Avoid Microwave Popcorn

We used to always buy bagged microwave popcorn and often. Never again. Once I found out how harmful it can truly be for my kids and family (and saw the list of ingredients), I stopped. For over a year now, we make all our popcorn on the stove top in a Whirley Popper. It works great, the popcorn taste great, and I have no paper bags to throw away. 

Most microwaved popcorn contains artificial colors, artificial flavors, loads of sodium, TBHQ, and many other {bad} things. You can easily make a large Whirley Popper full of {clean} popcorn for less than a $1. (And that is using organic butter and organic coconut oil)

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is a long-chain perfluorinated chemical (LCPFC) that does not occur naturally in the environment.

Sounds lovely, huh? Well, it's in your microwave popcorn. Or at least it used to be. I am still not sure if it has been removed or not from microwaved popcorn since I started this journey. I know that we will NEVER buy bagged microwave popcorn again.

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.” Another study has found an acid that can be extracted from the chemical causes cancer in animals and is “likely to cause cancer in humans.”

A second potential danger in microwave popcorn is diacetyl, an FDA-approved chemical found in the fake butter flavoring. There’s even a debilitating respiratory disease called “popcorn workers lung,” (the medical name of the condition is bronchiolitis obliterans) suffered by microwave popcorn factory workers caused by extended inhalation of the chemical’s fumes. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, (NIOSH) concluded that diacetyl needs further study so that workers in the flavorings and snack industry are no longer at risk.

The Food and Drug Administration continues to study whether consumers can develop lung disease from inhaling diacetyl. In response to the concerns regarding the risks of diacetyl exposure, a number of microwave popcorn manufacturers have discontinued using it in their products. (Source) 

Do you really want to spend time reading labels of microwaved popcorn when it's SO easy to make on the stove top? We use the Whirley-Pop, but you could easily use any pot with a lid.

My father in law has Alzheimer's Disease and it is a terrible disease to watch progress. We pray that my husband (and myself) never gets that diagnosis and are doing all we can to make that not happen.  Here's an article discussing the danger of diaetyl and it's link to Alzheimer's Disease:

Diacetyl: chemical in artificial butter popcorn linked to Alzheimer's plaque build-up 

You can take it a step further and buy all organic items for popping your corn and avoid most GMOs. What do I mean by "most"? See below.

100% Organic: Must contain 100 percent organically produced ingredients (excluding water and salt). This is the only label that certifies a completely organic product AND completely GMO-free ingredients.

Certified Organic / USDA Organic / Organic: At least 95 percent of content is organic by weight (excluding water and salt). The <5% remaining ingredients must consist of substances approved on the USDA’s National List. GMOs are NOT on this list, so these products are also usually GMO-free.

Made with Organic: Up to 70% of the ingredients are organic. These products can NOT carry a “USDA organic” label and are NOT typically GMO-free.