Popcorn and cereal are finally getting a little respect. Researchers have found that these delicious snacks, commonly deemed as junk food, are high in disease busting antioxidants.
Specifically, it is popcorn and other whole grain cereals that contain “surprisingly large” amounts of polyphenol antioxidant which is linked to lower risk of heart disease, cancer and other diseases.
Looking to boost your polyphenol antioxidant intake? Here are some other tasty options:
1. Drink more red wine and coffee.
2. Consume lots of chocolate.
3. Go ahead and get the large tub of popcorn at the cinema.
4. There are old-fashioned options, like eating more fruits and vegetables.
This research begs the question, is popcorn and cereal “junk food” or not? Do we need to consult Jamie Oliver for help here? Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been known to pop a few kernels in my day, but should I overlook the high sugar, salt and fat content in many of these snacks? For a while now, fibre has been touted as the “healthy” aspect of certain cereal and snack brands. Do I smell a new marketing campaign? Oh no, that is just my buttery, salty, healthy snack coming out of the microwave?!
Specifically, it is popcorn and other whole grain cereals that contain “surprisingly large” amounts of polyphenol antioxidant which is linked to lower risk of heart disease, cancer and other diseases.
Looking to boost your polyphenol antioxidant intake? Here are some other tasty options:
1. Drink more red wine and coffee.
2. Consume lots of chocolate.
3. Go ahead and get the large tub of popcorn at the cinema.
4. There are old-fashioned options, like eating more fruits and vegetables.
This research begs the question, is popcorn and cereal “junk food” or not? Do we need to consult Jamie Oliver for help here? Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been known to pop a few kernels in my day, but should I overlook the high sugar, salt and fat content in many of these snacks? For a while now, fibre has been touted as the “healthy” aspect of certain cereal and snack brands. Do I smell a new marketing campaign? Oh no, that is just my buttery, salty, healthy snack coming out of the microwave?!
So let us know: what do you consider junk food?
Image: Darren Hester - Flickr
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1 comment:
This goes to show that just about everything we eat has something of value in it. I think this is why nutritional studies are so baffling to the public, most foods are not "bad" in the absolute sense, only for certain people and in certain quatities. For years eggs were bad (for cholesterol) and then they were good (for proteins and fatty acids). Most foods are a double-edged sword in this way. The confusing part is that with the bombardment of health and nutrition advice coming from newsmedia, most people are making decisions to eliminate foods or gorge on them depending on the latest study, when, in fact, what is in their best interest will have much more to do with their own biology, activity-level and health-risks, and those are best assessed by a physician. Excellent post.
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