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It’s Friday, and tonight my husband and I will leave the kids with a sitter and head to the movies. But what about the popcorn?
In a buzz kill to end all buzz kills, the Center for Science in the Public Interest just announced results of an analysis of movie theater popcorn. Apparently, the Regal theater chain’s small bag sports “as many calories as a Pizza Hut Personal Pan Pepperoni Pizza, except the popcorn has three times the saturated fat.” And that’s the small. The medium has 60 grams of saturated fat. Yowza.
This revelation divided readers (I am one) of Karen Barrow’s post on the Well blog, with some calling the news unsurprising and others criticizing the nonprofit for raining on their parade with unwanted information.
Personally, I’ll continue ordering popcorn the way I order ice cream sundaes: on very rare occasions, with full knowledge of what I’m doing, and with no regrets. Because the last thing I need with my saturated fat is a torrent of guilt alongside.
That said, I tip my hat to Cinemark Theaters for using unsaturated canola oil in its popcorn. If other chains, like Regal, follow suit, we'll be able to have our popcorn, and eat it, too.
Cheryl Sternman Rule is a widely-published food writer and the voice behind the blog 5 Second Rule.
