Is Popcorn Actually Healthy? | EP 393.B

Summary

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Podcast Summary: The Dr. Gundry Podcast – "Is Popcorn Actually Healthy?" | EP 393.B

Release Date: March 5, 2026
Host: Dr. Steven Gundry
Length (content only): ~14 minutes
Theme: Examining whether popcorn is actually healthy, with a deep dive into corn's health effects, popcorn alternatives, and relevant dietary advice.

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Episode Overview

Dr. Steven Gundry takes a critical look at the reputation of popcorn as a “healthy snack.” He breaks down the health risks associated with corn – namely its high lectin content, widespread GMO status, and the dangers linked to toxic oils commonly used in preparing popcorn. Dr. Gundry also offers healthier alternatives, such as popped sorghum, and addresses broader questions about diet, including views on the carnivore diet.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Popcorn’s Reputation vs. Reality

[00:00–01:11]

• Popcorn is commonly considered a light, healthy snack that may aid with weight loss.
• Dr. Gundry questions this notion:

  "Let's take a look at what's really in a bowl of popcorn.” (A – 00:00)

Corn's Problems

• Corn is one of the highest lectin-containing foods.
• Leaky Gut and Antibodies:

  "70% of my patients who have leaky gut have antibodies to the various proteins in corn. 70%.” (A – 01:11)

• Lectins in corn are heat-resistant and can't be pressure-cooked out.
• Corn used to fatten livestock:

  "Take a tip from this Nebraska kid. You use corn to fatten animals and we use corn to fatten you. Don't do it." (A – 02:11)

• Genetically Modified Corn:

  “95% of all corn grown in the United States is genetically modified.” (A – 02:52)

• Cry Protein:

  "There's a genetically modified protein in corn called the cry protein…a foreign compound…you have no understanding of." (A – 03:03)

• Glyphosate (Roundup) Use:
  Corn is engineered to tolerate glyphosate. Weeds have developed resistance, leading to even more herbicide sprayed.

  "Most weeds that were initially killed by Roundup have mutated and are now resistant...we keep spraying all of our corn with more and more Roundup." (A – 04:18)

2. Roundup (Glyphosate) Health Implications

[05:37–07:47]

• FDA’s safety assurances are misleading:

  “Roundup works by killing plants because it interrupts their system of making proteins called the shikimate pathway. You and I don't have the shikimate pathway, but bacteria do...glyphosate was actually first patented as an antibiotic.” (A – 05:42)

• Glyphosate is not washed off – it's in animal products and everywhere in corn products.
• Gut Microbiome Disruption:

  "Roundup kills off friendly bacteria in our gut. It kills off the tryptophan pathway bacteria that makes serotonins, the feel good hormones..." (A – 06:19)

• Mitochondrial interference:

  "Glyphosate interferes with mitochondrial function. Of course it does, because mitochondria are actually engulfed bacteria." (A – 06:47)

• Non-GMO corn still problematic:

  "Corn by itself has these dangerous lectins and it's really good for fattening animals, including you." (A – 07:04)

3. Dangers of Commercial Popcorn & Vegetable Oils

[07:08–09:34]

• Movie and packaged popcorn typically use toxic oils (sunflower, peanut, corn oil – i.e., polyunsaturated omega-6 fatty acids).

  “Most popcorn kernels are coated in incredibly toxic oils...These vegetable oils are unlike anything our ancestors ever consumed.” (A – 07:28)

• Negative impact of these oils:

  “They really have no business being in our diet. They really interfere with mitochondrial function.” (A – 07:44)

• Health expert opinion:

  “Kate Shanahan…says that a 5-ounce serving of French fries cooked in these vegetable oils has toxins equivalent to smoking 20 to 25 cigarettes.” (A – 08:04)

4. Aquaporins and Brain Health

• Recently discovered risk:

  "Recently I've started writing about the aquaporins in corn...Corn contains an aquaporin, and...I can measure anti aquaporin antibodies in the brains of many of my patients who have leaky gut and leaky brain and who have issues with memory and brain fog." (A – 09:15)

5. A Healthier Alternative: Popped Sorghum

[09:35–11:05]

• Sorghum contains no lectins, and no hulls.

