Does your family love to pop some popcorn for a family night movie?
It takes about 30 seconds. Before the kernels even start popping, my kids come running because the delicious buttery smell has made its way to whatever corner of the house they are tossing their toys around in. There’s just something fun about popping the fluffy popcorn into your mouth while sitting on the couch watching the latest kid movie hit.
But do you know what is really in those packaged microwavable popcorn bags—do you really know? After I tell you what kind of ingredients they have, you will wish you had never asked! But knowledge is power, right, especially when it pertains to your family’s health.
When it comes to keeping your family healthy, whether it’s watching the ingredients in your favorite popcorn recipes or finding healthy lunch box fillers, MOMables has your best interest at heart! These kinds of thoughts and planning go into the weekly meal plan and the FREE newsletter you can get sent straight to your inbox!
The first nasty ingredient you need to know about actually coats the bag. Have you heard of Teflon? We love it because it makes a darn good nonstick surface in our skillets. Teflon is produced from Peflourooanoic acid (PFOA), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) determined that it provided a high risk of developmental and reproductive problems—did I mention that microwavable popcorn bags are coated with PFOAs?? Yeah, so strike one against prepackaged popcorn!
The second nasty part of the popcorn bag are the plastic liners some of them have. We all know that plastic is only partially organic, and the other parts are various synthetic fillers that can be incredibly harmful to people. It has been proven that some of the nasty chemicals that make up plastics can actually migrate into the food when heated. Strike two against prepackaged popcorn!
There is a third nasty ingredient. Did you know that vegetable oils are some of the most chemically altered foods that we have around? Vegetable oils are oils extracted from seeds that can’t be simply pressed out (like coconut oil) but have to be chemically removed, deodorized, and altered. Some of the chemicals through this process stick around and are present in the final product, which are then used to coat popcorn. Strike three against prepackaged popcorn!
Ugh, another gross ingredient. Trans fats are also present in those yummy popcorn packages. Some trans fats are naturally occurring, but the wide majority are produced from processing oils. Trans fats raise LDL “bad” cholesterol while lowering HDL “good” cholesterol. Can anyone say heart disease? Strike four against boxed popcorn! Need I say more?
Okay, okay, hopefully I have informed you (or scared you) enough that prepackaged and boxed microwavable popcorn isn’t exactly in your body’s best interest. So what do you do!? I’ve got the answer! Make your own Healthy and Easy Homemade Popcorn! It is super easy and totally family and kid friendly.
We also have some yummy recipes for homemade popcorn like White Chocolate Popcorn and Almond Joy Popcorn!
The Almond Joy Popcorn is a great alternative to that prepackaged stuff and can be made the homemade style you see above! It is the perfect combination of salty and sweet! Get your kids involved, and have them add their own toppings and get creative with it!
Laura
If you don’t need them to go with you, dropping the kernels in a glass bowl and covering it works nicely too. :)
Liz
You have so many great and educational ideas and facts. I enjoy your emails. Smart lady and lucky kids to have you. Thanks Laura.
Tatyana
Wow, we’re not big on popcorn in general, but after reading your post, I’m never eating it out of a pre-packaged bag.
Ludicrous Mama
It doesn’t really take that much more time to grab a bag and scoop out the kernels, versus opening the box, unwrapping the bag, etc. Toppings might take longer, but you have 100% control over the sugar and fat and salt content and quality, which makes it worthwhile, in my book! Plus no petroleum-derived “yellow” colorant…
MOMables
That’s right. Exactly why I do the brown bag method.
Michelle Clark
What about the harm in Microwaved anything? We mustn’t mention…gasp…the health danger of this multi-billion dollar invention, must we (Ha!). Nevertheless, more and more people are moving away from this modern horror towards, toaster ovens, and the like, while breaking away from the radiation and detrimental molecular food altering of the microwave. Hopefully, you are not hearing this from me first, but remember, big money is involved in this invention, and regular folk getting damaged is just a little collateral damage.
MOMables
I’m definitely not hearing this form you first Michelle. However, for me to suggest that people use a toaster oven or the stove to warm anything up (gasp!) is kind of archaic LOL. Of course, people are free to choose the best method for them, right? I simply wanted to share all the things that make microwave popcorn convenient and so toxic. :)