Trader Joe’s White Cheddar Popcorn
Popcorn has a become a favorite in my household over the last year or so. My family has always liked popcorn, but our fascination with this whole-grain snack grew when we made a commitment last year to buy foods with more fiber and to buy fewer sugary desserts.
It turns out, popcorn fits the bill when it comes to fiber and other health benefits. Dietary fiber may reduce risk for certain diseases, and it may help with weight loss and digestive health. Popcorn also contains helpful antioxidants that are linked to an array of potential benefits.
You may not think of popcorn as a health food. We tend to think of it as a classic movie theater snack, doused in large amounts of butter and salt. It’s all about what you put on your popcorn, though. We often make popcorn at home using coconut oil and simple seasonings. (And we no longer buy microwave popcorn in order to avoid certain chemicals it may contain.)
We also occasionally buy pre-popped bags of popcorn at the grocery store. We tend to be partial to white cheddar popcorn. Even if you buy pre-popped popcorn with added seasonings at the store, it still might be better for you than potato chips. It can be a good snack to reach for when you’re craving something savory and crunchy.
I recently picked up a bag of white cheddar popcorn at Trader Joe’s, which is a cousin to Aldi.
We buy products for review using our own funds. I paid $1.99 for a 5-ounce bag of Trader Joe’s White Cheddar Popcorn at my local TJ’s at the time of writing. That comes out to about 40 cents per ounce. With about five servings per bag, that’s also about 40 cents per serving.
The bag states:
Trader Joe’s White Cheddar Popcorn is a special variety grown for us on family farms in Nebraska … (It) is particularly suited for enjoying on movie nights, munching on long car rides, or incorporating into your own customized snack mixes.
This is kosher. If you’re looking out for allergens, it contains milk.
Ingredients are popcorn, vegetable oil (sunflower and/or canola), white cheddar seasoning (whey powder, whey protein concentrate, buttermilk powder, cheddar cheese [pasteurized milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes], cheese [pasteurized milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes], salt, sodium phosphate, and 2% or less citric acid [acidifier] and lactic acid).
One bag contains about five 2-cup servings. One serving has 170 calories, 13 grams of total fat (17% DV), 2 grams of saturated fat (10% DV), 180 mg of sodium (8% DV), 10 grams of total carbohydrates (4% DV), 1 gram of dietary fiber (4% DV), 2 grams of total sugars, no added sugars, and 3 grams of protein.
This popcorn was an instant hit in my house. It has that classic cheddar flavor that isn’t easy to replicate when we make home-popped popcorn. The bag didn’t last long, and I will definitely be buying this again on my next TJ’s run.
The Verdict:
Trader Joe’s White Cheddar Popcorn tastes great, and we feel like it’s a slightly better-for-us food than other items in the snack aisle. This is a winner for us.
