decoding the microwave popcorn label

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kkellam1
kkellam1 Posts: 182 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I used to consider myself a fairly smart guy, but I am really confused. I typically have no problem understanding food labels and portion size, etc. Am I the only one that can't seem to understand a label on microwave popcorn?

I tried reading the label on Kroger 94% fat free popcorn and my head just hurts (does that burn calories?). I don't want to know anything about the calories in UNPOPPED popcorn. Why would they bother telling me that info? I generally like to POP it before I eat it! :)

What I want to know it how many calories am I consuming if I eat the whole darned bag of popcorn. I understand that it's like 15 or 20 calories a cup, but nowhere does it say how many cups are in a bag. Am I going to have to take the time to pop it and fill a measuring cup over and over until I know? Why can't they just tell you what you really want to know.

I am starting to think that it's just me...maybe I have reduced my calories to a point where my brain function has ceased!
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Replies

  • Liss1
    Liss1 Posts: 49 Member
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    multiply the # 0f caloris they give u by the # of servings and that will give u the total for the bag. Calories dnt change if the popcorn is popped just the size of the popcorn.
  • ChefJenn
    ChefJenn Posts: 350 Member
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    normally a reg bag of popcorn POPPED is about 5 cups. but I never let mine finish popping in fear it will burn some and make the house smell to high hell..

    next time just get the smart 100 cal bags.. I too got sick of trying to figure out the bigger bags.
  • tdonlin
    tdonlin Posts: 934 Member
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    I know how you feel. I got fed up and thew the popcorn box back into the pantry when I couldn't decipher the label. Wish they would just label the calories per bag. If I eat half the bag I can do simple math and subtract half the calories.
  • crysmiss86
    crysmiss86 Posts: 67 Member
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    That is a really good topic. I was often confused too. Thanks for clearing that up for me. Now I can actually eat popcorn, I've been avoiding it this whole time for the same reason, too confusing to figure out.
  • Katbaran
    Katbaran Posts: 605 Member
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    Thank Goodness it isn't just me!!!! I was craving popcorn the other night and gave up and shoved the box back into the cupboard. I'm just going to buy the 100 calorie bags next time I shop. At least it won't make me feel like an idiot.
  • stuartme123
    stuartme123 Posts: 210 Member
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    It took me FOREVER to figure out popcorn! Here's the conclusions I've come to:

    CALORIES: unpopped caloriese does not equal popped calories (even in higher volume). I'm looking at a Pop-Secret box that says 3 tbsp unpopped = 140 calories, but that amount popped = 120 calories (and 6 cups).

    SIZE: Usually a normal size bag of popcorn is 10-12 cups. Look at the serving size for that info. It tells you the conversion from tbsp unpopped to cups popped and then tells you how many of those servings are in a bag (usually 2 - don't get fooled by this!). Orville Redenbacher claims 11 cups per bag and Pop-Secret claims 12.

    For calories, it is 15-20 in a cup (with light butter or natural flavoring - I have NO clue what the movie theater butter ones are). That means that a bag can be from 150 - 250 calories given the variation in size and calories among brands.

    Hope that helps!
  • kkellam1
    kkellam1 Posts: 182 Member
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    Multiplying by the number of servings is good advice because that's what you usually do....but have you read this box? It's a bit more confusing that that.

    Also, I think that the number of colories does change after popping. Not because the popcorn changed, but because some of the oil or whatever is in still in the bag. I think the unpopped measurement takes into account that it's sitting in oil or whatever they use while it's waiting to be popped.
  • ashleynicoleh04
    ashleynicoleh04 Posts: 195 Member
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    Thank Goodness it isn't just me!!!! I was craving popcorn the other night and gave up and shoved the box back into the cupboard. I'm just going to buy the 100 calorie bags next time I shop. At least it won't make me feel like an idiot.

    Me too! I never understand it and at least buying the bags that clearly state 100 calories will help me know exactly what I am eating!
  • currlygirrl
    currlygirrl Posts: 82 Member
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    I have a bowl that I use for popcorn that actually has measurements on it. While the box says that there is something like 15 cups in it, I find that I average only 9-10 cups after I pop it. Maybe it is the generic popcorn I buy that doesn't pop all the kernels....

    It does make me feel better about buying the buttered kind...I love popcorn!! :smile:
  • alison2429
    alison2429 Posts: 236 Member
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    Just beware..........I found out when I had already eaten popcorn at the cinema that it was over 900 cals (large bag). Microwave popcorn is about 400 for the whole bag (salted).

    Enjoy!
  • kmeekhof
    kmeekhof Posts: 456 Member
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    maybe you should try air popped or stove top since microwave popcorn has a ton of other crap in it that isnt good for you.

