by Amy Spangler
November 20, 2009

When was the last time you went to a movie theater with your kids? If you’re like most parents you probably stopped by the snack bar on the way to your seat. Well hang on, because you’re about to discover the fat and calorie content of those irresistible treats.

So you made your children choose popcorn, the “healthy” snack. Guess what, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, Regal Entertainment Group, the largest movie theater chain in the United States with 548 theaters in 39 states, uses coconut oil to pop its corn. Coconut oil is 90 percent saturated fat compared to lard which is 40 percent saturated fat. In case you’ve forgotten, saturated fat is the “bad” fat.

If your child selected a small tub he consumed 670 calories and 34 grams of fat. If he added a buttery topping, tack on another 130 calories. And it gets worse. If your child chose the medium tub or large bucket, (by the way, both contain the same amount of popcorn; the only difference is the price), he is credited with 1,200 calories and 60 grams of fat—twice  the recommended daily intake for fat.

And no one eats popcorn without something to drink. More than likely it was a 500-calorie, 54-ounce drink. After all, popcorn is salty. In case you’re interested in the sodium count, that 1,200-calorie bucket of popcorn contains 980 mg of sodium, nearly half the recommended daily intake.

At this point you’re probably thinking that the next time you go to the movies you will direct your child to the candy counter. After all, Twizzlers contain 460 calories; Raisinets only 420; and Milk Duds a meager 370 by comparison. But given that we’re talking about 5-, 3.5-, and 3-ounce servings respectively, you can bet your kid won’t want to eat just one.