It gets really hard to argue which type of say, popcorn, is better than another. Another way to look at that is if you are trying to decide which is "better" - frozen yogurt ice cream, low fat ice cream, low carb ice cream or no sugar added ice cream. If one is identified as "better" than all the others, somehow that makes that one "ok" to eat in mass quantities because its "only x carbs" or whatever.
You really need to look at what are your total cals & the macronutrient distribution, and your goals. If you have an aggressive diet schedule, say for a competition, there is NO ROOM in your diet for cheating. Its like using the best top-of-the-line fuel in your car & then throwing mud into your carborator. Your body operates on having a consistent operation over time. If you throw in say, a handful of M&M's in the middle of a really clean diet, expect first a sugar spike that may send you buzzing, then you want to fall asleep as the sugar spike drops. Then you might see a stall in your fat loss for a few days while your body adjusts back to its base operation & cleans out the sugar from the M&Ms.
If you want to identify a "safe" cheat food in your diet, first set a day when you would schedule a cheat meal that fits in well w/ your diet - a cheat day or a cheat meal once / week is a good thing to throw in because it gives you (usually) a carb boost that you might need after a low carb week, it keeps your body from getting "comfortable" running on a rigidly clean & limited diet and it keeps you from going nuts on a really boring, restricted diet. BUT, keep the cheat meal limited to only 1 day / week. It takes a little discipline, but also gives you something to look forward to.
Your choice of cheat food is going to be determined by how aggressive your goals are. If you are on a really tight diet, say for a competition, your cheat foods should be limited to things like sugar free jello & ice pops. If it not a competition diet, then look to more substantial things. But also look at the "quality" of what you are eating. For ex, those "low carb" foods are hella full of other stuff to make the food still palatable. You just might be happier eating a bowl of real ice cream than that no-sugar-added stuff that makes you pass gas for the rest of the day. The general rule of thumb is "As little processing as possible". Eat some fruit instead of a handful of candy. Or whatever. But generally you have more control if make room in your overall diet for some cheat foods and plan ahead what you are going to eat & when you are going to eat it.
Just my own personal experience w/ popcorn - I've been eating a fairly clean diet for so long now that I can't process a carb load very well without some "repercussions" & a big fat stomach ache for a day or two. And this is eating air-popped popcorn w/ just a dash of salt & no butter.
Please Scroll Down to See Forums Below 
