk food. Well u can have it without any hassles but its over consumption may not be good for the health. So have it whenever needed. What say?

it is one of the best source of fiber. however, the additions to it like too much oil, butter and cheese powder that makes it unhealthy. but no one can deny that its the best food to have while watching a movie. just take it moderately.

Actually its pretty much junk! and i advise you to eat it in moderation. However here is where it gets very unhealthy. Those popcorns with butter flavouring have a chemical in it calld diacetyl which causes brain proteins to misfold and turn them into beta amyloid which in turn is alzheimers. It also does some more nasty stuff to your brains which also causes alzheimers. eat in MODERATION but preferably just dont eat it at all.

I consider it a healthy food if eaten in reasonable amounts and if you don´t put lots of salt, butter or sugar. It´s the same as the potato: a good, healthy and filling cabohidrrate (we need that for energy) but it will be junk food if you fry it or smother it with butter or cream.

Popcorn is tasteful but indeed such a junk food in everyday life.So just try to eat less as much as possible but it is ok to have moderate.This of course do not lead to bad effect on health.lol,have a nice day.

Popcorn is okay to eat in moderation. It is best if it's air popped.

Popcorn not really healthy if eaten in large quantities, that's not mean because if it's from corn, but since the way of popcorn prepared, it used a lot of oil so it's not very good for your heart and not to mention it's deep fried which can cause free radical to be gotten into your body as well. So I think it can be categorized as junk food.

I agree with the air popper method (uses no cooking oil) another poster mentioned. It can be healthy, one of the best whole grain options to eat but it's what you do to it after like smothering it with butter, salt or sugar that is the unhealthy part. It has a great deal of fiber, antioxidants and B vitamins which makes it a great healthy snack.