Popcorn is the favorite food of most Americans today with nearly 54 quarts consumed per person each year. However, popcorn can be harmful to health and it exposes you to chemicals that are known to be cancerous. Indeed, microwave popcorn can cause trouble to your life and the following are the possible negative effects of it that you should learn and keep in mind.
Possible Dangers of Microwave Popcorn
1. PFOA
One of the dangers of microwave popcorn is that the makers of microwave popcorn cover the bags by using a chemical that breaks down while the cooking process takes place. The result will be the formation of a particular substance called PFOA or perfluorooctanoic acid. PFOA is classified as a chemical that can cause cancer as stated by the Environmental Protection Agency.
2. Diacetyl
It is also a chemical that is typically used in making the microwave popcorn tastes like butter. However, it can cause harm to your health as it can contribute to the development of the so called popcorn worker’s lung. There’s a debate concerning whether a person who consumes one or two bags of microwave popcorn every week is at risk to develop popcorn lung. A man from the city of Denver said that he acquired the disease from consuming 2 bags of microwave popcorn each day for ten years. To prevent inhalation of diacetyl, you should open a bag of freshly popped corn at a distance from your face. If there’s an exhausted fan connected to your stove, you can use that for your safety.
3. Burns
The process behind microwaving popcorn inside the bags can cause steam that can easily trigger serious burns to your hands and face. You should keep yourself away from getting burned when you open a bag of freshly popped corn. You can do that by keeping your hands and face away from the bag’s opening.
4. Tooth Damage
Most popcorn bags have some unpopped kernels and the hard pieces could chip & crack teeth. Way back in 2008, there was a man who filed a case against a cinema center after having a fractured tooth from ingesting an unpopped kernel. Aside from that possibility, kernel could also get stuck in between your teeth which can cause gum irritation. To avoid that from happening, you can eat some small amounts of microwave popcorn for once and avoid eating firm unpopped kernels.
5. Calories, Fats and Salt
A bag that is full of butter-tasted microwave popcorn may contain a maximum of fat (24 grams), salt (500-600mgs) and around 600 calories. It beats the huge popcorn at certain movie theaters that can pack as much as 60 grams of fat yet that’s far from being fit and healthy.
Although the prepackaged microwave popcorn comes with dangers, popcorn could be a nutritious snack and might be the best food for snack. One serving of microwave popcorn comes with double quantity of polyphenols which is present in most veggies and fruits. This fact is according to Joe Vinson, Ph.D from the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania.
If you desire to know more about microwave popcorn, you can use the web to make your own research. The internet can provide more information about this topic.
