A Night Out at the Movies

The smell of buttery popcorn hits you as soon as you walk into any movie theater! For many people, a trip to the movies isn’t complete without a big tub of popcorn and a large soda. But if you’re not careful you could consume an alarming amount of calories! With a little planning, you can still enjoy a yummy snack without undoing all of your hard work and healthy eating habits.

If movie theater popcorn is a must-have, stick with a kid-sized serving and pass on the added butter. Skip the larger sizes completely, even if it seems like a great idea. Moving up to the medium serving from the small size costs only pennies more, but adds about 500 more calories, two days worth of saturated fat, and 3 days of working out to burn it off.

You can still enjoy movie snacks without destroying your waist line by bringing in your own snacks from home. Yes this is “breaking the rules” for some theaters so make sure to check out the rules before you go. Find out the policy at your favorite theater, and be prepared to lose your snacks to an angry employee if you get caught breaking the rules.

Here are some healthy alternatives you can bring from home to munch on:

• Bottled water or 100% fruit juice
• Trail mix, made with nuts and dried fruit
• Granola
• String cheese
• Air-popped popcorn, flavored with Parmesan cheese, chili pepper, or garlic powder
• Whole grain crackers or rice crackers
• Baked potato chips or tortilla chips
• Bananas, grapes, raisins, or other no-mess fruit
• 2-3 miniature chocolate bars

To avoid all temptation plan to eat a balanced meal of veggies, protein, healthy fats and whole grains before going into the theater so you’ll be satisfied through the entire movie.

You don’t have to miss out on a great time with friends just because you are bringing your own healthy snacks. The only thing you’ll be missing are the inches you’ll be losing from your waistline!!