Thunk Thursday

I will be out of the office today, having a bone graft performed.  I am not looking forward to this procedure, especially after the first attempted bone graft failed.  What?  I didn't tell you about it?  Once I'm on the other side, and can laugh about it, maybe I can come back and tell you the horrors of inept dentistry practices.  So in my absence I leave you with a Thunk Thursday.

I am not a dietitian, nor am I a college graduate, but I do feel like I am intelligent person.  Why is a the Nutrition Facts Label on popcorn so difficult to understand?  I think the popcorn manufactures purposely do not want us to know what we are eating.  They want their product to look healthier than it truly is.

I'll start at the top.  A serving size is 2 TBS of unpopped popcorn.  Really?  Nobody, and I mean nobody, eats unpopped popcorn.  Why bother with this insignificant measure?  Second, if there are 3 servings per bag and 10 bags per box, why are there 28 servings per box?  Is something wrong with my math?

Say I eat a bag of popcorn, that isn't difficult for me to do.  How many calories have I consumed?  How much fat?  What about Sodium?

After the silly 2 TBS unpopped serving size, the label states "makes 4 cups popped."  So it's safe to assume 2 TBS unpopped equals 4 cups popped.  Servings per bag says about 3.  Can I assume that this means each bag is the eqivalent of 12 cups of popcorn?  Why, under calories does the label compare 2 TBS Unpopped to 1 cup popped?  It clearly staes "amount per serving" yet above says a serving size is 4 cups of popped corn.  So using some basic math, if I eat one bag of popcorn, I am consuming approximately 360 calories.

If I am on a Sodium Restricted diet, I also need to know how much Sodium I ate in that same bag of popcorn.  Can one of you math geniuses (Hilary) tell me how much sodium is in a bag of popped popcorn?  Either I lack the math skills required to figure this out or the label is so deceptive that I can't compute the information.  Or possibly my brain isn't functioning properly because of a fever I currently have.

How much saturated fat am I getting in a bag of popcorn?  According to the chart, 2 TBS unpopped contains 2.5 g.  Does 1 cup of popped have that same amount?  The percentages show 2.5 g as 13% of daily values for unpopped.  If I ate an entire bag unpopped, I will have consumed 7.5g.  The same chart shows 0% for saturated fat in 1 cup of popcorn.  If I eat a bag of 12 cups and multiply 12 times 0%, I get 0 grams of saturated fat???  I don't think so.

Can't wait to hear what answer you all come up with.  Take your time.  I'll be out of it all day.

Truthfully,
Joanne

"The Lord detests dishonest scales, but accurate weights find favor with him." (Proverbs 11:1)