Short and Sweet: An Experiment in Portion Control

Sometimes I just don't know when enough is enough!

Coincidentally, part of my recent blogging angst is an inability to just say a little bit about something and not keep going and going and going and going, exploring at length all conceivably related topics.

So after last week's heavy-ass navel-gazing whine-fest, this is a light, fluffy and hopefully petite-sized post about a snacking experiment.

Wanna hear a trick I figured out that allows me to keep eating a tasty sweet treat all day long, virtually guilt free?

Well, I'll tell ya! But it's also an experiment in blog self-discipline.  Can I put this puppy to bed in less than 500 words? Especially if there are compelling tangential issues?



The Trick in Brief:

I permit myself 1/4 cup kettlecorn any time I travel across the house and downstairs to the kitchen. Just one per visit, but unlimited visits per day.

Some further explanation and rationalizations:

1. Air-popped Popcorn is a Healthy, Low Calorie Snack.

You may have seen the study that came out a while back that said, wowza, popcorn is good for you and even has a crapload of antioxidants. Plus it's got fiber and it's low cal and it's technically a whole grain. 

2. But Kettlecorn Can Taste Mighty Delicious Without Adding Too Much Evilness.

Does this look suspiciously like I'm pimping a product for financial gain?

Well I'm not!  The BoomChickaPop people have no idea who I am, and are not paying me anything or even ponying up free popcorn.

 (Though I believe they may have contacted me after Natural Products Expo West but I was too lazy to follow up).

Anyway, the beauty of their kettle corn: a minimal amount of sugar and safflower oil still yields a Relatively Virtuous but still Delicious Snack. Each quarter cup serving is less than 10 calories.

Even if I were to visit the kitchen 13 times during the course of the day, I'd be at One Serving. Which is 120 calories and 5 grams of sugar.

The ingredient list is pretty short: Popcorn, Fair Trade Organic Dried Cane Sugar, Sunflower Oil, Sea Salt.

3. But Wait: Kettlecorn is High Carb!

  At least relative to snacking on meat or vegetables.  The aforementioned day-long serving size has 21 grams.   And here we encounter a major Tangential Danger Zone: Lately I've been re-thinking my usual high protein, low carb approach to eating.   I'm adding in a few more carbs, and eating a slightly less insane amount of protein. I got a bit spooked by a scary study suggesting there are health risks to high protein diets in middle age, and I have a lot of heart disease and cancer in my gene pool.   (Even as another study just came out saying that high-protein diets can lower blood pressure.)   Color me "still confused" on the carb/protein question, but if my confusion sneaks a bit more sweet potatoes, popcorn, quinoa, oats, brown rice etc in my diet and it turns out the study was wrong? Well, screw it.  I like carbs!   4. Aren't Popcorn and Kettlecorn insanely addictive?   Yes!  I have had to swear off Kettlecorn before because of my enormous serving sizes.     That Looks About Right photo: wikipedia commons   But here's the thing.  Sticking to 1/4 cup at a time is easier than I thought--because I know another serving is available pretty much whenever I feel like it!   It helps that our kitchen is on a different floor from my office, and that once I go back upstairs and get immersed in something I often forget about coming back down again for another handful.   And even a measley quarter cup yields 4 mini-handfuls of 3 kernels a piece. Again, this is less than 10 calories!