The movie theater industry played their cards right. It’s basically an American tradition to eat snacks during movies; they can charge exorbitant amounts, and we’ll still buy that tub of popcorn. Last week, I went to the theater and just about cleaned out a pack of sour gummy worms on my own. I’m sure the nutrition facts (or rather, lack thereof) on those gummy worms wouldn’t surprise anyone. I probably consumed about 200 calories of pure sugar. Now, that wouldn’t be so bad if it was the only “splurge” of the day, but of course everybody’s candy got passed around, and I just couldn’t say no. I know I’m not alone. Did you know that an 8-ounce bag of Reese’s Pieces contains over 1,100 calories? How can we save ourselves from the caloric disaster of movie theater treats?
If you have the time to prepare some snacks at home, it really opens up doors for healthy snacking. Bring a bag of blueberries or baby carrots instead of a bag full of candy. Sometimes kids aren’t convinced by fruits and veggies packaged at home; buying some gummy fruit snacks might do the trick. You can also mix some cereal with a few nuts, and bring that along for a satisfying crunch. If you can air pop your own popcorn kernels, that’s definitely the healthiest way to go: three cups of air popped popcorn is just 93 calories! With that said, you can even justify adding a bit of salt or some other kind of flavoring. Have you ever tried honey on popcorn? Yum!
If you’re at the theater, and forgot to sneak in any snacks of your own, you will find yourself with slim pickings for healthy options. Some theaters, such as AMC, have started to offer “smart” snackpacks that contain fruit chips, trail mix, popped corn chips, and bottled water, but it’s not a common option. The best way to tackle a movie theater concession stand is to buy with the intention of sharing. Everybody knows that the large popcorn is the best deal, so nobody wants to buy the small; however, a large popcorn purchased at a theater typically contains upwards of 1,000 calories. If that was just plain air popped popcorn, you would have 32 cups! What makes up the calories difference? Lots of butter! Split a large among 4-5 people, and you’re talking about a much more reasonable portion. (Tip: Ask the concession stand worker for an extra empty cup to make the sharing easier). The same applies to sodas; a large soda typically contains upwards of 500 calories, which is over 100 grams of sugar! Of course, you could be a real trooper and just get water.
Best of luck, and enjoy the show!
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