Popcorn - Too good to be true?!

LeahMaria26
LeahMaria26 Posts: 62 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So according to MFP a small popcorn at the movies (Australia) is only 113 calories, the details on the website seem to confirm to this:

Hoyts Popcorn Ingredients & Nutrition*:
Seed: raw corn
Oil: Coconut oil and flavouring 160A
Salt: Colour 102 - tartrazine
No gluten, wheat or lactose
Energy: 475kj
Protein: 1.8g
Fat Total: 7.1g, saturated 6.1g, cholesterol 1.0mg
Carbohydrates: total 11.2g - sugars 0.1g, sodium 310mg
* Based on 25g of popcorn [Hoyts Small Popcorn] Estimate figures. Subject to seasonal, preparation and on-site variation. Corn is grown in Australia

Am I missing something? Surely this is too good to be true?!?

Replies

  • kr3851
    kr3851 Posts: 994 Member
    It's based on 25g of popcorn... I'm not sure how big the 'small' is, but I would ask at the candy bar if that's what the tub is meant to weigh.

    It might not be 'too good to be true', but remember that excess sodium causes fluid retention so make sure your drink of choice is water, and lots of it! You could always pop your own at home with less salt and then you know for sure what you're eating?
  • manda1978
    manda1978 Posts: 525 Member
    Yeah a small Hoyts popcorn would be more than 25gr.

    EDIT - after googling maybe it is 25gr .. but a snack size pack of chips (the multip packs you get at woolies) are 27g. A popcorn has to weigh more than that yeah?
  • LeahMaria26
    LeahMaria26 Posts: 62 Member
    Damn, I'm going to sneak in my food scales to get to the bottom of this!
  • mockchoc
    mockchoc Posts: 6,573 Member
    Nah! Ring and ask. They should know. I'd like to know too!
  • shadus
    shadus Posts: 424 Member
    If the salt isn't well above your daily allowance, it's not good popcorn.
  • nelinelineli
    nelinelineli Posts: 330 Member
    A picture would be helpful to guesstimate the weigh, I do know that the 75g microwave bags produce quite a big volume of pop-corn, similar to what we have here in Japan as "M size" popcorn. But everything is smaller in Japan...
  • benol1
    benol1 Posts: 867 Member
    Greetings Leah,

    Its not so much the corn that will be problematical (health-wise), but the quality of the flavouring.
    Calories aside, the butter flavouring in some commercial popcorn products contains a compound that has been linked to the death of workers handling the product and lung disease in consumers.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=CcYSlAMTJqE

    You will be better off popping your own corn kernels and taking it into the cinema with you.
    kind regards,

    Ben
  • lilfunk23
    lilfunk23 Posts: 11
    hmm.. the ingredients don't mention the butter.. Very disturbing Ben, i'll be popping my own from now on..
  • kr3851
    kr3851 Posts: 994 Member
    If the salt isn't well above your daily allowance, it's not good popcorn.

    I tend to agree here.... which is why I don't have popcorn EVERY time I go to the movies :)
  • lvnnurse
    lvnnurse Posts: 2 Member
    I agree with benol1 that you should pop your own. I am a popcorn-a-holic and decided to have control over what goes into my body pertaining to the pre-packaged microwave loaded with lard film on my teeth popcorn. I simply purchase good popping kernels, place 1/4 cup inside a brown paper bag, fold the top of bag down once, place inside of microwave upright then press the popcorn setting button. Then I choose my topping such as zesty garlic no salt seasoning, grape seed oil opposed to butter, etc...I dare you to try it!

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