Community Garden Magazine Issue Ten June 2016 Community Garden Magazine Issue Ten June 2016 | Page 34

Popcorn: Good or Not so Good? June 5, 2016 Mercola.com by Dr. Joseph Mercola All About Organics, Health Issues Many people love eating a bowl of crunchy popcorn. It's been a favorite snack for centuries in America. Anthropologists have actually found popcorn remnants in the American Southwest dating from about 2,500 years ago and in Peru and Mexico as old as 5,000 years. Sold as "Pearl" corn or "Nonpareil" in the early 1800s, a popcorn "boom" increased its popularity quickly during the Great Depression because it was so inexpensive. It must have caught on, because Americans now eat around 1.2 billion pounds every year!1 Popcorn is not the healthiest snack out there, but if you choose the right variety, it can be relatively nutritious and provides a valuable source of fiber. The ingredients in this healthy snack may even translate to benefits that fight disease. 34