Movie Theatre Popcorn still very bad for you
Mr. Hole the Magnificent
By KAREN BARROW
Sitting in a dark movie theater with your friends and a tub of buttery
popcorn sounds like a perfect way to spend a Saturday night – and it
could be, if you are willing to share your popcorn with the entire row
of moviegoers around you.
A review of the nutritional contents of movie-theater popcorn reveals
an alarming amount of fat, salt and calories in even the smallest
sizes. The study, from the Center for Science in the Public Interest*,
looked at popcorn from three movie theater chains and detailed the
contents of all portions offered.
A large tub of popcorn at Regal Cinemas, for example, holds 20 cups of
popcorn and has 1,200 calories, 980 milligrams of sodium and 60 grams
of saturated fat. Adding just a tablespoon of butter adds 130
calories. And do not forget that it comes with free refills.
Not so hungry? The medium size popcorn, which comes in a bag, contains
the same amount as the large. And even the small, at 11 cups, delivers
670 calories, 550 milligrams of sodium and 24 grams of saturated fat.
The findings may surprise those who choose popcorn at the concession
stand because they believe it is a relatively healthy snack. In fact,
plain air-popped popcorn is low in calories and free of saturated fat.
Movie theater popcorn, however, is popped in oil — often coconut oil,
which is 90 percent saturated fat. Add salt to the enormous portions,
and your once-healthy snack turns into a health offender.
“The issue here is quantity,” said Marion Nestle, a professor of
nutrition at New York University. “One of those large tubs is three-
fourths of a day’s calories.”
Even the “healthiest” sample of popcorn tested, a small size from AMC
containing 6 cups of popcorn, had 370 calories, enough to justify
sharing with a friend and eating one kernel at a time to make it last
the length of a movie.
“If you were eating just a cup or two, it wouldn’t matter nearly as
much,” Dr. Nestle said.
The third movie theater chain tested, Cinemark, fares slightly better
than its competitors because it pops its popcorn in nonhydrogenated
canola oil instead of coconut oil. Cinemark’s large tub contains 17
cups of popcorn with 910 calories and 4 grams of saturated fat, as
well as a whopping 1,500 milligrams of sodium — nearly enough for the
entire day.
One way to make your popcorn healthier? Ask the theater to pop a
portion without salt. Two of the movie theaters that had their popcorn
tested said they would oblige such a request.
The best way to make your movie snack healthier, however, would be to
skip the popcorn — and the concession stand — altogether.
“You could share a tub of popcorn with 10 friends,” Dr. Nestle said.
“Or, what a concept, watch the movie without eating anything.”
Captain Infinity
Mr. Hole the Magnificent wrote:
>enormous portions
This guy's not talking about any theater where I live.
**
Captain Infinity
Halmyre
@e31g2000vbm.googlegroups.com>, classic...@gmail.com says...
> Popcorn?s Dark Secret
>
> By KAREN BARROW
>
>
> ?You could share a tub of popcorn with 10 friends,? Dr. Nestle said.
> ?Or, what a concept, watch the movie without eating anything.?
>
Fat chance. I'd ban all noisy food from cinemas, with an additional ban for
popcorn because it smells so nauseous. I say noisy food, because I'm partial
to a small cup of ice-cream, although our local multiplex has got rid of its
Haagen-Daas concesiion and filled the space with video games. :(
--
Halmyre
This is the most powerful sigfile in the world and will probably blow your
head clean off.
moviePig
Healthy reasons to bring back the smoking-section... if you know what
I mean...
--
- - - - - - - -
YOUR taste at work...
http://www.moviepig.com
RichA
ANYTHING eating in large caloric quantities is bad.
RichA
Halmyre wrote:
> In article <b03ae24a-e73d-4dcb-85c9-a0f89ba4f6a9
> @e31g2000vbm.googlegroups.com>, classic...@gmail.com says...
> > Popcorn?s Dark Secret
> >
> > By KAREN BARROW
> >
> >
> > ?You could share a tub of popcorn with 10 friends,? Dr. Nestle said.
> > ?Or, what a concept, watch the movie without eating anything.?
> >
>
> Fat chance. I'd ban all noisy food from cinemas, with an additional ban for
> popcorn because it smells so nauseous.
The more "experience" (good, to most people I'd guess) you remove from
the theatre, the less attractive and less relevant you make it. Guess
what happens then?
>I say noisy food, because I'm partial
> to a small cup of ice-cream, although our local multiplex has got rid of its
> Haagen-Daas concesiion and filled the space with video games. :(
>
Because they were charging $7/cup for it?
TBerk
The only place I eat popcorn at the movies is the local revival
theatre; they pop it fresh and use real butter.
I can deal with that just fine, Thankyouverymuch.
berk
the point is _not_ quantity, it's Quality...
trotsky
> Unless you eat it all the time, what harm is it? Stupid bimbo.
> ANYTHING eating in large caloric quantities is bad.
Could you translate that to ENGLISH, please?
nick
> The only place I eat popcorn at the movies is the local revival
> theatre; they pop it fresh and use real butter.
>
> I can deal with that just fine, Thankyouverymuch.
>
the arthouse since the multiplexes, for good reason, don't have beer
licenses. But a bottle of good beer is better for you than a box of
popcorn anyway. I wouldn't recommend smuggling in a twelve pack of
Old Milwaukee.
Mr. Hole the Magnificent
When I was growng up the empty bottles, sometimes not so empty, of
cheap beer would come rolling down the theatre's slopped floor at the
99 cents theatre. I believe this has something to do with my complete
disinterest in drinking.
nick
Years back, we had a big new second run dollar movie plex. Along with
a beer license, it even had a beer bar. And a top of the line arcade
with all the latest games. For the first few weeks, it was like
Disney World, and then out went the beer and the beer bar. Then the
arcade fell into disrepute and it was back to the fuzzy old Ms. Pac
Man games. By the time the place closed, you were embarrassed to go
there.
Captain Infinity
Mr. Hole the Magnificent wrote:
>When I was growng up the empty bottles, sometimes not so empty, of
>cheap beer would come rolling down the theatre's slopped floor at the
>99 cents theatre. I believe this has something to do with my complete
>disinterest in drinking.
That's amazing, we share that experience. However, in my case, it has
*everything* to do with my habit of licking cinema floors.
**
Captain Infinity
TBerk
> I like to drink beer at the movies but that's an experience limited to
> the arthouse since the multiplexes, for good reason, don't have beer
> licenses. But a bottle of good beer is better for you than a box of
> popcorn anyway. I wouldn't recommend smuggling in a twelve pack of
> Old Milwaukee.
That's why you got to go with High Gravity Spirits. A twelve pack of
anything would have too much water in it; requiring that run to the
restroom prior to the end of the movie. (Another reason why you want
something salty to eat along w/ the drink; to retain the liquid a
while longer.)
berk
moviePig
Come to think of it, why do theaters give free drink-refills only with
the bathtub-size, which is the one that doesn't need it? Better if
they came with a free Depends...
Mr. Hole the Magnificent
wrote:
At least you probably get some loose change out of the deal.
trotsky
They do where calvin goes.