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Why Microwave Popcorn Is An Absolute Health Nightmare

If you or someone you know is still eating microwave popcorn, listen up! I can’t tell you how many countless times I used to eat microwave popcorn when I worked in an office. My co-workers would buy one of those packs from the vending machine in the break room and pop that sucker right into the microwave and the whole floor would smell DELICIOUS! I just couldn’t help myself. It was the one thing in the vending machine that always had to be refilled week after week – way before the stale peanuts.

I’m so glad I stopped that habit, when I finally gave up my use of microwaves, because let me tell you, this stuff is horrible for your health and here’s why…

Popcorn

The Bag

The bag almost all microwave popcorn varieties come in is lined with perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). This chemical is the same toxic stuff found in teflon pots and pans. It can stay in the environment and in the human body for long periods of time. This chemical when heated has been linked to infertility, cancer and other diseases in lab animals. No long term studies have been conducted on humans, but the EPA lists this substance as a carcinogen. 

The Contents

Here’s a snapshot of several popular popcorn brands and the ingredients they contain. 

Popular Popcorn Brands

Even though there are no sources of genetically modified popcorn kernels being produced (that’s saved for other varieties of corn), there are several other GMO ingredients in the form of oil or emulsifiers to be found in these popcorn flavors. GMOs have never been tested long term on human beings and are linked to a slew of health issues that are rising in this country. All of these brands do not use organic corn either, so you can be sure they contain harmful pesticides. 

Brands like PopSecret and Jolly Time still use trans fat, which is considered one of the most deadly fats available because it is associated with 20,000 heart attacks a year and over 7,000 deaths according to the CDC. 

Proply Gallate that is found in PopSecret is one of those ingredients that’s being phased out in the rest of the world, but still being used here for a preservative in food, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. It’s linked to all sorts of health issues like skin rashes, stomach issues and breathing problems.

TBHQ that is found in Smart Balance, stands for “Tertiary Butylhydroquinone.” It’s a dead giveaway that you shouldn’t be eating this, if food companies have to use an acronym for a long chemical name on the ingredient label.

TBHQ is a chemical made from butane (a very toxic gas) and can only be used at a rate of 0.02 percent of the total oil in a product. Why is there a limit to this? Maybe because eating only 1 gram of this toxic preservative has been shown to cause all sorts of issues, from ADHD in children, to asthma, allergies and dermatitis to dizziness and even has caused stomach cancer in laboratory animals.

Limiting TBHQ to a certain percentage, is the same logic the FDA made when allowing a product to still contain 0.5 grams of transfat and be labeled “transfat free.” If you are consuming processed foods, eating at fast food restaurants or chains that use processed foods you are consuming an overload of preservatives and other chemicals. The accumulation of eating all these different preservatives and man-made chemicals at once has not been studied by the food companies or the FDA for safety. 

The Hidden Ingredients

Even though natural flavors and artificial flavors are listed on the ingredient label of microwave popcorn, we have no way of knowing what’s actually in these ingredients. Food manufacturers won’t tell you and they hide things in there like MSG, beaver’s anal glands and diacetyl butter flavoring. What’s so wrong with a little bit of artificial butter flavoring? Well a lot. This stuff is seriously toxic, which forced Conagra Foods to remove it from their Act branded Microwave popcorn recently because it causes lung issues in workers. This ingredient is also linked to brain issues which cause Alzheimer’s Disease too. Dr. Mercola reports:

“Researchers conducting test-tube studies revealed that diacetyl has several concerning properties for brain health. Not only can it pass through the blood-brain barrier, which is intended to help keep toxins out of your brain, but it can also cause brain proteins to misfold into the Alzheimer’s-linked form known as beta amyloid. It also inhibits mechanisms that help to naturally clear the dangerous beta amyloid from your brain.1

It’s not known at this time whether eating diacetyl-containing foods (it’s used not only in microwave popcorn but also in other snack foods, baked goods, pet foods, some fast foods and other food products) increases your risk of Alzheimer’s, but the finding that it may contribute to brain plaques linked to Alzheimer’s at very low concentrations is concerning, to say the least.

