Ditch the Extra Fats & Preservatives

Microwave popcorn? You really eat that stuff? Most of the pre-packaged microwave popcorn on the market is full of all sorts of additives, preservatives, and fats you don’t want to put into your body. Drop that box and run for your life!

Some scary things to know about commercial microwave popcorn:

• The bags are usually lined with perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), which is used to make Teflon. The EPA lists this stuff as a carcinogen. It has also been linked to thyroid issues, and high cholesterol.
• The oils and fats used in microwave popcorn are often those we should avoid: partially hydrogenated soybean oil; palm oil; corn oil. Soybean and corn oil are usually made from GMO crops, and palm oil is linked to deforestation, habitat degradation and climate change. In addition, some brands of popcorn still contain trans fats, the most deadly type of fats used in foods.
• Natural and artificial flavors. That’s the food manufacturing shorthand for “a bunch of stuff we don’t really want to talk about”. They might include castoreum, which comes from beaver’s anal glands (no, I’m not making this up), or diacetyl, which has been connected to lung issues.

You don’t want to eat that stuff! So, let’s make our own, healthier version.

You Just Need Two Things

Making your own healthy microwave popcorn is really simple. All you need is two things:

Yep. That’s it. To make your own microwave popcorn, you just need a quarter cup of your favorite popcorn, and a brown paper lunch sack.

In Case You Need Instructions…

Need instructions? Really? OK, are some instructions:

Pour the popcorn into the bag. Fold the top of the bag over three times.

Put the bag in the microwave, and push the popcorn button. If the popcorn stops popping before the timer rings, remove the bag from the microwave. Don’t overcook, or you’ll get the dreaded black popcorn—and if you really overcook it, the bag will start to burn, too.

Open the bag by pulling the sides apart. Don’t stick your face over the bag, or you’ll get a blast of steam in it.

Pour into a bowl. Add your favorite toppings.

Eat.

A Few Topping Suggestions

Popcorn toppings are infinitely reconfigurable, depending on what you’re currently craving. Here are a few of my favorite topping ideas:

Movie Theatre Style: Heat 2 Tablespoons of butter or Earth Balance butter substitute in the microwave for about 20 seconds. Pour over the popcorn, toss well, and sprinkle with popcorn salt. Trust me, get the popcorn salt rather than table salt. Its finer texture makes all the difference in the world.

Cheesy Style: Heat 2 Tablespoons of butter or Earth Balance butter substitute in the microwave for about 20 seconds. Pour over the popcorn, toss well, and sprinkle with 2 Tablespoons of nutritional yeast, and popcorn salt. Tastes really cheesy!

Buffalo Style: Put 2 Tablesppons of butter or Earth Balance butter substitute and 2 Tablesppons of Frank’s Red Hot sauce in a small microwave-safe bowl. Heat in the microwave for about 15 seconds, until the butter is melted. Stir well, and pour over popcorn. Toss until there’s no puddle of sauce in the bottom of the bowl. Make sure you have extra napkins for this one!

Chili or Taco Style: Toss a bowl of popcorn with 2 Tablespoons of melted butter or extra-virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of your favorite chili or taco seasoning mix.

Cheesy Garlic & Black Pepper Style: Toss a bowl of popcorn with 2 Tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with black pepper, garlic powder, and nutritional yeast. Delicious, but you will definitely have killer garlic breath after eating this.

Asian Style: Melt 2 Tablespoons of coconut oil in the microwave, and pour over popcorn. Sprinkle with five spice powder.