  "Sorghum has no lectins. It has no hulls...looks like popcorn, smells like popcorn, tastes like popcorn. It's just baby little popcorn." (A – 09:51)

• Practical advice:
  • Available homemade or from “Nature Nates.”
  • Caveat: Not low-carb; 7g of carbs per half-cup.
  • Quick digestion = quick sugar spike.

    "Every time you pop a grain, no matter what it is, you expose it to rapid digestion and it turns into sugar very quickly." (A – 10:19)

  • Personal experiment:

    "I ate a cup of pop sorghum...my triglycerides jumped up just from the fact that I was eating this healthy pop sorghum." (A – 10:36)

• Best practice:

  "Don't overdo it. Pour olive oil over your half cup of papa sorghum and eat it with a spoon. Use the pap sorghum as a delivery device to get olive oil into your mouth. It's delicious." (A – 10:54)

• Movie snack tip:

  "Next time you go to the movie...take that snack pop sorghum along. You won't miss your popcorn anymore." (A – 11:16)

6. Q&A: The Carnivore Diet

[11:25–13:24]

• YouTube question: Is the carnivore diet healthy?
• Dr. Gundry’s take:
  • Downsides to traditional beef-heavy carnivore diets:

    “These animals unfortunately have a mischievous sugar molecule called Neu5GC which promotes impressive inflammation...” (B – 11:57)

  • Chicken and the sea diet: His alternative, emphasizing chicken, fish, and shellfish (matching our sugar molecule Neu5Ac, less inflammation).

    "Please, please, please do the chicken and the sea version." (B – 12:38)

• Shellfish & tinned fish as healthy options:

  “I am a huge fan of seafood, shellfish and tinned fish and shellfish, and you'll learn more about that in the upcoming months as my new book gets ready to launch.” (B – 13:12)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You use corn to fatten animals and we use corn to fatten you. Don't do it.”
  (A – 02:11)
• “95% of all corn grown in the United States is genetically modified.”
  (A – 02:52)
• "Roundup kills off friendly bacteria in our gut. It kills off the tryptophan pathway bacteria that makes serotonins, the feel good hormones."
  (A – 06:19)
• “Kate Shanahan…says that a 5-ounce serving of French fries cooked in these vegetable oils has toxins equivalent to smoking 20 to 25 cigarettes.”
  (A – 08:04)
• “Sorghum has no lectins…looks like popcorn, smells like popcorn, tastes like popcorn. It's just baby little popcorn.”
  (A – 09:51)
• "Please, please, please do the chicken and the sea version."
  (B – 12:38)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00 – Popcorn’s healthy image challenged
• 01:11 – Corn’s lectins, GMO status, cry protein dangers
• 05:37 – Glyphosate (Roundup), shikimate pathway, microbiome harm
• 07:08 – Vegetable oils in popcorn, health risks
• 09:35 – Aquaporins in corn and impact on brain health
• 09:51 – Popped sorghum as an alternative
• 11:25 – Audience Q&A: Carnivore diet and Dr. Gundry’s “chicken and the sea” twist

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Summary Table: Popcorn & Alternatives

| Issue | Popcorn | Popped Sorghum | |------------------------------|--------------------------------|------------------------| | Lectins | High | None | | Oil used commonly | Toxic vegetable oils | Olive oil recommended | | Carbs/Sugar spike | Present | Present | | GMO/Roundup exposure | High chance | Low chance | | Gut/brain health impact | Negative (lectins, glyphosate) | Less problematic |

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Takeaway Advice

• Avoid regular popcorn due to high lectin content, toxic oils, and heavy GMO/glyphosate contamination.
• If you want a popcorn-like snack, opt for popped sorghum, drizzle with olive oil, and consume in moderation.
• For carnivore diets, favor poultry and seafood (“chicken and the sea”) over beef or lamb to reduce inflammatory risks.