Orville Redenbacher’s label explicitly says they do not use this flavoring anymore, but there are popcorn varieties that still do, so watch out, if you see the words “artificial flavor” on the label of any processed food, back up far away! 

Make Your Own (It Takes 5 mins!)

Making your own popcorn from scratch is so EASY and you can avoid all of these health pitfalls. If you need to take some to the office or where ever you are going (like sneaking it into the movie theatre), I recommend making it in advance and throwing it in a reusable bag.

This recipe takes 5 mins. The extra 2 minutes (over microwave popcorn) is time definitely worth committing to. 

I call this recipe “Superfood Popcorn” because it contains three amazing ingredients:

  • Coconut oil that is great for your metabolism
  • Hemp seeds that are full of omega 3 fatty acids
  • Red palm oil that contains the highest amounts of vitamins A and E of any plant-based oil

I have to say, the red palm oil took this popcorn from about an 9 to an 11 on a scale from 1 to 10. It looks and tastes like yummy comforting butter (and the color matches that movie theatre popcorn without all the added chemical ingredients). Also, the added texture of the hemp seeds combined with sea salt is so good and crunchy. 

I made a bowl of this last week and it was heavenly! It’s seriously amazing – I can’t wait to hear your reports.

Please note red palm oil is different from palm kernel oil (that is grown in SouthEast Asia and killing orangutans). Red palm oil comes from Ecuador and harvested sustainably. Dr. Oz does a great job of explaining the difference between red palm fruit oil and palm kernel oil here if you’d like to learn more. 

Food Babe's Superfood Popcorn
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Serves: 2
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. In a pot, stir together coconut oil and popcorn kernels and heat pot on stove to high
  2. Cover pot with lid and let popcorn pop until you hear less popping per second
  3. Once popcorn is done popping, remove from pot into a bowl
  4. Using a blender or food processor, blend hempseed and salt until fine
  5. Top popcorn with melted red palm oil and hempseed salt mixture
Notes
***Please buy all organic ingredients if possible.***

 

RedPalmOil

IMG_9337

And by the way, it’s pretty amazing the CEO of Nutiva John Roulac, would say outright in a news interview that the end goal for his company is to see “Monsanto go bankrupt” – I love voting with my dollars to support him and his company.


If you know someone who is still consuming microwave popcorn, please do your part and share this post with them – especially if they are your co-workers 🙂 Together we are changing the way our families and friends eat and I love that! 

Hooray to healthy popcorn! 

Food babe

P.S. Check out this hilarious interview I did on CNN last weekend about trans fats, popcorn and Funyuns. Being on the Don Lemon Show with Alexa Towersey was so fun! Don was a riot. When you watch it, you’ll see what I mean. 

 

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470 responses to “Why Microwave Popcorn Is An Absolute Health Nightmare

  1. Do they still make & sell microwave popcorn poppers? we had one, but was getting too hot, so we chunked it but now can’t seem to be able to find another

    1. We use a Nordic ware microwave popper from target or order online. Use no oil or just a T and its great! We replace every few years but we use it several times a week. Not expensive.

    2. As a breast cancer survivor, I was concerned about heated plastics in the microwave, so I have invented a new glass lid that COOKS, STEAMS and REHEATS food safely in the microwave.
      And popcorn is easy and chemical free using my Cuchina Safe Lid!
      http://www.cuchinasafe.com

    3. You are wrong. Palm oil is also grown and harvested in Southeast Asia along with Palm kernel oil, and is in fact killing the habitat which in turn is killing the orangutan population. Plantation owners are destroying these areas at an alarming rate just to manufacture Moyer oil so everyone can have plenty of this oil for themself and in turn is killing off another species. Sorry about this comment but it’s the truth.

      1. This article has ZERO to do with anything you suggested, it was STRICTLY about the HEALTH RISKS to HUMANS. Take your libtard BS somewhere else drone.

