BY LEAH ZERBE

The only thing more terrifying than the October horror movies you’re watching is the contents of the popcorn bowl sitting in your lap. In its purest form, popcorn really is a smart, healthy snack—a superfood, even. All of that went up in flames, though, once food manufacturers got a hold of the beloved snack and created convenient, microwavable popcorn bags. Learn how modern day popcorn products could be wrecking your thyroid and lungs—and seek safer options—by reading

Poisonous Popcorn?

The only thing more terrifying than the October horror movies you’re watching is the contents of that popcorn bowl sitting in your lap. In its truest form, popcorn really is a smart, healthy snack—even a superfood. Its purity went up in flames, though, once food manufacturers got hold of the beloved snack and created convenient, microwavable popcorn bags. Americans woof down a whopping 52 quarts of popcorn a year, and much of that is from microwavable versions. But before you nuke one more bag, you need to know the health risks involved.

Toxic Bag Liners

Like many fast-food packaging, most microwavable popcorn bags are coated with perfluorochemicals, or PFCs, a class of chemicals linked to various cancers and reproductive system damage. Food manufacturers add the obesity-promoting chemicals to bags to make them more greaseproof, even though these chemicals have been linked to thyroid disease and ADHD, among other ills. Once ingested, PFCs remain in our bodies for a long time, which is another area of concern for these troubling chemicals.

So how do you know if your favorite brand uses these chemical-laden bags? It’s tough to know for sure. “Typically, packaged food manufacturers, organic or otherwise, buy their food packaging from another supplier, and they themselves might not know what is the exact composition of food packaging,” explains Olga Naidenko, PhD, senior scientist at Environmental Working Group (EWG), a nonprofit human and environmental health watchdog group. “This is an area where consumers should be calling for more information.”

So how do you know if your favorite brand uses these chemical-laden bags? It’s tough. “Typically, packaged food manufacturers, organic or otherwise, buy their food packaging from another supplier and they themselves might not know what is the exact composition of food packaging,” explains Olga Naidenko, PhD, senior scientist at Environmental Working Group, a non-profit human and environmental health watchdog group. “This is an area where consumers should be calling for more information

Unfriendly Flavoring

It’s not just the popcorn bag chemicals public health experts are concerned about, either. Harsh chemicals are often applied to popcorn and other pre-packaged foods to fool our taste buds into thinking it’s freshly made fare. One of the most acutely toxic popcorn chemicals—diacetyl, the fake flavor used to create a buttery flavor—has been linked to lung damage in microwavable-popcorn factory workers and, in rare cases, in consumers, too. “Researchers from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health discovered that workers inhaling this chemical, as was happening in microwave-popcorn manufacturing, develop severe lung disease, literally losing the ability to breathe,”

The bad PR prompted many manufacturers to phase out this “natural flavoring,” although diacetyl replacements are similar chemicals that may also damage lungs.

The bad PR prompted many manufacturers to phase out this “natural flavoring,” although diacetyl replacements are similar chemicals that may also damage lungs.

GMOs

Genetically engineered food ingredients have never been tested for long-term impact on human health, and some preliminary animal studies suggest GMOs could cause digestive disease, food allergies, and even tumors. If your popcorn is not organic, you’re running the risk that the oils and flavoring agents used could contain GMO material.

Factory Fats

Industrialized fats like trans fats are a horror to your heart and have even been linked to reproductive problems like endometriosis. Food manufacturers love them because they help keep products shelf-stable, but the dangerous fats aren’t always easy to ID on the label.

Even if the nutrition label on your favorite popcorn brand reads “0% trans fat,” you may want to take a closer look. Any hydrogenated oils on the label indicate the presence of trans fats. The loophole? If it’s less than 0.5 percent, food manufacturers don’t have to post trans fat percentage on the label.

