“Snacking is the best part about life.”
From this one sentence, the label of Boomchickapop has me hooked. Not only is its message right out of my book of life mantras, it’s also aesthetically a step-up from the popcorn bags you put in the microwave—the purple and pink colors jump out and are appealing for someone who’s aimlessly walking through the market at night looking for food.
The next eye-catcher of the label is its “70 calories per cup” claim, which is an upside for any snacker who believes, in the words of Boomchickapop, that snacking should be “both delicious and carefree.” The only catch with this is that if you actually look at the dreaded nutrition panel (of the 1 oz. bag), the 70-calories only apply for a cup. The purple bag of popcorn, sunflower oil, evaporated cane crystals, and sea salt are two cups, so you’re really taking in 140 calories if you eat the whole thing…and realistically, who’s going to leave half the bag? But either way, it’s still better than a bag of Fritos.
Boomchickapop is more than healthy popcorn, though. It’s really made an industry out of its “naturally simple, totally fantastical” product and prides itself on its start-up as a fun family kitchen activity. You can almost taste its story; you can picture the food as some delicious Minnesotan family recipe while you eat it.
I decided to compare my trendy Boomchickapop: Sweet & Salty Kettle Corn to the Kroger Natural Microwaveable Popcorn I picked up a few days ago. Nutritionally, the two are comparable. Boomchickapop has 8 grams of sugar/package, while 5 cups of Kroger’s brand (which is one serving) contains no sugar. The tradeoff comes with the sodium, though. Boomchickapop has 110 mg of sodium, and Kroger’s has nearly double that at 230 mg. So if you’re watching your sodium levels, Boomchickapop is probably the way to go.
Boomchickapop also personalizes its brand seasonally. If you’re feeling in the holiday spirit already, you can get a festive bag of elegantly named kettle corn, like Dark Chocolatier Sea Salt, White Chocolatier Peppermint, or Iced Gingerbread.
Kettle corn not your thing? You can pick from lightly sweet popcorn, white cheddar, salted caramel, spicy, caramel and cheddar…the list goes on.
If you’re looking for a low-calorie delicious snack while you’re studying at 11:30 at night and feel like you’re running on empty, Boomchickapop is definitely a recommendation on my list. The kettle corn is sweet, but if you’re buying kettle corn, that should be expected. But just a warning: after you finish your guilt-free little snack, you may be reaching for that second bag sooner than you think.
Photo License: Creative Commons
BoomChickaPop: A Taste of the Midwest
