Movie Madness?
Monday, January 22, 2007
Cynthia Sass, MPH, RD, CSSD
Over the weekend, Jack and I did something we haven’t had a chance to do in a while. We went to the movies (Pan’s Labyrinth, which was absolutely amazing!). And yes, we did get popcorn! It’s hard to find reliable nutrition info about movie theatre popcorn, but a recent estimate I saw for unbuttered listed 55 calories per cup (size of a tennis ball), from about 4 grams of fat, 3 grams of carbohydrate, and 1 gram of protein.
In my opinion, unbuttered popcorn is the healthiest snack you can buy at the theatre. Popcorn is a whole grain, provides about a gram of fiber per cup, and if it’s popped using liquid oil, it should be low in saturated fat and free of trans fat. The trick is not eating a whole bucket! We paired ours with bottled water (thankfully that was an option). But as we walked away from the concession stand, I couldn’t help but wonder two things:
1) Will we see healthier options in the near future?
2) Do movie-goers really want healthier options?
When I was a kid, you could pretty much get popcorn, candy, and soda at a theatre, oh and maybe a hot dog. Lately I’ve seen nachos, pizza, ice cream, cookies, brownies and biscotti, and beverages ranging from icees to coffee drinks, beer, wine, and even hard liquor.
Will we ever see healthy finger foods and snacks in theatres across the country such as fresh fruit salad, fresh veggies with healthy dips, summer rolls, and baked sweet potato sticks? What do you think? And would you buy them? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Oh, and one last thing before I go - the return of fun facts:
-The first theatre in the U.S. specifically dedicated to showing movies was in New Orleans in 1896
-In 1907, you could see a flick for 5 cents!
-The first air-conditioned movie theatre opened in 1922
- The very first drive-in movie theatre opened in Camden, New Jersey in 1932
- The American Film Institute (AFI) ranked the following as the #1 all time movie quote, “Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn,” from Gone with the Wind, 1939
-AFI’s #1 movie song: Over the Rainbow from The Wizard of Oz, 1939
-AFI’s #1 movie villan: Dr. Hannibal Lecter from The Silence of the Lambs, 1991
-AFI’s #1 movie hero: Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird, 1962
-AFI’s #1 movie stars: Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn
-AFI’s #1 film: Citizen Kane, 1941 ("Rosebud….")
photo courtesy of Geek Philosopher
6 Comments:
At Mon Jan 22, 10:49:00 AM 2007,
Anonymous said…
Hi Cynthia!
Thanks so much for your blog. It's fun to read and so informative!
In response to your post today, I would LOVE to see more healthy food options at movie theaters but also at small shops and convenience stores. When I'm on a long road trip, I don't want the sugary and processed food items that those places have to offer. I think the appeal of these foods is their ease and long shelf life. I can see fresh cut veggies going bad in a movie theater setting, but I, for one, would buy them!
I also have a question for you. I drink lots of plain water every day, and I recently read that too much water is bad for you because it flushes need salts and minerals out of your body. Is this true? I know it's recommended to get 6-8 glasses a day, but most days I get at least twice that much (I'm also quite active). Just wondering. Thanks!
Erin
At Mon Jan 22, 03:10:00 PM 2007,
Dan DiPiazza said…
The industry will give the consumers whatever they want. That's where the money is at. But in all honesty, I don't think veggies and dip appeals to the average joe who wants to enjoy Rocky 12 in a sugar/fat haze. Those of us who do want those healthy options are forced to do what I call "covert ops". Basically, sneak your healthy snacks in! Guys, make sure your girlfriend has a big purse.
At Tue Jan 23, 10:58:00 AM 2007,
Cynthia Sass, MPH, RD, CSSD said…
Hi Erin. Thanks for your nice comment and thanks for reading! I've started to see more items like bananas and almonds at gas stations/convenience stores, so maybe the tides are turning! As far as water, it is possible to drink too much water but it’s very, very rare. You may have just heard about the radio contest that caused the death of a young woman? The contest was to see who could drink the most water without going to the bathroom. Any health professional could have told the radio DJs that the contest was potentially fatal (in fact, apparently a nurse called in to say that). Here’s the deal - if most of us drink more water than our body needs, we get a signal to go to the bathroom, and the excess is eliminated (this keeps us in fluid balance). But when it's held in (like in the contest), electrolytes in the body become very, very diluted, which leads to brain swelling and ultimately death. Ok, so that being said, if you allow your body to LET GO of excess water, it's generally not risky to drink 12-16 cups per day (in fact, if you're active you may indeed need that much to replace your water losses, so it may not be excessive at all). And, to answer your real question, no, your body will not eliminate NEEDED salts and minerals along with water. The reverse is true though - we do use water to eliminate EXCESS salts and minerals. This is because they are mostly eliminated via urine and it takes water to create urine. I hope that makes sense! Sorry to give such a long winded response but I wanted to be thorough :)
Cynthia
At Tue Jan 23, 11:01:00 AM 2007,
Cynthia Sass, MPH, RD, CSSD said…
Hey Dan. Thanks for your comments. I recently participated in a point/counterpoint article about this. I was pro/for being able to bring your own (healthy) food to the theatre :)
Cynthia
At Fri Jan 26, 08:35:00 PM 2007,
pat said…
Dear Cynthia, I'm a fellow RD and just discovered your blog. It's fun to read and you have great information. As for movie snacks, I'm torn. Having been lucky enough to go to Paris and Amsterdam in the past two years I've observed that these slim, beautiful people hardly snack at all. They eat hearty, wholesome meals than they are done until it's time for the next meal. Of course, they also get lots more excercise and constantly climb steps in those ancient, elevator-free buildings. The French, in particular, are firm believers in dessert (and not healthy desserts either, but rich concoctions that feature heavy cream as the first ingredient and sugar as the second.) French desserts are also very, very tiny but so, so satisfying! My personal focus has been to get people into this style of eating and to train themselves to enjoy a movie without any mindless eating. On the other hand it would be great to see a better variety of healthy snacks at roadside rest stops and convenience stores. Sometimes you do need to eat while on the road. Thanks for the great column, Pat
At Tue Jan 30, 05:53:00 AM 2007,
Cynthia Sass, MPH, RD, CSSD said…
Hi Pat. Thanks for your comments and thanks for reading! I have observed this in my travels to France and Europe as well. And I definitely agree with you about mindless eating. I am generally “for” trying not to combine eating with other activities (like TV, surfing the net, etc.) but I have to admit – it’s really hard for me to go to the movies without getting popcorn! So, I time it so I’m hungry at that time, I “budget” for it, and I try to really savor and enjoy it. I’m heading to Europe in a few weeks. Maybe I’ll try to catch a movie there, then write about it when I return. Thanks so much. I look forward to reading more of your comments :)
Cynthia
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