Popcorn made in those microwave bags with the shiny silver insides are a very popular snack but recent health concerns have come to light that have health experts worried.
Here’s three microwavable popcorn health risks and three good reasons to switch to healthier alternatives such as nuts, or at the very least make your own popcorn to avoid some surprisingly toxic chemicals.
1. Diacetyl Butter Flavoring
Diacetyl is an artificially created chemical that has been used in the ‘butter’ flavorings that are common in microwave popcorn. So many people who worked manufacturing this product became sick with scarring of the lungs that the condition was termed ‘popcorn lung’.
American popcorn manufacturers promised to come up with safer alternatives to this chemical, but regulators have recently found that the diacetyl substitutes they chose may be just as toxic. Butter starter distillates and trimmers, the most common replacements, themselves contain diacetyl or release it when heated and are not considered any healthier than the original toxic chemical they are meant to supersede.
In Europe diacetyl is still approved for use and is a common additive in snack foods. This is despite studies that have linked diacetyl directly to Alzheimer’s. It easily crosses the blood brain barrier, has been demonstrated to cause damage to important proteins in the brain and may be a trigger for this terrible disease.
Clearly diacetyl and its chemically similar replacements are not substances you want to be regularly putting in your body if you value your health. If you really want some butter flavored popcorn then it’s far better to get some organic corn and make your own with the real thing. Artificial butter flavoring is a very suspect ingredient and well worth avoiding.
2. TBHQ – Lighter Fluid with Your Popcorn?