      2. John, my good Sir. I believe it has everything to do with the article. I read the article and found something that was said “in the article” that is simple not true. So I believe readers should know the true facts about something in an article. I had quoted directly from the article, so how is that b.s.? I’m just saying stop twisting words and facts to what you (foodbabe) thinks your readers want to hear. Simple, just state facts directly from the source and don’t reword them. As we all know in here, everyone is not perfect. Why not correct people when we have a chance so people can learn from their own mistake?

      3. Thank you for posting. I truly am thankful and don’t stop posting this because same a.hole was rude. Thanks again

      4. Palm oil can be classed as an environmental disaster and coconut oil is also not always beneficial for humans. Just get a microwave safe bowl put in 2 oz 50 gms corn. A splash of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. Cover and microwave on high for 5 minutes maximum. That is it.

      1. Yes, you can diy microwave popcorn either with a commercial glass popper or a microwave safe glass container such as a bowl or Pyrex measuring cup. You can use a ceramic or glass dish as the lid, although some venting produces better results. Maybe something like a hook could be hung on the side to lift up the lid a little? Silicone lids are also available for Pyrex measuring cups that would provide venting. And of course a paper lunch bag can be used.

        If plastic or silicone microwave containers are ok with you, then there are tons of commercial options.

        This way, you can make popcorn without anything but the corn if you like and no susceptors. Also can pop sorghum, which is so small that it scatters in an air popper. And you definitely can take unpopped kernels and run them through the process again to get more popped kernels.

        I wonder if these methods would also pop pumpkin seeds properly? I used to pop them in a frying pan. No oil needed, just watch and keep shaking. They’re heavy enough that they don’t jump out without a lid. You get tasty little football shapes at the end, just as you see in commercial roasted and salted pepitas. Just without the oil and salt.

        Stovetop methods work fine but are useless for anybody who doesn’t have a stove, such as me. So I use a microwave and a small convection/toaster oven for everything.

        I even cook pasta in the microwave (just heat up some water in a Pyrex measuring cup, maybe 2-3 times as much as the dry pasta volume, then add the pasta and stir and check as often as needed until done. In a 500W microwave, I stir every 4 minutes for wheat pasta (maybe total 10 minutes for white pasta, 12 minutes for whole wheat) and every 3 minutes for non-wheat pasta (which may clump more than wheat but unclumps after rinsing). You also can experiment with only heating for the first installment, stir, and then let sit in the microwave until done, especially for single portions.

        I stopped burning rice and millet and such when I started cooking them in the microwave, even when I actually had a stove, because the microwave turns off when you set it to turn off. The instructions and timings for boil (full power)/simmer (50% power) are usually about the same as on the stove, at least in a 500W oven. Watch carefully though, ovens differ.

        By the way, I microwave bagged frozen veggies and also precooked rice out of their official ready-to-microwave steamer bags all the time. I just open the bag and pour it into another microwave safe container. This way I also can freeze other size portions. Just because Uncle Ben thinks I need to eat a cup of rice doesn’t mean I do.

        If you don’t want to use plastic containers or bags (which can be washed and reused) for freezing portions, just get little Pyrex bowls with tight rubber lids. For single portions, I like the 1 cup and 2 cup sizes (2 cup size is good for 1 cup of soup, also allows for adding more veg or other things during heating). Half a baked potato (white or sweet) can fit in the 1 cup size. Take the lids off before putting them in the microwave. If it needs covering, use a microwave safe plate or a paper plate.

        Rubbermaid and Oxo have good smaller sizes for freezing (not microwaving) smaller portions, which I do for pricey nondairy ice cream and sorbets (1/4 cup or 1/2 cup).
        They are both nearly indestructible (I’m a dropper) and made of plastics or rubber which don’t bother me (I’m sensitive to many other types, either die to outgassing or leaching into liquids – soft plastics are the worst).

    4. We used a big pan on the stove with butter as the oil. It’s funny Don calling himself “old school” because really old school used lard in their cakes and saved the bacon grease in a jar on the stove and used that for pan frying etc, and my Mom would tell me these were bad for my heart, as she did these practices, but she lived to 82, charging around like a racehorse, the only thing that killed her was excess sugar and candy. She really never did slow down, and her brain was sharp as ever. But she was raised on a farm and got a good foundation there.

