Microwave Popcorn question

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kidtachyon
kidtachyon Posts: 32 Member
in Food and Nutrition
It seems to me that microwave popcorn's calorie count is messed up. How can I eat an entire bag of popcorn (Western Family movie theater butter) and only get 105 calories? 35 calories per cup? And only 3 cups in a regular size bag?

It seems way off to me. I feel like I'm eating 400 calories with my warm-buttery fingers, not 105.

Replies

  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,488 Member
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    The way that they do the calorie count on popcorn bags is seriously F-ed up. I only eat the 100 calorie bags because the math makes me insane.

    I think your math might be off - a mini-bag of the light 94% fat free popcorn is 100 calories. A big regular size bag of regular butter popcorn should be several hundred calories.
  • kidtachyon
    kidtachyon Posts: 32 Member
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    The way that they do the calorie count on popcorn bags is seriously F-ed up. I only eat the 100 calorie bags because the math makes me insane.

    I think your math might be off - a mini-bag of the light 94% fat free popcorn is 100 calories. A big regular size bag of regular butter popcorn should be several hundred calories.

    I agree - I think something's messed up. The nutrition info from the box and from myfitnesspal:


    Western Family - Movie Theater Microwave Popcorn
    Servings: 1 - 1 container (6 tbsp each)
    Calories 105 Sodium 750 mg
    Total Fat 30 g Potassium 0 mg
    Saturated 15 g Total Carbs 51 g
    Polyunsaturated 0 g Dietary Fiber 12 g
    Monounsaturated 0 g Sugars 0 g
    Trans 0 g Protein 6 g
    Cholesterol 0 mg
    Vitamin A 0% Calcium 0%
    Vitamin C 0% Iron 12%
  • lakupsch
    lakupsch Posts: 5
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    I could be wrong, but I believe the calories on microwave popcorn is if you eat the unpopped kernels. Once you pop it, you have to count the cups of popcorn. A regular sized bag of popcorn has between 7 and 12 cups of popped popcorn. So, 35 cals per cup would equal between 245 and 420 cals a bag.
  • QueenofScott
    QueenofScott Posts: 305 Member
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    I found a tip online to pop popcorn in the microwave without buying special microwave popcorn. It's better for you, and much cheaper. You use a lunch sized brown paper bag, add 1/4 cup popcorn kernels, fold the bag down twice (about 1/2" each fold) to close the bag, then microwave for aout 1 mInute 30 seconds. The instructions said to pop on High, but I've had to adjust that for my microwave. Anyway, it works great and it's 120 calories for the entire bag. It makes quite a bit popped. I spray on a little Smart Balance Omega 3 cooking spray and sprinkle on some seasoning.
  • Lochlyn_D
    Lochlyn_D Posts: 492 Member
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    Watch out for popcorn lung!
  • CLFrancois
    CLFrancois Posts: 472 Member
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    1/4 C of unpopped popcorn is 110 calories

    1C=16Tbsp.
    1/4C=4Tbsp.

    according to the label you posted about, it says 6 Tbsp? so it would be 1.5x110???
    is my math right?

    also some more numbers-
    Air-popped popcorn has 31 calories per cup - popped
    oil-popped popcorn has 55 calories per cup
    When lightly buttered, popcorn contains about 133 calories per cup
    (http://www.popcorn.org/NutritionRecipes/NutritionYou/NutritionalInformation/tabid/96/Default.aspx)
  • usernameMAMA
    usernameMAMA Posts: 681 Member
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    The way that they do the calorie count on popcorn bags is seriously F-ed up. I only eat the 100 calorie bags because the math makes me insane.

    I think your math might be off - a mini-bag of the light 94% fat free popcorn is 100 calories. A big regular size bag of regular butter popcorn should be several hundred calories.

    ^My thoughts exactly. I stick with the 100 calorie bags.
  • mblewis13
    mblewis13 Posts: 37
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    I get "Boom Chicka Pop" pre-popped popcorn. It only has three ingredients and is 35 calories for a cup. Love it!
  • Selendraco
    Selendraco Posts: 41 Member
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    Trader Joes Popcorn, tastes amazing four ingredients.
    Popcorn, SunflowerSafflower Oil, Butter and Sea Salt

    160 calories in a 2 cups serving of Trader Joe's Movie Theater Popcorn.

    http://www.traderjoes.com/fearless-flyer/article.asp?article_id=402

    Tastes amazing and light.
    $1.99 too.

    I get a baggie and I sneak it into theaters, and no one can taste the difference actually a lot of my friends like it better. The first time I took just for me, and now we don't goto the movies without making a TJ popcorn run, I still eat my baggie size, the other three whole bags are demolished by my non-dieting friends. lol
    http://www.fatsecret.com/calories-nutrition/trader-joes/movie-theater-popcorn
  • jennifershoo
    jennifershoo Posts: 3,198 Member
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    Microwave popcorn is toxic.
    Eat real air popped organic popcorn instead.
  • redwoodk
    redwoodk Posts: 2
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    I agree re: calorie info on microwave popcorn. At first glance it looked like Orville Red.. "Whole Grain" butter popcorn was 30 cals/cup of popped corn. But the serving size marked in the same table on the box says there are ~five cups/serving and was listed on the box as containing 170 cals/serving. One bag was listed as containing 2.5 servings or 12 cups of popped corn. In the meantime, while trying to figure out what was what, I'd eaten the whole bag's worth of the stuff. In the end I think I downed 2.5 servings x 170calories/serving or 425 cal. But if you use the 30 calories/cup value provided in the same table that says 170cal/5 cups, the number would be only 360 calories for the whole bag(12cups/bag x 30) Anyway, "I can't believe I ate the whole thing". Back to the elliptical!

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