Popcorn is a very healthy snack, as long as we do not add too much salt or any extra such as chocolate, spicy, caramel, etc. When we eat popcorn there is something that always happens and it is that annoying cough that appears and is very difficult to remove. We are going to explain how we can prevent the cough from coming out, in order to eat calmly.
Eating popcorn gives us many nutrients, apart from giving us satiety and preventing us from snacking on other unhealthy foods such as chocolate bars, soft drinks, energy bars loaded with sugar, etc. Depending on the type of popcorn, it will have more or less calories.
We are used to those that are made in the microwave or frying pan and that are inflated by the heat, and these are not very low in calories unless we avoid oil or butter. However, those that are puffed by hot air without butter or oil only have 30 calories per 100 grams of product.
Lots of fluids and chew well
Whichever ones we choose, the cough will make an appearance, but we are going to learn how to avoid it with these simple tips. In the case of small children, it is better that they do not consume this food, since the size of a popcorn occupies the entire width of their esophagus and there is a risk of suffocation.
For starters, we need to stay hydrated at all times. If possible, with water, so as not to increase calorie intake, nor add more sugar to the body and avoid gas from carbonated drinks. The water will help us to refresh the throat, to drag the food from the mouth to the stomach and will clean our passages, in addition to facilitating digestion.
And speaking of digestion, it starts in the mouth. We have to chew and eat calmly, nothing to put handfuls of popcorn in our mouths until they clog the oral cavity. We have to eat one at a time and chew well while drinking some liquid such as water , healthy lemonade, natural fruit juice (without pulp and without seeds, as this can cause itching and coughing), etc.
According to experts, we have to chew each food about 30 times, but of course, a sandwich is not the same as popcorn. You have to chew until crushed and then swallow. You have to eat slowly.
No salt and no sugar
Another thing to avoid is salt, popcorn with salt causes more coughing and more thirst, because they increase the dehydration of the body. Salt favors fluid retention and increases blood pressure, so we should avoid consuming it in large quantities.
We must also avoid mixing foods , that is, if we eat popcorn, do not mix it with nuts that can also cause coughing, sweets and sugary jellies, fried cartridge legs, etc. All these foods leave residue in our throat and can cause us to cough.
Caramel-sweetened or colored popcorn also causes a cough, due to the sugar and the remains of the popcorn itself that settle in our throat until we drink water or another food that drags it to the stomach to continue digestion.
