Pop away!  Popcorn is “the perfect snack food.”

A new study says that popcorn contains more healthy antioxidants than some fruits and vegetables.

Researchers from the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania found popcorn contains up to 300 milligrams of polyphenols, an antioxidant that is known to lower cholesterol and help prevent certain types of cancer.

But hold on…

This doesn’t include popcorn with butter, oil and sat, like movie theatre popcorn.

Making it at home is better and air-popped is the healthiest choice.

The hulls of the popcorn, you know that stuff that gets stuck in your teeth?  That’s the best part – they contain the highest concentration of the healthy antioxidant and fibre.

And it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t eat your fruits and veggies anymore either.  Popcorn is a great alternative to snack food.

“Popcorn may be the perfect snack food,” study author Joe Vinson, a chemist at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania, said in a statement.

“It’s the only snack that is 100 percent whole grain.”

So how can you spice up popcorn?  Try some chili powder, garlic powder

A serving size no larger than 4 cups of air-popped popcorn -less if it is not air-popped – is the best option.