Most of the family suffer from acid reflux symptoms, you should make a list of acidic foods and those that are alkaline. Your acid reflux symptoms may worsen if you don’t.
However, corn is the main ingredient, that’s why popcorn is neither acidic nor alkaline, and its PH range is 6.9 to 7.3, which is neutral food.
If you are suffering from acid reflux, then popcorn will not worsen your symptoms if you take it plain. Sometimes to get more taste topping ingredients are used like salt butter, cheese, chocolate, caramel, etc.
These topping ingredients may raise the level of acidity. If you want to know which topping ingredients are safe and which are not, stick around because we’ll go over it step by step.
The rest of the article discusses which types of popcorn are safe and healthy for you, such as homemade popcorn, microwave popcorn, butter popcorn, and a variety of other intriguing questions.
See At A Glance
Is popcorn acidic or alkaline?
Plain popcorn is not acidic because of the PH range it’s between 6.9 to 7.3.
The PH scale ranges from 0 to 14. If the range is close to 0, it is too acidic, and if it is close to 14, it is too alkaline, with 7.0 being the neutral phase.
Corn does not contain too many acids, and most of them are alkaline. So don’t worry about the acidity.
Is popcorn bad for acid reflux?
Popcorn does not have a miracle effect on aid reflux, but yes, it does not worsen your GERD symptoms.
But the point is we don’t love to eat plain popcorn, that’s why we added some tasty ingredients, and there may gastric problem arises.
To begin, we enjoy eating popcorn with salt, and we all know that salt is neutral, with a PH of 7. If you eat salty popcorn, it is safe in terms of acidity, but watch your sodium intake.
The second thing we love to take with butter, right?
Butter PH is also near about neutral, the range is between 6.1 to 6.4. If you eat popcorn with butter, then do not worry about acid reflux. Of course, it does not cure but does not worsen your symptoms.
However, limit your consumption because too much butter and corn may be bad for your health. Also, keep in mind that we only mentioned butter and not buttermilk because it is too acidic.
Caramel is also a popular ingredient, and you must love to eat with popcorn. Caramel is too acidic because of the PH range it’s between 2.0 to 5.0.
Though acidity level is decreased when it’s combined with corn. However, caramel popcorn is also acidic. If you are worried about your acidity then must avoid it.
Though acidity level is decreased, when it’s combined with corn. However, caramel popcorn is also acidic. If you are worried about your acidity, then must avoid it.
Do you love to take chocolate with popcorn?
If so, keep it to a minimum because chocolate’s PH ranges from 6.1 to 6.5, and it’s slightly acidic. Especially milk chocolate is more acidic compared to dark or white chocolate.
Though it’s not too much, there is no reason to take a risk and fall into an unwell condition.
Another popular topping ingredient is cheese and the PH level are varies because there are so many varieties.Â
If you take blue cheese, Limburger, those are safe, and nothing to worry about acidity because it’d PH in between 6.2 to 6.5 though it’s slightly acidic.
Cream cheese, feta cheese, cheddar cheese is more acidic, and these are not good with popcorn because their PH is 4.1 to 5.6.
You must select cheese based on its PH range; otherwise, cheese and popcorn may aggravate your acidic symptoms and are not suitable for acid reflux.
Health benefits of eating popcorn
Popcorns contains many vital minerals like ascorbic acid, calcium, potassium, vitamin A, K, etc.
- Popcorn minimize the risk of type 2 diabetes
- It maintains the blood pressure level and is also good for the heart but not to take too much salt and butter with popcorn.
- Popcorn is also high in antioxidants, specifically polyphenols, which protect your body from free radicals and may help prevent certain types of cancer.
- The food also contains fiber and is popular as a snack that protects your body from weight gain.
These are the main health benefits. Let’s talk about some types of popcorns, and it’s acidity level.
Is microwave popcorn acidic?
Some reports said microwave popcorn is not good for the lungs. First of all this type of popcorn is not healthy because it contains extra salt, calories, and also artificial ingredients.
If you consider its acidic nature, microwave popcorn contains perfluorooctanoic acid, a harmful chemical that can cause cancer if consumed in large quantities.
Is corn acidic?
Corn is not overly acidic, but it is slightly acidic to alkaline due to its PH of 6.9 to 7.3. Remember that both boiled and yellow corn are acidic. Nothing has a lower acidic level after being boiled.
Is homemade popcorn acidic?
As you may know, if there are no added ingredients, popcorn is mostly neutral. Homemade popcorn is not acidic in this case.
If you add chocolate, caramel, or other toppings to the popcorn, it may become acidic. So it’s up to you to decide which option you prefer.
Is cheddar popcorn acidic?
Yes, cheddar popcorn is acidic because of the PH of cheddar cheese. The PH range is 5.1 to 5.4, and when it’s mixed with popcorn that also becomes acidic.
Is plain popcorn acidic?
No, plain popcorn is not acidic because corn is neutral in nature. If you have not added too much butter or other ingredients.
Is air popcorn acidic?
Air popcorn is one of the healthiest processes to make popcorn. The acidic level depends on which type of topping ingredients are used. It’s healthier because there is no oil involved to prepare this.
The bottom line
Popcorn is a neutral food because its pH ranges from 6.9 to 7.3, and it is neither good nor bad for acid reflux.
If you eat it plain, it’s high in nutrients; however, if you add acidic toppings, the food becomes more acidic.
Popcorn is popular as a snack, and you can also add apples if you are suffering from acid reflux.
If you are concerned about acidity, you should avoid highly acidic foods and fruits such as blueberries, french fries, potato chips, and so on.
Remember that the above answer provides general health information and is not intended to be a substitute for a doctor’s opinion or treatment recommendations.
FAQs
When you should not eat popcorn?
If you are over the age of four, there is no such recommendation. If you consume too many acidic foods at once, try to avoid popcorn and focus on some high alkaline foods. Otherwise, neutral foods make you feel full, and your body’s acidic levels may rise.
What happens if you eat popcorn daily?
It is recommended to consume popcorn daily, but a moderate amount and homemade popcorn are always the best options because they are high in nutrients and aid in weight loss.
Is it bad to eat popcorn at night?
If you eat homemade plain popcorn, you have nothing to worry about, but if you eat microwave popcorn every night, it is unhealthy because it contains a lot of salt and calories.
Is stovetop popcorn acidic?
Stovetop popcorn is healthy and nutritious, and its acidity level depends on which type of topping ingredients are used. Oil consumption also plays a vital role.
PH of buttered popcorn?
Butter popcorn is acidic and its PH is 6.1 to 6.9
Is Kettle Corn Acidic?
Traditional popcorn comes in several flavors, but kettle corn is one of the most popular. Kettle corn is made by popping it in a kettle with oil and salt, then adding sugar to give it its distinctive flavor. Is kettle corn popcorn acidic in comparison to regular popcorn?
Corn and salt are both considered neutrals, so we only have to look at the other two ingredients in kettle corn- oil and sugar.
Oil is tricky because the pH scale only measures aqueous solutions, which have a solvent of water (think of how sugar can dissolve in water).
Since oils cannot be dissolved in water, oils do not have a pH value. So popping corn in oil (such as vegetable oil or coconut oil) will not affect the acidity of the food.
Sugar has a pH of about 7, which means, like salt, it is completely neutral, and it will not impact the acidity of the corn! So kettle corn is a great neutral substitute for popcorn with lots of toppings.
Is microwave popcorn good for acid reflux?
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, popcorn is not detrimental for GERD or acid reflux because it is a full grain and a healthy source of fibre. As a result, popcorn is safe to eat with acid reflux and should not cause symptoms.
