What I Learned from the Target Lady!

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Today I visited one of my favorite stores to stock up on some paper products. I like Target’s ‘up & up’ brands for certain things like toilet tissue, boxed tissues, and paper towels. Thankfully, Target has begun carrying health conscious brands such as Dr. Bronners, Fig & Yarrow, Seventh Generation, Mrs. Meyer’s, and more. Recently, I have been so pleased to see that they even carry organic produce in their grocery department. It’s not the perfect ‘green’ store, but it’s great to see that they are becoming more aware of the public’s demand for healthier products.

After getting all the items on my shopping list, I stood in line for check-out. There was one woman ahead of me, and as the cashier was ringing up this customer, she scanned a jar of popcorn kernels from the conveyor belt. The cashier commented on how it was the better choice over microwave popcorn in a bag.

Being just a few feet away, I listened to the cashier explain to the customer that she has leukemia, and her oncologist told her never to eat microwave bag popcorn again. If she wanted this treat, she should air pop it. When the customer said that she happened to like the freshness of using her air-popper, the cashier began to explain the reason of the harmful process.

Of course, hearing the word ‘cancer’ and the effects of our diet in the same discussion piqued my interest. The Target cashier relayed the information her doctor told her – how the chemical coating which lines each bag of popcorn breaks down when heated into a carcinogenic substance. I had no idea.

The chemical coating which lines each bag of popcorn breaks down when heated into a carcinogenic substance.

I use the term ‘Target Lady’ because of the wonderfully, funny SNL character by Kristen Wiig – the woman who has to stop and comment on everything that a customer wants to purchase. This nice cashier I encountered today did this effortlessly and without angering anyone! She was able to chat a bit and work at the same time without any delays. Seeing that, I continued this topic when it was my turn to ring up my purchases.

By this time, the young man behind me had already put his items on the belt – several consumable products that appeared to be his lunch, including some snacks and other items. He had a banana, a bottle of kombucha drink, a quart of almond milk, and an organic burrito. ‘Wow!’ I said out loud to the cashier, ‘this is a healthy way to eat’, pointing to the young man’s selected items. He smiled, and said ‘I’ve had cancer, too. It’s been a big lifestyle change.’

As the cashier began ringing up my items, she asked the young man about his cancer, and he said ‘well, they took one of my nuts, but I’ve been cancer-free for five years now!’ This man seemed to be in his late 20s, and I thought, how could this happen to someone at such an early age? Since we were ‘sharing’ at this moment, I told them that I lost my husband last year to cancer. Again, the cashier wanted to know what type of cancer, and I told her it was colon cancer.

Referring back to our short discussion on food choices, I repeated a fact that I had recently learned, that it is becoming known that 90 to 95% of all cancers are preventable, and derived from a poor diet and lifestyle choices. They both shook their heads in the affirmative as I completed my transaction. I wished them both the best of luck, and as I was about to leave, the young man said ‘look, just three people, all affected by cancer.’ Boy, was he ever right.

90 to 95% of all cancers are preventable, and derived from a poor diet and lifestyle choices.

So, What Is Wrong with Microwave Popcorn?!

As soon as I got home, I put away my purchases, and I immediately hopped on the internet to find out what the problem was with microwave bag popcorn. No need to dig deep, several links popped up immediately when I searched online. The Target cashier was right.

The bag that almost all microwave popcorn varieties come in is lined with perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). This is the same toxic chemical found in teflon pots and pans. It can stay in the environment and in the human body for extended periods of time. And, when heated, this chemical has been linked to infertility, cancer and other diseases in lab animals. The EPA lists PFOA as a carcinogenic toxin.

So looking online, I see that there are many popular popcorn brands that continue offering this hazardous product and its method of preparing popcorn. The EPA knows PFOAs are a carcinogen – companies and manufacturers know this, too. So, why are these products still on the market? It’s simple – give people what they want, regardless of the health benefits. As long as consumers are unaware of these harmful goods, and the EPA allows these chemicals to be used, then these products will continue to be available for consumption.

Trading Convenience for Health

It all comes down to convenience. People are busy – single parents working multiple jobs, students pulling all-nighters, and almost anyone who has a life outside of work – are simply looking for ways to save time. Rushing through yellow stop lights, running through airports, reaching for anything that’s handily available seems the norm nowadays. We’re all in a big hurry. I understand, as I was one of those who jokingly told people ‘my husband and I don’t take days off, we take vacations!’ So, placing a bag of popcorn in the microwave oven for two minutes seems like a quick fix for our hunger pains and cravings. And, does it ever taste good!

So once again, it all comes down to choice. The stress of everyday life must be balanced with a healthy diet and lifestyle. Otherwise, we will certainly be one of those in the 90 to 95% bracket who could have possibly avoided such dreadful diseases. It does take a little time to plan and prepare healthy food – but, not much. If you know your family enjoys popcorn on movie night, great! Just make sure you make the healthy choice – for you and your family’s sake. I’d rather spend a few extra minutes preparing healthy foods than losing years and even decades from the life of someone I love.

Make Your Own Delicious Popcorn

Source: Foodbabe.com
Making your own popcorn from scratch is so EASY and you can avoid all of these health pitfalls. If you need to take some to the office or where ever you are going (like sneaking it into the movie theatre), I recommend making it in advance and throwing it in a reusable bag. This recipe takes 5 minutes. The extra 2 minutes (over microwave popcorn) is time definitely worth committing to. 

I call this recipe “Superfood Popcorn” because it contains three amazing ingredients:

• Coconut oil that is great for your metabolism
• Hemp seeds that are full of omega 3 fatty acids
• Red palm oil that contains the highest amounts of vitamins A and E of any plant-based oil

I have to say, the red palm oil took this popcorn from about a 9 to an 11 on a scale from 1 to 10. It looks and tastes like yummy comforting butter (and the color matches that movie theatre popcorn without all the added chemical ingredients). Also, the added texture of the hemp seeds combined with sea salt is so good and crunchy. 
 
Please note red palm oil is different from palm kernel oil (that is grown in SouthEast Asia and killing orangutans). Red palm oil comes from Ecuador and harvested sustainably. Dr. Oz does a great job of explaining the difference between red palm fruit oil and palm kernel oil here if you’d like to learn more.