Microwave Popping Corn

I am not a huge fan of corn because I don’t think it is easily digested and most of it is genetically modified (especially if you live in the US or Canada) but if you feel like you just can’t give up a big bowl of popcorn every once in a while here is a little tip.

It is much healthier to take an extra two minutes to pop your own on your stove top.  Take a couple of teaspoons of your favourite cooking oil and pop the kernels yourself.  This is why your kids will thank you.

Here are the ingredients in microwave popping corn: (I used the Eating Right Brand found at Safeway)

1.  Popcorn (GMO unless otherwise stated)

2.  Salt

3.  Modified Palm Oil (Contains TBHQ) TBHQ is a chemical preservative form of butane.  It is used to preserve food so that it can last a long time on the shelf.  I guess a derivative of butane could do that.  Consuming high doses of TBHQ can cause nausea, delirium, collapse, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), and vomiting. There are also suggestions that it may lead to hyperactivity in children as well as asthma, rhinitis and dermatitis. It may also further aggravate ADHD symptoms and cause restlessness. Long term, high doses of TBHQ in laboratory animals have shown a tendency for them to develop cancerous precursors in their stomachs, as well as cause DNA damage to them. It is also suggested that it may be responsible for affecting estrogen levels in women.  Learn more here: http://www.naturalnews.com/031318_TBHQ_food_preservatives.html#ixzz23ReWdjmN

4.  Natural and Artificial Flavour (Milk) There is an ingredient in here called Diacetyl (DA) that is linked to alzheimer’s disease.  It is known to travel through the blood brain barrier and can be especially harmful on growing immature little bodies. To make matters worse when heated to high temperatures, like those used to cook microwave popcorn, diacetyl vaporizes and becomes toxic.  Read more:

http://www.oprah.com/health/Is-Microwave-Popcorn-Bad-for-You & http://scienceblog.com/55899/artificial-butter-flavoring-ingredient-linked-to-key-alzheimers-disease-process/ and also here http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/22731744/

5.  Colour

6.  The bag itself.  A report from the FDA indicates that a chemical coating used in microwave popcorn bags breaks down when heated into a substance called perfluorooctanoic (PFOA). The Environmental Protection Agency has identified PFOA as a “likely carcinogen.”

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/dangers-of-microwave-popcorn.html#ixzz23Riv53vB

I think this warning from David Michaels, PhD, director of the Project on Scientific Knowledge and Public Policy at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, an expert on microwave popcorn fumes says it all: Wait until the bag is cool to the touch before opening (the vapor will condense), and open the bag under a stovetop exhaust fan.  

Do we really need to be treating “food” like this?  I am not sure why this stuff is even allowed on the shelf to be honest.  Next time you want to enjoy a bowl of popcorn please take the time to pop it yourself the good old fashioned way and you will avoid the extra ingredients found in bagged popcorn.

Cheers to more natural food!

Penny

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