by Catherine Barbaro

Created on: October 06, 2008   Last Updated: October 14, 2008

Health gurus promote that health-conscious choices can be found at any eatery and choice is the secret. Movie theatres are the most difficult places to find healthy options. A little information makes wise choices possible, however. Most movie foods are high in salt which sells more drinks. Theatres don't make their money on ticket sales but on food sales. To promote more food being sold, drinks and foods are sugary. This sets up a vicious cycle of thirst quenching and carbohydrate cravings that can spiral a healthy diet out of control

Typical theatre choices have traditionally been butter-flavored oil popcorn, hot dogs, oversized boxes of candy, giant pickles and enormous soft drinks. In recent years, a variety of foods have begun surfacing at theatres including some that have tables and theatre chairs where food orders are taken while eaters sit in front of the big screen. Upscale coffee, pizza and gourmet pastries have become common fares at large multi-plexes.

The calorie contents seem to have grown with the choices. Some typical nutritional content of movie foods are:

Food Calories Fat grams Sugar grams Fiber grams

Oil popped Popcorn (large) 1500 160 0 1

Popcorn (small, no butter) 573 35 0 0

Hot Dog 305 19 4 1

Pizza (1 slice) 500 20 7 5

Pretzel 483 4.5 .5 2.5

Pickle 40 .5 5 0

Snickers Butter Crunch bag) 728 40 76.5 3.6

Starburst (8 pcs.) 160 3.5 23 0

Twix Kingsize 475 23.8 13 0

Gummy Bears (30) 125 0 25 0

Soda (32 oz. with ice) 262 0 72 0

Diet Soda 0 0 0 0

Nachos (4 0z.) 1101 59 1 7

The above list highlights the worst offenders. Of all available choices, the least desirable are popcorn, nachos, chocolate candy, and pizza. Other than purchasing bottled water or sneaking in snacks, the best choices are still not the best food for good health but the healthiest choices of typical movie fare are those giant pickles, gummy bears, and diet soda. Choosing all of the best items together totals a mere 165 calories and less than 1 gram of fat.

There is no secret about movie foods being unhealthy for the most part, but there is a hidden movie theatre confidential. The big secret in movie theatres is that not all of them forbid outside food from being brought inside. One movie theatre assistant-manager told me that pizza could even be delivered but I would have to meet the delivery at the front door because they couldn't allow delivery inside the movie. After that, I freely carried in whatever food I wanted. That movie theatre became my first choice for viewing. All it takes is a phone call or an email to the theatres website asking whether outside food is allowed. Most theatres don't allow outside food but it doesn't hurt to ask.

The latest movies on the big screen don't have to sabotage good health. Informed decisions return the power to the consumer. Although healthy choices are not obviously abundant, options are available. Calling ahead to determine if outside food is allowed and planning before standing in front of the food counter offer the best options.

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