Microwave Popcorn Calorie Conversion - Seriously?

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SandyStrong
SandyStrong Posts: 4
in Food and Nutrition
So it's like this- ORIGINALLY I was trying to determine out of two brand of popcorn which has the least amount of calories. Sounds easy enough right? Ok so it's obvious one brand has more calories in it then the other. One of the brands has a larger serving size then the other. So easily you can determine which bag of Microwave popcorn has more calories then the other. Fair enough.

So what happens when you try to figure out how much total calories are per bag of each of these brands of popcorn after it has been popped? After all the intent is to eat the POPPED pop corn and not the Hard un-popped kernels right?

Eh hem -

Orville Redenbacher's Ultimate Butter popcorn has this on the nutrition label -

TOP OF LABEL
Serving Size: 2 Tbsp un-popped (makes 5 cups popped)
Serving per bag is about: 2.5
Serving per carton is: about 15

BELOW TOP OF LABEL LINE
Amount Per serving size
Calories: 2Tbsp Un-popped = 170 calories, 1 cup of Popped = 25 calories

Ok so what the label is saying is this: 1 bag of popped pop corn has 2.5 servings per bag that = a total of 5 cups popped. One serving size of popped popcorn is 1 cup popped which = 25 calories. This would mean that if 1 serving size is 1 cup popped and is 25 calories that it should equal 25 calories times 2.5 servings for a total of 62.5 calories per bag OR 2.5 cups per serving. BUT NOT POSSIBLE Because a total bag has 5 cups of popped pop corn. If that's the case then it should be 25 calories (1 cupped popped) times 5 (5 total cups popped) which = 125 total calories per bag.

PER The TOP of the Nutrition facts ONE total bag of popcorn equals 2.5 total servings and ONE serving of un popped popcorn is 2 Tbs equalling (5 cups of popcorn). Then this would indicate that the actual serving based on the Below Top of Label would mean that 2Tbs = 5 cups of popcorn NOT 1 cup. Then in fact would the whole bag = 2Tbsp of un-popped popcorn X 2.5 servings = 5 Tbs of un-cooked popcorn = 10 cups of popped popcorn = 250 calories for the entire bag of popped popcorn?



The other Microwave popcorn brand I reviewed is - Pop Secret - Extra Butter.

I love Popcorn - This sucks :(

Replies

  • Lshizz
    Lshizz Posts: 44 Member
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    That is annoying. And confusing haha :)

    I go the easy route and just do the 100 calorie bags :)
  • squishycow7
    squishycow7 Posts: 820 Member
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    I'm throroughly confused.

    So 1 bag of popcorn is 125 calories?

    ...I also love popcorn :)
  • nsciambi
    nsciambi Posts: 70 Member
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    I get confused, too!
  • squishycow7
    squishycow7 Posts: 820 Member
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    wait, no, it's 170x 2.5??? so 425 per bag?? ahhhhh
  • elliecolorado
    elliecolorado Posts: 1,040
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    It confuses me too!!! I just pick the right one out of the database here and hope that they figured it out right when they put it in. I don't know why they bother putting the un-popped nutrition info, I'm not gonna eat it un-popped.
  • SandyStrong
    SandyStrong Posts: 4
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    That's IT UGH - Very difficult to figure out my hubby says 62.5 calories and he thinks that's about accurate.
  • SandyStrong
    SandyStrong Posts: 4
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    It confuses me too!!! I just pick the right one out of the database here and hope that they figured it out right when they put it in. I don't know why they bother putting the un-popped nutrition info, I'm not gonna eat it un-popped.

    RIGHT!? Do you think it's a law? Argh LOL
  • SandyStrong
    SandyStrong Posts: 4
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    wait, no, it's 170x 2.5??? so 425 per bag?? ahhhhh

    Ok so that is what I said to my husband at first but that would be the un-popped conversion.
  • MzBug
    MzBug Posts: 2,173 Member
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    wait, no, it's 170x 2.5??? so 425 per bag?? ahhhhh

    Ok so that is what I said to my husband at first but that would be the un-popped conversion.