Plastic Liners

Some of the world’s leading public health experts will tell you this simple health tip: Never heat up plastic. That’s because heating the petrochemicals will accelerate leaching of harmful chemicals into your food. In fact, in 2010, the President’s Cancer Panel suggested avoiding plastics to lower your risk of cancer. Unfortunately, plastic liners are now popping up in some microwavable popcorn.

Safer Solutions

Pop it manually. Good old-fashioned stovetop popcorn really isn’t all that inconvenient. Purchase plain organic popcorn kernels at your favorite natural food store and add to a bit of oil or butter in a pot (coconut oil and grass-fed ghee or butter are delicious and contain healthy fats). Cover the pot with a lid and gentle shake over the flame until most of the popping stops. Afterward, add healthy seasonings that suit your taste buds, including non-GMO nutritional yeast, lemon juice, or inflammation-fighting turmeric. “Manually popping is still the most reliable method to know exactly what’s in your food,” says EWG’s Naidenko.

Try DIY microwavable popcorn. Add plain organic popcorn kernels to a plain brown paper lunch bag, fold the top down a few times, and heat up in the microwave. Take the popcorn out when the popping slows down to just a few pops every five seconds.
Go for a more progressive pop. Quinn Popcorn is changing the world of microwavable popcorn—and for the better. This newer brand features organic, Non-GMO Project Verified kernels, no harmful additives, and compostable bags with no chemical or plastic liners, and cold-pressed natural oils. The brand is available at select Whole Foods and natural foods stores. If you’re looking for a bag of pre-popped popcorn, try Skinny Pop—it’s delicious and Non-GMO Project Verified.

One of the biggest excuses I hear from people as to why they fail to eat a healthy breakfast that supports a fat-burning metabolism is that they “don’t have time” to make a breakfast like that and instead they end up resorting to blood sugar skyrocketing cereals, muffins, and bagels.

As you know, these grain-based high carb breakfasts are the WORST thing you can eat if you want to lose fat.  They spike blood sugar and insulin, crashing energy levels, and causing cravings and increased appetite by mid morning.  But a good egg or protein based breakfast has been proven in studies to help people maintain less body fat, stable blood sugar levels, and balanced hormones when compared to carb-based breakfasts.

But what about the excuse about “not having time” to make an egg breakfast?

Well, it’s FALSE!  I’ve proven this myself… recently, I was late for a flight in the morning and had to make a really quick breakfast.  I knew I wanted some eggs to satisfy my appetite until the afternoon, but didn’t have time to make a full blown scrambled eggs and veggies breakfast.

My 4-minute fat-burning breakfast:

So what I did was simply fry up 3 really quick eggs over easy and threw some hot sauce on top (Sriracha is my favorite!)

Then I cut up a small avocado on the side, a great source of fiber and healthy fats.  And I also added a couple big forkfuls of Kimchi (delicious fermented Korean style veggies, and a great source of gut healthy probiotics).

It’s such a simple and delicious breakfast and literally only took 4 minutes to make!  It keeps blood sugar low and stable, gives your body loads of important nutrients, and keeps your appetite under control for hours and hours.

If you want to lose body fat faster, this type of breakfast will help you get lean, whereas a normal cereal, muffin, or bagel breakfast only contributes to body fat and out of control blood sugar cycles.

The 3 Best Foods to Eat in the Morning

and now for the fun part: what you should …

3. Organic Peanut Butter

Peanut butter can give you a quick protein boost to give you energy and keep you satisfied all morning long. A couple of tips: try spreading your peanut butter on apple or banana slices instead of bread, or add a tablespoon to a kefir smoothie (see below). Be sure to choose a natural brand with just peanuts (not added vegetable oils or sugar), and go organic, as peanuts tend to be a heavily pesticide-sprayed crop.

