The Scary Truth About Movie Theater Popcorn
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Reported by: Manuel Gallegos, CBS News
Thursday, Nov 19, 2009 @09:57am CST
Popcorn and the movies go hand in hand. And when moviegoers are faced with candy or hot dogs, it still seems to be the most nutritious choice.
But a new study by the Center for Science in the Public Interest finds the popcorn being served at most movie theaters across the country is loaded with saturated fat an calories, especially when it is cooked in coconut oil. Add a soda and it’s over the top.
The study finds a medium bag of popcorn with a soda can have the same amount of fat and and calories as three McDonald’s Quarter Pounders with a stick and a half of butter.
That’s 1,610 calories, and 60 grams (three days worth) of saturated fat.
The study focused on the Nation's three largest theater chains, Regal and AMC, which pop in coconut oil, and Cinemark theaters, that use canola oil.
Researchers found a large popcorn cooked in coconut oil, with butter topping, has about 1,200 calories and 60 grams of saturated fat. A medium bag as just slightly less.
Popcorn cooked with canola oil is much lower in fat, but still packs calories. And that butter flavoring adds about 130 calories by the spoonful.
It seems that the only healthy snack at most movie theaters seems to be no snack at all.
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