  2. And do not forget that microwaves basically shred the nutrients in the process of heating the food!

      1. “Emits electromagnetic radiation…”
        …………

        Uh, yeah, so what? Physics 101: practically everything emits electromagnetic radiation. Visible light is a form of electromagnetic radiation. Radio waves are electromagnetic radiation. Microwaves operate at a frequency right about in the middle between these other two forms. Just like visible light is low enough energy to not cause damage to the chemicals in our body, neither is there any evidence to suggest microwave ovens cause harm, save the idiotic hypothetical example of a person standing within the microwave in which case the injuries they would receive would be thermal (burns), not electromagnetic (remember the equation for energy is E=hc/lambda, where h is Planck’s constant, c is the speed of light constant, and lambda is wavelength, i.e., in terms of mathematics, energy is an inversely proportional function of wavelength). It takes wavelengths much smaller than visible light — e.g. UV light and x-rays — to have sufficient energy to force harmful ionization of atoms.

        The wi-fi transceiver you are likely using to connect to the internet right now even emits electromagnetic radiation in the same frequency range as microwave ovens, in fact. Perhaps you should switch that off as well.

  3. Why – once you’ve got the ingredients you’ve listed – can’t you use a pyrex bowl and just microwave the stuff? Since it no longer has the toxic or harmful ingredients used with the microwave popcorn, it should be fine, I would think!

  4. When anyone uses the word toxin or toxic you need to ask ‘At what level is it toxic?’, otherwise the term is meaningless. Water is toxic if you drink too much of it. We need oxygen to breath, but it is toxic at high levels. So too with other chemicals. There are no good or bad chemicals, it depends on the concentration. You need to test the microwave popcorn to show what chemicals are present in the food after microwaving and then relate this to the level at which it becomes harmful.

    1. Microwave radiation (in the electromagnetic spectrum, similar to radio waves) is just the right frequency to get certain molecules (such as water) rotating enough that they heat up the rest of the food from their motion. As a scientist myself, I don’t worry any more about microwaved food than I do about stove/oven heated food. It’s all radiant heating ultimately. Molecules move around and we get heated food from their kinetic energy.

      We do get much more exposure to various frequencies of electromagnetic radiation from other things (from the optical/visible from everything we see, infrared (heating), ultraviolet (the sun and special lamps), microwaves/radio waves (from all our gadgets, including tv and radio sets – radio waves are always passing through our bodies for the past century or so — the broadcasting doesn’t stop just because the gadget that detects them is off) and gamma waves (from background radioactive isotopes present even before the nuclear age in many materials and certainly in heating coal).

      Reasonable precautions can limit our exposure to some of it, such as sunscreens to avoid damaging solar ultraviolet and not sitting in the microwave, but we just have to live with most of it (we can’t see without optical radiation, for example). There are shielding methods that can help at the source (such as power poles) to help minimize exposure in some cases.

      We really don’t know the long-term effects of such exposure from all parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, to be honest, but that’s true for many other things in a high-tech society. Studies of such matters are enormously difficult and more often impossible to do properly, there are so many different factors involved in addition to the usual problems involved in clinical studies. Modern living requires a huge leap of faith, basically.

      1. Interesting item from the scientisst about the effect of microwaves. mayhap he has readily available info on how they influence methyl ethyl acrylate mandrels used for craniofacial maxillary reconstruction procedures? apparently he knows more than the health canada scientists about this. maybe even more than the very revered consumers choice, re the hall effect ignition systems in ’93 to ’95 chrysler engines?
        anyhoo I use portugese or celtic sea salt with real butter and a old fashioned heavy fry pan. when the lid starts getting raised the batch is done. caramel coated peanut butter popcorn balls. MESSY? OH YEAH !!! VACUUM FOOD? DEFINITELY.

  5. This recipe was awesome! The family loved it. You don’t experience the “after-taste” of microwave popcorn. I did not have hempseed, but I made it anyway. I put sea salt on the popcorn…. it turned out perfect! I will try it with hempseed next time.

