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What do you eat when you go to the movies?
http://health.msn.com/health-topics/...9578&Gt1=31057
'Two Thumbs Down' for Movie Popcorn
Medium popcorn and soda = 3 Quarter Pounders and 12 pats of butter.
By Center for Science in the Public InterestFind more
Center for Science in the Public Interest
Nutrition Action Newsletter
Schools Meals to Get Nutritional Makeover
It's hard to picture someone mindlessly ingesting three McDonald's Quarter Pounders with 12 pats of butter while watching a movie. But according to new laboratory analyses commissioned by the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest, that food is nutritionally comparable to what you’d find in a medium popcorn and soda combo at Regal, the country’s biggest movie theater chain: 1,610 calories and three days’ worth—60 grams—of saturated fat. (Nutrition aside, that combo costs $12—for raw ingredients that must cost Regal pennies.)
"Regal and AMC are our nominees for Best Supporting Actor in the Obesity Epidemic," said CSPI senior nutritionist Jayne Hurley. "Who expects about 1,500 calories and three days’ worth of heart-stopping fat in a popcorn and soda combo? That’s the saturated fat of a stick of butter and the calories of two sticks of butter. You might think you’re getting Bambi, but you’re really getting Godzilla."
Regal says that its medium popcorn has 720 calories and that its large has 960. But CSPI's lab tests found that those numbers were understated. Regal’s medium and large sizes each had 1,200 calories and, thanks to being popped in coconut oil, 60 grams of saturated fat. (The large size looks bigger, thanks to its titanic tub, but it costs a dollar more and comes with a free refill.) A "small" at Regal has 670 calories and 34 grams of saturated fat. That’s about as many calories as a Pizza Hut Personal Pan Pepperoni Pizza—except the popcorn has three times the saturated fat. Even shared with another person, that size provides nearly an entire day’s worth of the kind of fat that clogs arteries and promotes heart disease. And every tablespoon of "buttery" oil topping adds another 130 calories. Asking for topping is like asking for oil on french fries or potato chips, according to CSPI.
AMC, the second largest theater chain, also pops in coconut oil but has smaller serving sizes. Its large popcorn has 1,030 calories and 57 grams of saturated fat. That's like eating a pound of baby back ribs topped with a scoop of Häagen-Dazs ice cream—except that the popcorn has an additional day’s worth of saturated fat. A medium has 590 calories and 33 grams of saturated fat; and a small has 370 calories and a day’s worth—20 grams—of saturated fat. (Like Regal, AMC reports calorie counts lower than those returned in CSPI's lab tests.)
Third-largest Cinemark pops in heart-healthy canola oil. A large has 910 calories with 4 grams of saturated fat; a medium has 760 calories and 3 grams of saturated fat; and a small has 420 calories and 2 grams of saturated fat. Though popping in canola gives this chain’s popcorn far less saturated fat than its competitors, it's almost as high in calories and has the most sodium—about twice as much as Regal or AMC. With 1,500 milligrams of sodium—a day's worth of sodium for most people—a large popcorn without topping from Cinemark will be less likely to clog your arteries but more likely to elevate your blood pressure. And while Cinemark uses a "buttery" oil topping similar to the toppings used at Regal and AMC, at some outlets, particularly in the West, it uses a topping made with real butter. That version has 9 grams—half a day’s worth—of saturated fat per tablespoon.
CSPI also took a look at the sodas and candies sold at the movies. A small non-diet soda ranges from 150 calories at Cinemark to 300 calories at Regal. Mediums have 300 calories at AMC and Cinemark and 400 calories at Regal. With 33 teaspoons of sugar in nearly 2 quarts—54 ounces—Regal has the most outsized large soda, with 500 empty calories.
The oversized boxes and bags (4 to 5 ounces) of candy sold at movie chains are universally high in calories. A 5-ounce bag of Twizzlers has 460 calories and 15 teaspoons of sugar. A 7-ounce box of Nerds has 790 calories and 46 teaspoons of sugar. Chocolate candies like Butterfinger Minis, Raisinets, Sno-Caps or M&M's have between 400 and 500 calories and at least a half day’s worth of saturated fat. An 8-ounce bag of Reese's Pieces is just a cup of candy. But with 1,160 calories and 35 grams of saturated fat, it's like eating a 16-ounce T-bone steak plus a buttered baked potato.
"Sitting through a two-hour movie isn't exactly like climbing Mt. Everest," Hurley said. "Why do theaters think they need to feed us like it is?"
