Thursday, March 29, 2012

Popcorn is healthy? Really?

Side note: I do NOT like the new blogger interface. Is this minimalistic looks supposed to be more modern and fashionable?

 So apparently popcorn is good for you because it's a whole grain and has all sorts of anti-oxidants! LOL!

We all know how I feel about grains, whole or otherwise. And yes, corn is a grain, it's not a vegetable. 

But that's okay. Who cares if we get obese and/or diabetic? We have antioxidants!

If you're SO WORRIED about your polyphenol and other antioxidant intake that you just must start eating popcorn, you're diet is in shambles. Stop kidding yourself, eat more berries and kale. And if you're trying to lose fat, you don't need these carbohydrates.

 Let's look at the Glycemic Index of popcorn compared to other things:


Food Item - Glycemic Index
Table Sugar (for reference)- 65
Popcorn - 55
Carrots - 39
Sweet Potato - 54
Spaghetti, white - 41
Banana - 54
Strawberries - 32
Raspberries - 32
Blueberries - 40
Whole milk - 27

Glycemic Index - A number representing the ability of a food, relative to that of glucose, to increase the level of glucose in the blood. Generally speaking, a higher number would also mean a greater insulin response. There are a few exception, like in the case of milk where the insulin response is much higher than milk's glycemic index would warrant.

So of all the things that I chose to look at, obviously table sugar is has the highest glycemic index, and popcorn comes in second. I even threw in refined spaghetti to show that somethings most people would agree is high carb has less of an effect on blood sugar than popcorn.

I threw in bananas and sweet potatoes, because generally those are avoided on ketogenic diets, and I use them as my sugar source when I practice "carb back loading". Those have a lower glycemic index, though admittedly not by much.

 Worried about your precious antioxidants? Berries, fool! Strawberries are like CANDY to a person on a Paleo or ketogenic diet. Blueberries and raspberries hold a huge antioxidant and polyphenol punch. And if you're not sick of hearing about kale, you need to leave your cave-home. (Yeah, yeah, you're being Paleolithic and shit.)

I really wish scientists would stop looking at shitty food and tying to find excuses to eat shittily. I really wish mass media sources would stop taking these "studies" and start touting them as the next coming of Christ. I didn't even bother writing about the red meat debacle recently, other people have addressed it far better than I could have.

Have some common sense.

</rant>

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