Movie Food: The Diet Deal Breaker



Planning to catch a horror flick this weekend with your sweetheart? If you've been doing REALLY well on your diet all week don't subject yourself to the temptation of that aromatic, buttery-rich popcorn at the concession stand, or everyone will know what you did last night when you try and slip into that bathing suit this summer. 


Before you throw down your hard earned cash for a pack of Twizzlers, a Pretzel and a large Cherry Coke to see Precious consider the irony. 


Here are some snack foods for thought and the numbers that come along with them. 

Theatre Food
Size
Calories
Fat
Sno Caps
3.1 oz box
300
15
Hot dog
Medium (2 oz)
305
5
Mike & Ike
3 oz box
320
0
Junior Mints
3 oz box
360
7
Milk Duds
3 oz box
370
12
Gummi Bears
3.5 oz bag
390
0
Raisinets
3.5 oz bag
400
16
Soft pretzel
Large (5 oz)
480
5
Starburst
4.4 oz
480
11
Goobers
3.5 oz box
500
35
Twizzlers
6 oz bag
570
4
M&M's
5.3 oz bag
750
32
Skittles
6.5 oz bag
765
9
Peanut M&M's
5.3 oz bag
790
40
Dots
9.2 oz box
850
0
Cheese nachos
Large (4 oz)
1,100
60
Reese's Pieces
8 oz bag
1,160
60



44 oz Cherry Coke
572 Calories
0g fat
154g sugars


44oz Sprite
350 Calories
0g fat
95g sugars











Regal Theaters’ large 20-cup tub of popcorn totes 1200 calories. It contains 980mg of sodium, and 60g of saturated fat. An additional topping of butter packs on another 130 calories per tablespoon. Free refills anyone? This snack alone can put away up to ¾ of a day’s calories for most people. Even the small 11 cup size has 670 calories, 550mg of sodium, and 24g of fat. Because Regal uses coconut oil, 90% of which is saturated fat, your arteries will scream in horror before the previews are done. Three days worth of fat in one sitting is nothing to sneeze at.

AMC Theaters are the healthiest in this regard, offering a small 6-cup serving of popcorn that is only 370 calories and 20g of saturated fat. (But still!)

Cinemark Theaters use Canola oil for the making of their popcorn. The saturated fats in a 17-cup serving are only 4 grams. However, there’s still 910 calories waiting for you and a huge 1500mg of sodium. “Can I take your order? We have clogged arteries, high blood pressure or both in our value box.”



The good news is, there are plenty of alternatives to choose from if you make a strong effort to plan ahead and prepare a few healthy snacks to take along with you. 









-Dry cereal
-Air-popped popcorn, flavored with chili pepper or garlic powder. (see Rosemary Garlic -Popcorn)
-Whole grain crackers, graham crackers, or rice crackers
-Baked potato chips, banana chips, or flax seed tortilla chips
-Bananas, grapes, raisins, or other non-messy fruit
-2-3 miniature chocolate bars
-Juice Hugger Snack packs (full of nutritious nuts, raisins, chocolate pieces and berries)
-Previously peeled orange slices




The US Department of Agriculture has found the following nutritive values in one pint of popped popcorn. The figures may vary because of the actual weight or size of the kernels.


Serving: 1 ounce
Calories: 50 to 110 calories (unbuttered/unsalted)
Carbohydrates: 10 to 22g
Protein: 2 to 4g
Fat: 1 to 2g
Calcium: 2 mg
Iron: 0.4 to 0.6 mg
Niacin: 0.2 to 0.6 mg



Prepared properly, popcorn can be a great dieting aid. Try having a serving before a meal, it may reduce hunger, thus can result in eating less.
Compared to an ounce of beef, popcorn provides 67% as much protein, 110% as much iron, and about equal the calcium. 

Believe it or not, a pint of popcorn contains 3X as much phosphorus as a pint of milk. 

A cup of unbuttered popcorn contains fewer calories than half a medium grapefruit. 

If you LOVE popcorn and reach for it often as a low calorie snack, skip the butter and just lightly sprinkle a pinch of sea salt and enjoy. 



More love, 

Crush Foster





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