    To me... the label is just telling you what is in the package as is... your serving size is 1/3 the bag (or whatever it is) regardless.... if you eat the entire bag multiply the calories, fat, etc... by however many servings are in a bag. As long as you dont add anything additional to it it should be right.
  • lockedonna
    lockedonna Posts: 38
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    I eat air-popped popcorn instead and then I'm in full control of how much I'm eating and how many calories are in it.
  • kkellam1
    kkellam1 Posts: 182 Member
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    OK, so I feel a little better now. It's not just me. Look at the variety of answers so far...one is even from a homicide detective and HE can't figure it out! :)

    I still am leaving it in the pantry but at least I know my brain didn't stop working!
  • dwarfer22
    dwarfer22 Posts: 358 Member
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    last time I busted out my calculator and measuring cups, I found a bag of popcorn was around 340 cals. Again, it depends on how long you let it go b4 you stop it. I under cook mine a bit cuz I don't like a hint of smoke in there. If you're off a little bit you should be ok. I would average 300-350 cals for the whole bag. (That was for a light butter option although even regular butter kinds are not that different in terms of cals. Extra butter kinds maybe take on an extra 40 cals or so.) Happy popping!
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
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    It's NOT just you. The label is ridiculous. For Orville Redenbacher's movie theater butter, for the whole bag, it's about 450.
  • bstamps12
    bstamps12 Posts: 1,184
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    I've seen these threads before too. I gave up trying to figure it out long ago. Luckily, some genius out there has figured the calories in the brand I buy and it is listed "Pop Weaver Extra Butter (280 cals)" or something. I figure that even if it is a few more, I never let it pop all the way at all because I also hate even a tint of burnt popcorn.
  • mandib2010
    mandib2010 Posts: 1
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    My personal, hopefully semi-correct, approach isn't too difficult. The stupid label on the box doesn't make life simple. They give the information I want in grams on the useless part of the popcorn (the data on the unpopped popcorn) but only show the % of daily values for the popped popcorn

    I am currently eating Hill Country Fare (HEB Brand) light butter popcorn. I prefer the Act II 94% fat free type, but I didn't see any in a large box and popcorn is my favorite snack.

    A bag is approx. 7.5 cups popped.
    Serving is 2tbsp unpopped or 1 cup popped.
    unpopped - 130 calories
    popped - 25 (entire bag = 187.5)

    Total fat - 5g (unpopped) which is 8% of daily value.
    Popped it just says 1% of daily value.
    **my guess here is that if 5g = 8% then __g = 1% so the total fat once popped is less than 1g
    (which would be less than 7.5g in the entire bag)

    Carbohydrates - 20g (unpopped) which is 7% of daily value
    Popped it just says 1% of daily value
    **my guess here is that if 20g = 7% then __g = 1% so the total carbs once popped is about 2.9g
    (which would be 21.75g in the entire bag)

    For the Protein, it just says 3g...the % of daily value is not listed under either column so whether accurate or not, I have to presume it doesn't change (which is kinda hard to believe - I seriously doubt there is 22.5g protein consumed in an entire bag of popcorn)

    I may be way off in my calculations...but I hope not.
  • kkellam1
    kkellam1 Posts: 182 Member
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    My personal, hopefully semi-correct, approach isn't too difficult. The stupid label on the box doesn't make life simple. They give the information I want in grams on the useless part of the popcorn (the data on the unpopped popcorn) but only show the % of daily values for the popped popcorn

    I am currently eating Hill Country Fare (HEB Brand) light butter popcorn. I prefer the Act II 94% fat free type, but I didn't see any in a large box and popcorn is my favorite snack.

    A bag is approx. 7.5 cups popped.
    Serving is 2tbsp unpopped or 1 cup popped.
    unpopped - 130 calories
    popped - 25 (entire bag = 187.5)

    Total fat - 5g (unpopped) which is 8% of daily value.
    Popped it just says 1% of daily value.
    **my guess here is that if 5g = 8% then __g = 1% so the total fat once popped is less than 1g
    (which would be less than 7.5g in the entire bag)

    Carbohydrates - 20g (unpopped) which is 7% of daily value
    Popped it just says 1% of daily value
    **my guess here is that if 20g = 7% then __g = 1% so the total carbs once popped is about 2.9g
    (which would be 21.75g in the entire bag)

    For the Protein, it just says 3g...the % of daily value is not listed under either column so whether accurate or not, I have to presume it doesn't change (which is kinda hard to believe - I seriously doubt there is 22.5g protein consumed in an entire bag of popcorn)

    I may be way off in my calculations...but I hope not.

    Honestly, I have just given up on popcorn. Pretty depressing when I think about it. I am a well educated, reasonably intelligent guy and it just frustrates me that I can't read a label and know for sure how many calories I am consuming. I control my calories very strictly so guesswork just isn't in the cards for me right now. While I miss popcorn, I figure I am better off missing a few things than to guess and slow down progress.

    What confuses me (and I am doing this from memory 'cause I don't have a box nearby) is that the servings per bag and the servings per box don't seem to add up. It should be as simple as x amount of servings per bag times the number of bags in the box equals the total number of servings in a box. I like the Act 94% as well, but I know that if I pop a bag, I will eat the bag. And I don't want to accidently down 200 or 300 calories in a snack...that's just WAY too many out of my daily budget. I can just eat a salad or a stir-fry and be even more full for longer and only invest 100 calories or less.

    Anyway, 35 more pounds to go and I will be able to allow myself a little wiggle room and enjoy some popcorn. :)
  • Losingitin2011
    Losingitin2011 Posts: 572 Member
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    This, among other reasons, was why I forked out the $20 and just got an air popper! So frustrating!! :-)
  • csamples955
    csamples955 Posts: 1 Member
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    Wow so glad I'm not the only one! It would make so much more sense to list the nutritional info per bag. Even if it was just an approx. amt. I think I'll be changing to the 100 calorie bags too.

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