Is Skinny Popcorn Keto-Friendly? Get the Skinny on SkinnyPop

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Popcorn is one of the most popular snacks on the planet. In fact, Americans consume 43 quarts of it a year. However, it is not easy to determine whether popcorn is keto-friendly or not. Depending on the type of popcorn and the toppings, the carb count can vary a lot.

It is a good thing that companies such as SkinnyPop have tried to make popcorn more available to those on a restrictive diet. But is skinny popcorn keto-friendly? Find out the nutrients that SkinnyPop contains compared to other types of popcorn and whether or not you can eat it when on the keto diet!

SkinnyPop Nutrition Facts

Believe it or not, humans first grew corn 10,000 years ago, and popcorn was consumed over 6,000 years ago in Peru. Many people believe that popcorn is healthy because it is made from a vegetable, but it is a whole grain. The kernels harvested from mature corn when the parts of the grain are intact.

While the popcorn business has been thriving as cinema snacks or microwaveable munchies at home, some companies have been selling popcorn in packs like chips, such as SkinnyPop. The brand is the creator of the all-natural, 39 calories a cup, popcorn!

Judging solely from the name, SkinnyPop Popcorn sounds like a healthy snack. But is it? The popcorn is also free from gluten, cholesterol, trans fats, preservatives, nuts, and GMOs. Here is some additional information about SkinnyPop Original Popcorn:

Total Fat – 10g
- Saturated Fat – 1g
- Trans Fat – 0g
Cholesterol – 0mg
Sodium – 60mg
Potassium – 52mg
Total Carbohydrates – 15g
- Dietary fiber – 3g
- Sugar – 0g

For a 3 ¾ cup (28g) serving, SkinnyPop Original Popcorn contains 150 calories, 10 grams of fat, 3 grams of fiber, and 15 grams of carbs.

So, it doesn’t have sugar, does that mean it would be overly dry and plain? No. The snack is just the right amount of salty because of the buttery taste that balances it.

SkinnyPop also has a healthy amount of fiber, which is more than 12% of your daily recommended intake. This nutrient helps you feel more satiated and regulates your digestive system.

Aside from that, the popcorn tastes and looks like the real thing! Sometimes bagged popcorn can taste stale or be chewy, but this tasted fresh popped. It is fresh and crunchy.

SkinnyPop takes its ingredients very seriously. On their website, they state that “There are no artificial ingredients, flavors or preservatives in our products. We pride ourselves on providing you with a great tasting snack that’s free of all those things, including GMOs, MSG, dairy, peanuts, soy, tree nuts, and gluten.”

SkinnyPop has a high-fat content, and for keto dieters, that is a good thing. Dietary fat is the cornerstone of the ketogenic diet. It will be your primary source of fuel and calories as you restrict carbs and adapt to keto.

SkinnyPop vs. Other Popcorns

Compared to most snacks, four cups is a huge serving. That’s about 28 grams of popcorn and is enough to get you through a movie or a couple of episodes on Netflix. Popcorn’s nutritional content depends on how it is made. The four types include air-popped, oil-popped, kettle corn, and movie theatre popcorn.

They also depend on the toppings included, such as butter, salt, caramel, cheese, spices and herbs, oils, and chocolate. Here are pretty good estimates of the total carbs you will find in different popcorn.

Microwavable popcorn has a low total carb count. Four cups of popcorn fresh out of the microwave contains 20-40 grams. Still, it has a higher carb count than SkinnyPop, which only contains 13 grams.
Air-popped popcorn has the lowest calorie count, but the carbs are usually higher than the microwavable popcorn. Four cups of air-popped popcorn usually have around 24 grams of carbs.
Kettle corn often has a higher carb content. Four cups contain 40-100 grams of carbohydrates. It also has the highest calorie count.
The unhealthiest and least keto-friendly of all is the movie theatre popcorn which has the most carbs if you eat it in its native serving size. A small tub, which can be 6-11 cups includes 40-120 grams of carbs, which means 4 cups has about 26-44 grams of carbs. Compare that to 13 grams of SkinnyPop with the same taste and amount!

Is Skinny Popcorn Keto-Friendly?

We have confirmed that SkinnyPop, compared to other types of popcorn, is healthier and more beneficial. But is it keto-friendly? It is significant to note that not all healthy foods should be consumed on keto.

The diet also requires low-carb foods to utilize fat for fuel. Once your glycogen stores are used up, your body starts burning body fat instead. Your fat stores are transformed into ketone bodies in the liver, thereby raising your blood ketone levels and putting you in a ketogenic state.

The amount of carb intake for keto dieters varies, but the average is 20 to 50 grams of net carbs. That means finishing a serving of SkinnyPop won’t kick you out of ketosis.

But there’s one condition. It should only be a small serving. Eating a pack in one sitting would most likely blow out your carb limit for the day.

With 12 grams of net carbs per 28 gram serving we would not consider SkinnyPop keto-friendly.

It’s unlikely that snacking on SkinnyPop occasionally will knock you out of ketosis. But watch your serving size and only have it as an occasional treat.

Would You Give SkinnyPop a Try?

Popcorn, in general, can serve as a good low-calorie snack. The dietary fiber in popcorn also makes you full for longer. An even healthier and keto-friendlier popcorn is the SkinnyPop, which has a lower carb count and a high fiber count.

SkinnyPop is also rich in fats, a macronutrient that keto dieters rely on for fuel. Feel free to munch on these tasty treats once in a while. But remember to stick to a strict portion size!