2. Kefir

Kefir, a yogurt-like beverage made from fermented milk, is loaded with beneficial enzymes and bacteria that aid digestion and boost your immune system. A natural energy booster, kefir can easily replace coffee or tea in the morning, and will provide your body with vitamins and minerals instead of simply caffeine. Kefir has a pleasant tart flavor, but you can sweeten it up naturally by adding in a handful of fresh berries or banana slices.

1. Eggs

As an excellent source of both protein and fat, eggs will leave you feeling satisfied longer than a bagel or bowl of cereal ever could. Plus, they contain B vitamins like choline for your heart and brain (and reduced levels of inflammation) and naturally occurring antioxidants that benefit your eyes.

If you’re worried about your cholesterol, don’t be. The latest research has shown that eggs no not significantly impact cholesterol levels, and may, in fact, improve your cholesterol profile. Plus, one study found that, compared to those who eat bagels, people who eat two eggs for breakfast lose 65 percent more weight and have higher energy levels![ii]

Your alarm clock went off 30 minutes ago. You’re showered, dressed and now ready for some breakfast to fill your empty tummy.

But wait!

Don’t just grab whatever sounds good or whatever you can scarf down the fastest to get out the door. It’s important to choose your morning foods wisely, as what you eat now can very much impact your energy levels, focus, and even your mood in the mid-morning hours to come.

So before you raid the fridge, browse through the cheat sheet below. It’s filled with foods you should most definitely steer clear of, as well as three in which to indulge.

The 5 Worst Foods to Eat in the Morning

1. Muffins

A muffin seems like a sensible choice, especially compared to a doughnut or Danish. But a muffin is really a breakfast “wolf” hiding in sheep’s clothing – especially if it’s store-bought. Most store-bought muffins are giant, which means they can sometimes contain over 600 calories. And for those calories, you’re not getting any protein or healthy fat to keep you satiated. No. Instead you’re getting refined carbs like white or wheat flour and sugar – the very recipe for a growling stomach in about an hour … plus weight gain in the long term.

By the way, don’t fall for the “bran” muffin trap either. Even these seemingly healthy muffins are typically far too high in sugar and calories to be any benefit to your health. If you want fiber, eat some fresh veggies instead.

2. Cereal

We know it’s a beloved favorite, but that bowl of honey-nut o’s, sweetened flakes or crispy rice is not going to keep you full, and worse, it will send your blood sugar on a rollercoaster ride that ends with you yawning at your desk, barely able to keep your eyes open.

Most cereals are empty calories, simple carbs and sugar, disguised as a “healthy” breakfast choice. Don’t be fooled. Some of the most popular cereals are more than 50 percent sugar, by weight, and easily contain more sugar than a Twinkie or three chocolate chip cookies![i]

3. Bagels

Would you sit down and eat four slices of bread? Probably not. Well a bagel from a bagel chain is often the equivalent of four servings of bread … as in, a truckload of simple carbs that your body will quickly convert into sugar (i.e. your mid-morning energy crash is guaranteed). Many also contain added sugar — and even those that claim to be made from “whole grains” are usually mostly white flour with a bit of whole grain added in for good measure.

4. Pancakes

Pancakes are mostly refined flour, with some milk, eggs and butter mixed in. Even under the best circumstances (i.e., they’re homemade), they’re a source of simple carbs that will cause your blood sugar and insulin levels to spike and crash. If you make them from a boxed mix or get them at a fast-food restaurant, you can expect them to contain more sugar and some even contain disease-causing trans fats.

Of course, virtually nobody eats pancakes without syrup, which is a synonym for “corn syrup and sugar.” Even the 100% maple varieties are really just another form of sugar.

5. Doughnuts

There is really nothing redeeming about a doughnut, other than, perhaps, it’s taste. But when you get down to the nitty-gritty, a doughnut is a mix of refined flour, sugar, and oils (probably partially hydrogenated oils, i.e. trans fats). That sugary concoction is then fried and topped with more sugar in the form of frosting or glaze. If your only option to eat in the morning is doughnuts, you’re better off eating nothing at all.