Just How Unhealthy Are Movie Theater Snacks?

Mary has a serious snacking problem. Her diet, after the processed frozen dinner she has every night, consists of buttered popcorn, ice cream, and potato chips. She works a sedentary job as a computer programmer so she doesn't get a lot of exercise. Over the past five years she has piled at least 50 pounds onto her 5 ft. frame. A couple of years back she had a heart attack that almost killed her. Since then she has went back to have two more stents put in. She also has diabetes and high blood pressure.

When Mary goes to the movies she always orders the large buttered popcorn. She tells the server at the snack counter to fill the box halfway full with popcorn then add more butter before it's filled the rest of the way. That way, she says, there is butter in every bite all the way to the bottom. I hope Mary wakes up and changes her lifestyle before it is too late.

Back in 2006, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOS) released a warning that there may be health risks for people working in popcorn factories where diacetyl was used in the butter flavoring in the popcorn. Workers who were exposed to the chemical had higher rates of lung disease than the general population. The artificial flavoring is found in microwave popcorn as well as in movie popcorn. It is unknown whether eating the stuff is a health hazard as well. I would guess that it is.

As well as the chemicals in popcorn, just what kind of effect does eating movie theater snacks have on your waistline? We already know that it has a debilitating effect on your wallet. It seems that as your wallet gets thinner, your waistline just might be getting fatter. According to WebMD:

A small-sized movie theater popcorn with the potentially hazardous buttery flavoring has about the same number of calories as a quarter pound cheeseburger. (about 600 calories) While plain popcorn does have some fiber, the buttery stuff also has a lot of trans fats which doctors say were responsible for an additional 200,000 heart attacks a year.

So what if you want a large popcorn with butter? That will set you back the same as two pieces of fried chicken, a scoop of mashed potatoes and gravy, and a 16-ounce soda. As a matter of fact, a large buttery popcorn and a large soda accounts for 85% of the recommended daily calories based on a two thousand calorie diet. One buttery, sugary meal and you're practically good for the entire day. The soda alone contains some 14 teaspoons of sugar, or rather corn syrup.

Sounds awful doesn't it? But movie theaters, bowling alleys, and airports are exempt from the new FDA rules that require restaurants to list nutritional information. The reason is that they don't primarily sell food.

So if buttered movie popcorn is so bad, how about ordering it unbuttered? That should make it healthy to eat, right? Wrong. The popcorn still contains an unhealthy amount of salt (about 450 mg.) and a lot of fat because it is usually popped in coconut oil which is heavy in saturated fat. So you might want to leave the popcorn alone. What about movie candies? The lowest calorie chocolate candy that they have is the chocolate covered caramels.

For a lot of us mindless eating at the movies is an ingrained habit that's hard to break. And some theaters still show the promo for the snack counter. All that soda, candy, and popcorn marching to the concession stand is bound to make you hungry.

Movies rely on the concession stands to make most of their profit so I'm not recommending you sneak more healthy food in. Some theaters are cutting down on some of the fat and sugar in their snacks and offering healthier alternatives. If all else fails, you can always share with a friend. Be sure to get the small size.

Source: http://www.webmd.com/diet/rm-quiz-movie-snacks