A couple days ago the Center for Science in the Public Interest, whom I usually love to pieces, issued a smack down on movie theaters for the excessive calories and saturated fat in popcorn. From their press release:
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.)
There are so many reasons I find this sensationalistic piece of soapboxing even more offensive than Transformers 2, starting with the fact that some PR flack clearly fed Jayne that line. I've known a lot of nutritionists, none of whom came up with zingers like that.
The bulk of my other frustrations originate from the idea that cinema chains have foisted these deadly treats on an unsuspecting public. Popcorn doesn't kill people. People kill people. It's not like McDonald's Super-Sizing, where a vaguely nutritional food is shoved onto the public for pennies. It's a giant tub of snack food covered in a butter-like substance at an astronomical price. If you make it through that minefield of red flags without alarm bells going off, you're dumber than this mixed metaphor.
Regarding the use of coconut oil in movie theater popcorn, we already knew that. Back in 1994, there was a huge public outcry. Then we all forgot about it, probably so we could all watch OJ drive around in his white Bronco. If the public doesn't care, why would the cinema chains bother changing it? If it really bugs you, speak with your feet and go to a Cinemark theater, where they use non-hydrogenated canola oil.
Next, here's a general rule for everyone who eats. If a serving is bigger than your head, you shouldn't eat it all. There's not a food on earth that would be good for you at that volume. If you ate a bag of broccoli that big, you'd be passing gas for months, provided your stomach didn't explode first.
It would never occur to me to eat an entire large -- or medium -- bag of popcorn by myself. And since film-going is typically a social activity, neither should anyone else. According to the CSPI article in Nutrition Action (I joke a lot about subscribing to obscure journals, but I actually do subscribe to this one), a medium popcorn from AMC, without extra butter topping, is 590 calories and 33g of saturated fat. It sounds awful until you split it with a couple friends, then you get about 195 calories and a 11g of saturated fat. It's not great, but it's not that bad, considering you're knowingly eating something you shouldn't.
I'm all for smacking down big business and I'm the first to scream about nutritional trickery, but there needs to be a little personal accountability here. You probably had dinner before the movie anyway, so if you don't like the way the popcorn is presented, skip it. Johnny Depp will be just as dreamy without it.
I agree with everything said except for the negativity around coconut oil. Coconut oil actually contains less calories than other oils and has a fat that converts easier to energy. Many athletes actually prefer coconut oil for the added energy it gives them. I will only use coconut oil in my cooking.
ReplyDeleteBut I digress. I think the real way to get around all this negativity is for movie complexes to offer air popped popcorn and some sort of fine butter mist.
I would also like to see some fruit as an option. Lets face it, people like to snack when they go to the movies. Offer up a bowl of grapes and see what happens.
Not sure if coconut oil is the same as Palm oil, but if it is you might want to stop using it to save habitat of Orangutans.
ReplyDeleteI love eating popcorn at the movies and have done so since I was a little kid. I love drinking coffee in the morning and beer in the afternoon.
After reading this post I think I'll just get a DVD and some beer and make my own popcorn with copious amounts of real butter and take my chances at home.
I'd already read about this article on another blog, but I really liked your take on it. It's true that people should be more accountable, although those numbers are pretty insane. I'm just glad that I don't like movie theater crap. Soda isn't good, and even if it was, who wants to have to get up during the climax of the movie to go to the bathroom because you just downed eight cups of liquid? Movie theater popcorn is generally gross, and the grossness is disquised with your interest in the movie. Candy is good, but holy crap it's expensive.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to see more healthy snacks as well, but I doubt many people would buy them. After all, people are used to eating fattening, junky stuff while watching a movie, not snacking on a Balance Bar or grapes. When it comes down to it, I just think there aren't enough people who care. Very sad.
I want a study on why American theaters have such shitty (tasting) food and drink in their movie theaters. All over the world you can buy wine and decent, if not gourmet, food while watching Transformers 300. But in the US you're stuck with 1,600 calorie popcorn, boiled hotdogs or some jujubees.
ReplyDeleteThe first movie chain that offers me really good sushi as an option will get my business.
Agreed -- but it's our fault as much as theirs. I thought the Arclight and the Bridge in LA would be different, but alas... Ultimately, it's just cattle in, cattle out -- and we seem to be perfectly happy to moo, so why try harder?
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