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Dr. Gundry’s final message:

"Please stay away from corn...Next time you go to the movie...take that snack pop sorghum along. You won't miss your popcorn anymore." (A – 09:22, 11:16)

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Transcript

[A]

You know, at some point you've probably been told like I was that popcorn is a healthy, light snack and that it can even help with weight loss. There's even an entire section in sprouts with healthy popcorn options. So let's take a look at what's really in a bowl of popcorn.

[B]

Doctor Gundry here. I want to give a big thanks to all of you who are listening to my podcast right now to show my thanks giving listeners the chance to win free Gundry MD products formulas designed to support gut health, inflammation, energy and healthy aging. Here's all you need to do. Leave a positive review for this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Then take a screenshot of your review and email it to podcastr gundry.com that's it. You'll be entered for a chance to win a free prize that can help support your health from the inside out. So don't overthink it. Leave a review, send the screenshot, and you could be our next winner.

[A]

First of all, it's made from corn. Of course. Now, corn is sadly one of the highest lectin containing foods there are. In fact, in my patients, 70% of my patients who have leaky gut have antibodies to the various proteins in corn. 70%. And no, the lectins in corn can't be pressure cooked. They're actually resistant to heat. Now, I grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, which at the time I was living there, had the claim to fame as having the world's largest stockyards. Yes, I know, it's a great claim to fame. Why did we have stockyards? Because Nebraska not only is the corn Husker state, but we're also the beef state. We fattened cows with corn. The stockyards were where we put the cows and fed them corn to fatten them up so that they could reach market weight faster. So take a tip from this Nebraska kid. You use corn to fatten animals and we use corn to fatten you. Don't do it. Well, if you want to gain weight, then eat your corn and your popcorn. Now, here's probably the worst part of corn. 95% of all corn grown in the United States is genetically modified. And there's a genetically modified protein in corn called the cry protein that you and I and our immune system have never, ever seen before. Twenty years ago, it did not exist. It is a foreign compound. And since 95% of corn in the United States contains this rogue protein, you're exposed to a splinter that you have no understanding of. Here's the bad News. Why is 95% of corn GMO? Well, it's for that because you can spray corn with Roundup. The active ingredient is glyphosate and the corn will tolerate it, but the weeds will be killed off. But bad news. Plants are really smart, just like we know. Bacteria can develop resistance to antibiotics, plants can develop resistance to herbicides. And so we actually have an ongoing war. Most weeds that were initially killed by Roundup have mutated and are now resistant to Roundup. So what's the treatment for that? If you guessed spray more Roundup, you're absolutely correct. We keep spraying all of our corn with more and more Roundup.

[B]

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[A]