  6. Vani, there’s a word spelling at the start of the 3rd paragraph below the chart under The Contents that needs to change……I figured out it was supposed to be Propyl, but it took a moment, because I hadn’t closely read the ingredients list above.

    I do have a question, too (which maybe I can find answers for by sifting through your site after I finish this), and that is, what should I be eating to make up for the fact that I’m eating grain-free (no barley, corn, einkorn, farro, kamut, millet, oats, rice, rye, sorghum, spelt, triticale, wheat…)?

  7. I love stove-popped popcorn. (I don’t even touch the microwave stuff) I have always used cold-pressed peanut oil , but I will switch to coconut oil (coconut’s my new favorite health food, anyway.)

    Can’t wait to try it , ty 🙂

  8. While the recipe is delicious, I don’t quite understand the problem with perfluorooctanoic acid. I’m minoring in chemistry and we just covered this fairly recently actually. Teflon and other food packaging is actually made from fluoropolymers and fluorinated telomers, which are completely different then PFOA. While there is a concern about trace amounts of PFOA in the environment, the EPA stated, based on hundreds of studies that: “The information that EPA has available does not indicate that the routine use of consumer products poses a concern.”.

    So I wouldn’t worry about using popcorn bags and non stick pans, its just large factories spewing the stuff out into the environment. On a positive note though, PFOA emission has been reduced by over 90% in the US from 2005-2010. Again though, amazing popcorn recipe! 🙂

    1. Really!?! Have you studied the breakdown of these chemicals & ingestion? These are petrol-based, aka heavy metal toxins, right!? Would you consume gasoline? This is the point of avoiding these chemicals. Besides, haven’t you seen a nonstick pan over time & scratches? There are plenty of warnings on getting rid of them for this reason. Not everything scientifically proven is fixed on the health aspects. Sure, you can consume arsenic every day of your life but I guarantee the it will have “cumulative health effects” over time!

      1. “petrol-based, aka heavy metal toxins”
        …….
        Hmmm. My expertise might be physics and mathematics, but I have studied quite a bit of chemistry in my day. “Petroleum” is a fairly general term for geologic-based, energy-rich hydrocarbons — a mix of alkanes, alkenes, and aromatics (sometimes called phenyls or hydrocarbon rings). These are molecules composed of hydrogen and carbon, the lightest and the sixth-lightest elements in existence, so the “heavy” part is patently false, and both are most definitely nonmetals. (Elements 3, 4, 11-13, 19-31, 37-50, 55-84, and 87-116 are defined as metals.) The lightest heavy metal is chromium, atomic mass 52.00 amu, more than four times the atomic mass of carbon, the most frequently occurring element in petroleum. Experimental data have shown that crude oil (i.e. petroleum) contains less than 0.1 % metals by weight.

        All of this is beside the point, however, as polytetrafluoroethylene, the chemical used in Teflon (PFOA is simply PTFE with a carboxyl group at the terminus, and its use as a practical emulsifer in the production of PTFE has decreased significantly over the years), is neither a hydrocarbon nor a petroleum-based product. It is a polymerization of the F2C=CF2 tetrafluoroethylene monomer, itself produced by fluorination of chloroform, a common naturally-occurring organic chemical. Pyrolysis (thermal decomposition) of PTFE does not become significant until 250 deg Celsius (for comparison, meats generally cook between 205-230 deg C, and most cooking oils will begin to smoke and flame by 260 C). So unless you are starting kitchen fires (a hazard unto themselves!), Teflon is not at all harmful, nor is it ingested. In fact, PTFE is also used to make your dental floss.

      2. LOL, well, that would be another reason I don’t use dental floss – in addition to the fluoride used in it. From what I recalled reading about teflon was how it caused hormonal imbalances, aka thyroid problems…
        Yeah, there are a LOT of “naturally occurring organics/chemicals” but that doesn’t make them safe for ingestion.
        Just sayin’!
        There’s a reason you don’t mix bleach & ammonia together – killing braincells might not be such a good thing, you know!