The study, published as the cover story in the December issue of Nutrition Action Healthletter, updates a famous exposé the group conducted 15 years ago. For Regal and AMC, CSPI tested samples from theaters in the Washington, D.C., area. For Cinemark, samples came from Texas, Illinois and Maryland.
More from MSN Health & Fitness:
How Nutritionists Eat Fast Food
Best & Worst Snacks for Kids
Bing Search: Movie Snacks
Reprinted with permission from Nutrition Action Healthletter, a publication of the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest. Introductory subscriptions are $10.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest is a nonprofit health advocacy group based in Washington, DC, that focuses on nutrition, food safety, and pro-health alcohol policies. CSPI is supported by the 900,000 U.S. and Canadian subscribers to its Nutrition Action Healthletter and by foundation grants.
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11-19-2009 01:21 PM
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well, I'll be the first to admit it, I love getting the movie popcorn, and I love adding EXTRA butter to it, plus the salt they have. BUT, I don't go to the movies but maybe 1-2 times per year, if that!! AND, I don't drink regular pop, just diet, or water.
So, I think it'll be ok, since I hardly ever go at all, an endulgance (spl?) is good every now and then.
"Sitting through a two-hour movie isn't exactly like climbing Mt. Everest," Hurley said. "Why do theaters think they need to feed us like it is?"
because we enjoy it, and we buy it.
BTW, I don't buy there candy ever, it's too expensive, and when I do get a popcorn, yep, it's a large, so I can get the free refill on the way out to take home (usually with the kids to share this also).
Last edited by jasmine; 11-19-2009 at 02:20 PM.
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The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to jasmine For This Useful Post:
Kelsey1224 (11-19-2009), Shann (11-19-2009)
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The comments after the article are interesting. Don't take away my movie popcorn, and that is what I say too. But I would like to take in food from outside once in a while. Maybe a sandwich from another restaurant but not allowed. Of course, my theatre has an inside deli that has sandwiches but they are slow as molasses and the movie is starting.
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I saw this on a morning show this morning but already knew how bad it is for you. That being said I love it but only get it once or twice a year at most. It is so expensive to go to the movies anymore.
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The Following User Says Thank You to BeanieLuvR For This Useful Post:
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Depending on the theater, I love their popcorn! And I love adding extra butter layered in.. mmmmm! Oh and the jalapenos on top, perfect meal IMHO LOL :P I don't see that this is really all that bad for you if you have it every once in awhile. Again depending on the theater out here, you are able to take in your own food/drinks and those that don't allow it, two words: big purse I may be one of the weird ppl but life is suppose to be fun, I am not going to deny myself stuff like this worrying about fat and calories especially since I don't hit the theater that often. Pretty much everything out there is bad for us, all in moderation... plus, no one is getting out alive anyways
If you don't want dumb answers, don't ask dumb questions
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The Following User Says Thank You to Shann For This Useful Post:
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Jasmine...I'm right there with you. A medium buttered popcorn with diet soda for me.
Hubby only has a little so I'm primarily eating it by myself. I will say that I am full for hours so don't eat much of a main meal before or after.
Never argue with an idiot. It will bring you down to his level and he’ll win because of experience.
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my son used to work in a movie theater here, not a local yokel either, but a big one. He said that the theater was full of mice, and the popcorn hopper was cleaned out every night because they were always finding mice poop in it. I thought he was probably pulling my leg, but when the local paper starting putting out an article about it, I thought twice about getting movie popcorn.
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See...thats what I was thinking this morning... I go to the movies MAYBE 1-3 times a year. Im not eating the popcorn every stinking day, week or even month, for Pete's sake!
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The Following User Says Thank You to cpbaby For This Useful Post:
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Originally Posted by
cathych
my son used to work in a movie theater here, not a local yokel either, but a big one. He said that the theater was full of mice, and the popcorn hopper was cleaned out every night because they were always finding mice poop in it. I thought he was probably pulling my leg, but when the local paper starting putting out an article about it, I thought twice about getting movie popcorn.
OMG, I hope it was just in that theatre. I have heard of one movie house that has mice running over people's feet during the movie. EWWWWW
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The theatre we go to is a restaurant... so we (as w/ most everyone) don't get popcorn. We usually get chips and queso or burgers and fries... or on pizza night... pizza. I can't remember the last time I had popcorn at the movies.
Lord, keep your arm around my shoulder and your hand over my mouth.
An 'eye for an eye' leaves the whole world blind. -Mahatma Gandhi
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