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A couple of months ago, I used my non-prescription CGM from Levels to see how plain popcorn would affect my blood sugar level. The result was very poor. It shot my blood sugar straight up and just as quickly dropped the level to a point lower than my starting point.
Sharing this result spurred a lot of questions about buttered popcorn. Since butter is pure fat, (which is a nutrient that does not spike blood sugar), would adding butter to the popcorn make it a better snack for blood sugar control? Well, I ran the test. It should be better, right? It was not what I expected. Here are the results.
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Disclaimer: Dr. Becky Gillaspy, DC received her Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Palmer College of Chiropractic in 1991. Her use of “doctor” or “Dr.” in relation to herself solely refers to that degree. Dr. Gillaspy was a licensed chiropractor in Pennsylvania, but she no longer practices chiropractic in any state and does not see patients. This video is for general informational purposes only. It should not be used to self-diagnose and it is not a substitute for a medical exam, cure, treatment, diagnosis, and prescription or recommendation. It does not create a doctor-patient relationship between Dr. Gillaspy and you. You should not make any change in your health regimen or diet before first consulting a physician and obtaining a medical exam, diagnosis, and recommendation. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Dr Becky Fitness LLC and Dr. Rebecca Gillaspy, D.C. are not liable or responsible for any advice, course of treatment, diagnosis or any conclusions drawn, services or product you obtain through this video or site.
very interesting experiments – thanks so much. I wonder about nutritional yeast effect as well….but don’t expect a magic result! Cheers!
Well I am interested if this result would be the same if you did this later in the day and not after an overnight fast? Also when I eat popcorn, which is not often I always cook it in coconut oil, which coats the popcorn. Also your butter really wasent very much. Would love to know the answers to these questions.
Wow! Interesting info. I usually eat on a weekly basis alot of popcorn (1/4 cup before popped) with a stick of butter and ghost pepper powder. no salt. Now I know why I can’t seem to loose belly fat. thanks for being the guinea pig for us.
Thank you for this video. I had read, a couple of years ago, that if you ate a donut or something just eat a handful of almonds and it would cancel it out. I didn’t think so.
I ❤ this video. I’m saddened by the results on the buttered popcorn because it is my favorite snack food. I thought I did good when I switched my chips & salsa for popcorn 😊 Also I have been interested in getting a glucose monitor but was denied by insurance. Thank you for talking about this. I will now check out the link you provided. Thanks again. I learn so much from your videos.❤❤
I went to my pharmacy n asked if they gave away free glucose monitor n yes they did however I had to buy more test strips n pin sticks. Ask how much for extras before purchase. It works fine n I don’t check all the time. It did come with a few sticks n test strip.
What about using fat free coconut oil spray and a lite-salt? This pop-corn addict is asking! Thank you for your wonderful videos!!!!
Interesting. Thanks, DB. Popcorn without butter was my go-to snack when I craved it. Which is not often — maybe a couple times a year. Maybe I’ll find something else? Maybe you’ll discover a good option? Knowledge is good. Thanks!
I had the exact same response. I was kind of surprised that a baked potato loaded with butter and sour cream, had no noticeable spike. Neither did whole milk. I’m not sure if everyone would get the same response. Whole milk with Hershey’s chocolate spiked it though! lol
Wonder what would have happened with the same amount of popcorn with more butter. May be more typical of some late night foraging snack!
Well, i love popcorn and limit to once weekly, homemade, but i do anchor it with an Oikos yogurt. Doing it this way, I don’t feel hungry again until its time for my next meal…..how about going for test #3 and anchoring the popcorn with a lower fat protein? I’d be curious on those results…PS love your info! ❤️
Pre pandemic I was a healthy eater and a regular at watching your videos. Over time, I have gone back to carbs and have re- gained a few pounds. This week, I had a delicious greek salad and I decided to try eating more salads and less carbs again.Your channel popped up in my mind because what you taught me years ago was so helpful and I knew I had to follow you again. Thank you.
Welcome back 🙂
I may try this same experiment, but have ACV before and add another tbs of butter. Sheesh…I have PCOS so no dairy. I’m running out of snack options. Maybe once I get the weight off I can start these experiments instead of setting my weightloss goals back. Thank you for posting this!
I had buttered popcorn with protein (scrambled eggs) and the app gave it a score of 8 and graph was all over the place in about a 15 mg/dl range … so it does depend. I’m sure if I’d eaten only the popcorn it would have spiked a lot.
I really love that you test things out, and that you do not just make general statements that are not founded.
I am benefiting from these videos and learning how to take better care of myself.
Levels was how I found out certain “keto friendly” products like ChocZero and a variety of low carb tortillas caused my blood sugars to spike massively. That was the push I needed to make my own keto treats and tortillas with ingredients I can control, even if it takes more work.
Popcorn was a favorite snack of mine before going ketovore. I was hoping the butter would make it better, but I’m not at all surprised it didn’t.
Thanks Doc for going one step further by adding butter to popcorn and sharing the results as i am still adjusting to my
Popcorn loss.
Thank you so much for this information. I went to Levels and ordered the CGM. Can’t wait to get started tracking how my foods affect my blood sugar.
Kind of scary. Years ago, plain popcorn was a weightloss go-to. Last time I ate popcorn (pre low carb) I felt awful then heard how it spikes blood sugar. I can live without it.