      3. Get some carcinogen-free floss. Lana, there are PFC-free dental flosses, and a lot of evidence that flossing is important for the health of your teeth, which is important for your health in general (including heart health). Don’t sacrifice your health out of fear.

        Besides, a “lack of indications of consumer health changes” is no reason to be particularly concerned about teflon. Especially if there is reason to believe that these things aren’t actually ingested, as SemperLogicus pointed out.

      4. Speaking as a chemist and physicist who is also quite sensitive to many commonly used petroleum derivatives (artificial fragrances, car exhausts) and gasoline fumes — ingesting petroleum is not the same as ingesting its derivatives. You might as well say ingesting water H2O is the same as ingesting hydrogen peroxide H2O2 because they have similar chemical compositions (but radically different properties). Likewise ozone O3 is not the same as oxygen O2 even though they both contain just the oxygen atom (that extra one in the ozone molecule makes quite a difference).

        The impact of every substance in our environment, old and new, has to be evaluated separately for the environment and for individuals. Most people do not have my problems with many common substances that are hard to avoid because they are in personal care products (including soap and shampoo, which persist on the user and contaminate everything they touch and my breathing space), laundry products (I can’t go outside when the neighbors are using scented laundry detergent or dryer sheets, it comes off dryer exhausts and from line-dried items) etc. Most people also don’t have to fear being arrested for DUI after eating an egg….

        Being cautious is fine, but we have to remember that our bodies do have detoxifying abilities or else the species would never have survived, since everything we eat or breathe or drink has always had toxic materials in it either naturally or as an often unavoidable contaminant. I’m
        surprised we even have survived drinking from rivers…. Mother Nature is quite dirty.
        We need to avoid overloading those detoxifying organs such as the liver (consider the long use of alcohol, which the liver can handle in small amounts but heavy drinking is likely to cause it serious problems). Even water can kill us if we drink too much too fast.

        Be wary of putting too much faith in animal studies, because different species react drastically differently to different substances (my cat can’t handle some of my foods, for example) and those studies give them ridiculously large amounts of the test substance under very unrealistic conditions in general (and also never bother to get the victim’s informed consent, they should be banned anyway). Anybody can be sensitive to any amount of a particular substance, but you need to be aware of your own reactions and not trust a little captive mouse’s reaction to an overdose to be the same as yours to normal amounts. Everything can be toxic, so we need to figure out safety thresholds but not assume every chemical compound will be damaging in reasonable amounts. We just aren’t that fragile as a species.

    1. Didn’t read the whole thing? “Please note red palm oil is different from palm kernel oil (that is grown in SouthEast Asia and killing orangutans). Red palm oil comes from Ecuador and harvested sustainably. “

  9. red palm oil? Seriously? I’ve been reading for years how Palm oil farms are ruining what used to be the last few tropical forests, ruining the local economies, and ruing the environment.

    1. Reread the article. Dr oz explains the difference between red palm oil &,palm kernal oil.

    2. “Please note red palm oil is different from palm kernel oil (that is grown in SouthEast Asia and killing orangutans). Red palm oil comes from Ecuador and harvested sustainably. ” This was on the end of the article. What irritates me is when folks don’t read the article and make false assumptions because they missed the information.

  10. I would like to see an alternative to the palm oil since there is so much news about how farming it is so detrimental to orangutan species. This is not worth killing animals when it’s not necessary.

    1. ..red palm oil is different from palm kernal oil. If you reread the article, theres a part where Dr Oz can explain the difference.

  11. Why don’t people just use air-poppers? Many offices have a ‘no microwave popcorn’ rule because people always burn it. Just keep a cheap popper in the common area. Problem solved.

    1. Red Palm and Palm Oil are not the same thing. Read carefully, the link to a site that explains the difference is embedded in the article.