So what, the FDA says that Roundup is safe because it doesn't hurt humans? Not so fast. Roundup works by killing plants because it interrupts their system of making proteins called the shikimate pathway. You and I don't have the shikimate pathway, but bacteria do. In fact, glyphosate was actually first patented as an antibiotic. Sadly, Roundup is on the corn you eat. It's not washed off. It's fed to the animals that you eat and it's incorporated into their flesh, like chickens or cows or pigs. It's in the corn products you eat. And corn products are ubiquitous. Sadly, if you actually look, we can actually. Corn has a specific signature, genetic signature, and we can look at the amount of corn in you and me. And the average American is anywhere from 70 to 90% corn proteins. That's really scary. But back to Roundup. Roundup kills off friendly bacteria in our gut. It kills off the tryptophan pathway bacteria that makes serotonins, the feel good hormones. In one of my books, I show that glyphosate interferes with mitochondrial function. Of course it does, because mitochondria are actually engulfed bacteria. I recently posted an entire episode on the dangers of glyphosate. So please go educate yourself. Now, what about non GMO corn and popcorn? Well, it really doesn't mean anything since corn by itself has these dangerous lectins and it's really good for fattening animals, including you. Now, what about movie popcorn? Or pop your own popcorn or the ones that you buy in the stores, the liquid butter at movie theaters? I mean, run. This stuff is incredibly toxic oil. It's not butter. Most popcorn kernels are coated in incredibly toxic oils, including sunflower seed oil, peanut oil, and corn oil. Great, more corn. Now, these vegetable oils are unlike anything our ancestors ever consumed, and they require extensive processing to make them actually edible. Now, these are called polyunsaturated fatty acids, and these are mostly omega 6 fatty acids. And they really have no business being in our diet. They really interfere with mitochondrial function. How bad are these oils? Well, Kate Shanahan, an expert on the subject, says that a 5 ounce servings of French fries cooked in these vegetable oils has toxins equivalent to smoking 20 to 25 cigarettes. In fact, I actually have a whole episode right here on this channel. So please go watch it now. One last thing that's worth mentioning is recently I've started writing about the aquaporins in corn. Aquaporins are another class of lectins that I didn't want to warn you about before because I didn't want to have even more widespread panic. But aquaporins are. We can develop antibodies to aquaporins. Corn contains an aquaporin, and sadly, I can measure anti aquaporin antibodies in the brains of many of my patients who have leaky gut and leaky brain and who have issues with memory and brain fog. So aquaporins are in corn. Please stay away from corn. All right? You gotta have your popcorn. I get it. There's an alternative to popcorn, and that's popped sorghum. Sorghum has no lectins. It has no hulls. Now, you can make it at home or you can buy some from Nature Nates. It's a brand I actually really, really like. Now, just a heads up, the kernels are much smaller than popcorn, but it looks like popcorn, it smells like popcorn, it tastes like popcorn. It's just baby little popcorn. Now here's the problem. It's not a complete health food replacement. There are 7 grams of carbohydrates in a Half a cup of pop sorghum. That's about two teaspoons of sugar. Plus, every time you pop a grain, no matter what it is, you expose it to rapid digestion and it turns into sugar very quickly. So it can be a problem. I've tested myself with pop sorghum. I ate a cup of pop sorghum as my snack before dinner for a couple weeks. And then I checked my triglyceride level. Triglycerides are the first form of fat that we make from sugar and starches. And lo and behold, my triglycerides jumped up just from the fact that I was eating this healthy pop sorghum. So what do you do? First of all, don't overdo it. Number two, pour olive oil over your half cup of papa sorghum and eat it with a spoon. Use the pap sorghum as a delivery device to get olive oil into your mouth. It's delicious. Finally, next time you go to the movie or even think about heading to the theater, take that snack pop sorghum along. You won't miss your popcorn anymore.

[B]

Now, question fromofixedadobe859, over on YouTube my episode about healthy food swaps, they asked, hi, doctor, do you think the carnivore diet is good for health? If not, what are the negatives? Well, no fixed Adobe 859. I devoted a large chapter in my last book, the Gut Brain Paradox, about the downsides of the traditional carnivore diet. And in fact, I introduced my own version, which is the chicken and the sea diet. The problem with most carnivore diets is that they usually emphasize large amounts of beef. Could be pork, could be lamb, could be bison, and even if it's grass fed, grass finished, these animals unfortunately have a mischievous sugar molecule called Neu5GC which promotes impressive inflammation in the wall of our gut, in our blood vessel lining, in the lining to our joints, the lining in our blood brain barrier. And we see that in my patients who adopt that diet. On the other hand, chicken, fish and shellfish all have the same sugar molecule that we do, neu5ac. And so if you're going the carnivore route, and there are really legitimate reasons for doing that that I talk about in the book, please, please, please do the chicken and the sea version. Great question. Now it's time for a review from sjanzy over on YouTube. On my episode about the best canned fish, they said, I was just looking into the benefits of oysters for the zinc exclamation point. You expanded on my query immensely in this video. Thank you Dr. Gundry. I'm your new fan from California. Well, thank you Ms. Jan Z. I am a huge fan of seafood, shellfish and tinned fish and shellfish, and you'll learn more about that in the upcoming months as my new book gets ready to launch.

[C]

I hope you enjoyed this episode of the Dr. Gundry podcast. If you did, please share this with family and friends. You never know how one of these health tips can completely transform someone's life when you take the time to share it with them. There's also the Dr. Gundry Podcast YouTube channel where we have tens of thousands of free health insights that can help you and your loved ones live a long, vital life. Let's do this together.

[A]

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[C]

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