    ^^^ This! 425 per entire BAG. The calorie amount given is for the unpopped BAG....which should be the same after the BAG is popped. Air doesn't add any calories. In the microwave popcorn the big contributor is the oils and other chemicals used. Popping it yourself either on the stove or in an air popper is much less.
  • e1lindsay
    e1lindsay Posts: 230
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    i make plain air popped corn and it's 20 calories per cup, popped...so for 5 cups with added stuff on it (microwave style), i'd say it'd have to be more than 60 calories!
  • xxjacqueline
    xxjacqueline Posts: 97 Member
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    I would go for air popped. If you don't have the machine, you can use brown bags in the microwave. Bags of popcorn unpopped aren't very expensive. Microwave popcorn has tons of chemicals in it. If you pop your own you can control what you put on it! Hope this helps.
  • TDGee
    TDGee Posts: 2,209 Member
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    I got confused and then pissed. I just wanted some Effin' popcorn!!
    So now, I am doing it the old school way, on the stove.
  • glassyo
    glassyo Posts: 7,618 Member
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    The whole bag of popcorn will be 312.5 calories.

    Forget about the unpopped kernel stats. You're not gonna sit there and throw unpopped kernels into your mouth unless you have really strong teeth. :smile:

    1 cup popped = 25 calories
    Serving size = 5 cups

    A serving = 125 calories (25 x 5)

    2.5 servings per bag = 312.5 (125 x 2..5)
  • casey12105
    casey12105 Posts: 293
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    So it's like this- ORIGINALLY I was trying to determine out of two brand of popcorn which has the least amount of calories. Sounds easy enough right? Ok so it's obvious one brand has more calories in it then the other. One of the brands has a larger serving size then the other. So easily you can determine which bag of Microwave popcorn has more calories then the other. Fair enough.

    So what happens when you try to figure out how much total calories are per bag of each of these brands of popcorn after it has been popped? After all the intent is to eat the POPPED pop corn and not the Hard un-popped kernels right?

    Eh hem -

    Orville Redenbacher's Ultimate Butter popcorn has this on the nutrition label -

    TOP OF LABEL
    Serving Size: 2 Tbsp un-popped (makes 5 cups popped)
    Serving per bag is about: 2.5
    Serving per carton is: about 15

    BELOW TOP OF LABEL LINE
    Amount Per serving size
    Calories: 2Tbsp Un-popped = 170 calories, 1 cup of Popped = 25 calories

    Ok so what the label is saying is this: 1 bag of popped pop corn has 2.5 servings per bag that = a total of 5 cups popped. One serving size of popped popcorn is 1 cup popped which = 25 calories. This would mean that if 1 serving size is 1 cup popped and is 25 calories that it should equal 25 calories times 2.5 servings for a total of 62.5 calories per bag OR 2.5 cups per serving. BUT NOT POSSIBLE Because a total bag has 5 cups of popped pop corn. If that's the case then it should be 25 calories (1 cupped popped) times 5 (5 total cups popped) which = 125 total calories per bag.

    PER The TOP of the Nutrition facts ONE total bag of popcorn equals 2.5 total servings and ONE serving of un popped popcorn is 2 Tbs equalling (5 cups of popcorn). Then this would indicate that the actual serving based on the Below Top of Label would mean that 2Tbs = 5 cups of popcorn NOT 1 cup. Then in fact would the whole bag = 2Tbsp of un-popped popcorn X 2.5 servings = 5 Tbs of un-cooked popcorn = 10 cups of popped popcorn = 250 calories for the entire bag of popped popcorn?



    The other Microwave popcorn brand I reviewed is - Pop Secret - Extra Butter.

    I love Popcorn - This sucks :(

    Initial headache over, this is what I got.

    1 serving size is 5 cups popped.
    there's 2.5 servings, so that'd be 12.5 cups (5 *2.5)
    then do 12.5 x 25 = 312.5 cals

    ta da!

    Now the real question is, how much sodium per serving size? :bigsmile:

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