      1. I see your point. If people responsibly purchase red palm oil from growers in Ecuador or other south american countries, you’re right the orangutans are not put at higher risk. However, red palm oil sourced from Malaysia or Indonesia does further the destruction of the orangutan habitat in SE Asia. Red palm oil can be sourced from regular palm oil plantations in SE Asia; it’s just processed differently. As consumers we have the power to make a difference; I love that you linked a fair-trade brand to help us out!

  12. Have you researched the bagged kettle corn or popped corns & how they produce theirs? I’m curious since my Dad is on a kettle corn eating spree lately & I think it’s a bit harsh on the body/colon.

  13. This was an interesting presentation & ensuing discussion. I am inclined to avoid chemical ingredients I am unfamiliar with, teflon pots & pans, and after living many years with my family in Switzerland, where corn in general is reserved as cattle food, i have found many other foods to eat….My family and I never owned a microwave in Switzerland & never missed it. I enjoy creating healthful meals with my family. It’s fun & time well-spent together. I believe in investing in good quality cookware that should last s lifetime. Why waste money and ruin the environment on cookware that you have to replace every few years?

  14. Can you provide the nutritional info for calculating weight watchers points ?
    fat
    carb
    fiber
    protein
    I just ordered everything from your links and can’t wait to have a healthy snack!

  15. You are wrong. Palm oil is also grown and harvested in Southeast Asia along with Palm kernel oil, and is in fact killing the habitat which in turn is killing the orangutan population. Plantation owners are destroying these areas at an alarming rate (creating new Plantations) just to manufacture more oil so everyone can have plenty of this oil for themself and in turn is killing off another species. Sorry about this comment but it’s the truth. So to put it in a harsh way eat more Red Palm oil, and Palm kernel oil which is used to produce some types of Red Palm oil, Kill more Orangutans! Look how she worded where the Red Palm oil comes from. She says they are diff. Yes but does not say Red is not grown there also. She states that…..( Please note red palm oil is different from palm kernel oil (that is grown in SouthEast Asia and killing orangutans). Red palm oil comes from Ecuador and harvested sustainably). …Yes it does come from Ecuador..LOL, but ALSO from Southeast Asia.

  16. “No long term studies have been conducted on humans” That means it is not cancer causing. EPA has become anti-science that is makes rulings based on “feelings”?

  17. While my way still uses a microwave this is the way our family does popcorn. Pour 1/3 cup of popcorn into a brown paper bag. Fold the end of the bag in a couple of times for a rough seal and microwave on the popcorn setting. Corn pops up just like an air popper, then add some butter or coconut oil and season to taste. Much cheaper and healthier!

  18. Tried this popcorn recipe tonight, and will continue to make there from here on out. It was terrific!
    I Refused to buy microwave popcorn anymore because I knew it was so awful for us to consume, but HATED the air popper as it made the popcorn chewy. Popcorn shouldn’t be chewy! 🙂
    My kids LOVE popcorn, and Im glad to know that they can eat something like this that is SO much healthier! The Red Palm oil is a nice buttery touch, but I think we could even do without it…..Great stuff.. thanks for sharing!

  19. It would be super nice if you actually included real instructions for cooking the popcorn correctly. Totally burned mine, wasted a bunch of expensive coconut oil, and totally ruined one of my good expensive pots. Thanks a lot.

  20. Interesting. I’d say this will seriously make me think twice before I buy micro popcorn again. But some arguments are really bad. Butane is not toxic, maybe you confuse it with harmful.
    Also one could say that salt (sodium chloride) is made of lye (sodium hydroxide) and hydrochloric acid. This does not make table salt very dangerous.
    Also the fact that some food chemical names are too long to type does not make them dangerous. Try spelling out the main chemicals which olive oil consist of…for example.
    Anyway recipie was good and I just tried it.

    1. I only use GLASS to cook in the microwave. Check out my recipes using only glass to cook in the micorwave! Be cautious of BPA free plastics, they have EA ( Estrogen Activities) I believe my Estrogen Breast Cancer was caused in part from the plastics I used in the microwave.
      http://www.microwavelid.com

  21. We shouldn’t be consuming any oils according to Dr. Joel Wallach and Dr. Peter Glidden; it clogs up everything and causes kidney disease as well as heart disease among other health issues.

    I was hopeful until I read the part about still using an oil for popcorn.

    According to Dr. Joel Wallach if we need a little oil, it should be lard or real butter which does not clog the arteries. He is totally against microwave popcorn,

    Best case scenario for popcorn is to pop it yourself with an air popper or on the stove with a little lard and if you like, add some butter. Try a little maple syrup (pure organic) with a little Celtic sea salt. So yummy!

    The goal is to eliminate oils, period because they do a lot of damage and prevents normal blood flow to the organs.

  22. The less you use a microwave the better. Stovetop popcorn is healthier than the microwave.

  23. I love the food babe, but palm oil? No! That destroys the habitat of endangered species. 🙁 And coconut oil is not my favorite either – very high in saturated fat. We pop organic multi-colored popcorn kernels on the stove with avocado oil and sea salt. Yum!

  24. You need to consider WHY people of old days and on farms lived longer with a sharp mind til the day they die and energy that is unharnessed ( even tho the had no modern conveniences like washing machines).

    The microwave was NEVER in the kitchen. It is true we live in a EM generation, but saying using on electric item puts out less than another and is safer to use, is like saying to a child who got a D on their report card ” at least it wasn’t an F”

    The goal is to obtain wellness, at ALL cost….even and especially if that includes living with a little extra workload and inconvenience ( stove vs microwave).
    The kitchen of old brings back memories of good smells, pleasant chatter, interaction and good socializing while making supper or jelly together, people who enjoyed sitting at the dinner table together AND actually tasting the flavors in a meal that makes your mouth crave it to this day for moms ” Famous” apple pie recipe.

    Microwaves have stolen more than vitamins and flavor in a food, it has stolen an enjoyable way of life that grew folks into a unified social need for one another. The dinner table was more than a necessity to nourish the body, it was an essential need for developing the body soul and mind. A need for each other.

    With that thought , I will now say we the people have given up what was healthy and balanced in our lives for one another…..for a convenience that HAS proven destructive.
    We have become an instant society, and removed much….including a little extra work that provides exercise and keeps the body healthy. Our grandparents didn’t go to the spa or carve out a workout time…or even plan a walk or ride a bike. They had plenty of exercise thru each day that provides that….and slept well each night only to get up as the cock crowed to so it again.
    It was a healthy way to live.
    We, MAN is destroying their own health by ALL and EVERYTHING they do to make life more convenient for what? An unhealthiness that we clearly see growing and life ending earlier.
    If our conveniences are so good for us, then why do we survive on pharma cocktails and have more anxiety and cancer today than ever recorded.
    Doesn’t hanging clothes outside blowing in the breeze, bring back warm, loving, memories with a fresh smell of sheets on the bed, something we never duplicate or think of with sheets from the dryer?!!!
    It is a way of life folks! One that we willingly gave away for the exchange of an unhealthy body that we now have to WORK at to get exercise, in a world that has become so stressful, even tho we have all the conveniences of a king….and what our grandparents could never have dreamed of having. Yet they were healthier and happier and not bored even tho they HAD TO do it everyday for survival.
    I don’t think they would have traded places with us today, for all the tea in China.
    Micro waves are very dangerous to our way of life, in many more ways than radiating and killing all the nutrients and vitamins out of our food, and turn it into something we consume with no more value than a piece of cardboard.
    It is up to each of us to begin to turn back the clock to a time that gave us Memories and life that was worth having and living.
    You have no memories to pass on, but our grandparents gave us a treasure trove ….and didn’t do anything different than live their NORMAL life!

  25. All popcorn whether I made organic non gmo on the stove with coconut oil or eat from a toxic bag gives me a bloated body and face next day, and can trigger a depression episode. I think it might be the lectins but not sure. By reading this article you would think that eating popcorn is totally great as long as you make it yourself and that’s just simply not true- you should really warn about the fact that corn is a grain- and there are many issues with those with a lot of people that would be looking at your site because most of us are not completely gut healthy or ready or we wouldn’t be here..

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