Harkins Theatres, based in Arizona, was founded in 1933 by Dwight "Red" Harkins. Still a family-based business, Harkins has 30 locations in five different states, making it the sixth largest movie theater chain in North America, according to the Harkins website. Like other movie theaters, Harkins offers a variety of snack foods for you to enjoy while watching your movie, including popcorn. Popcorn may make a healthy whole-grain treat; however, the movie theater popcorn at Harkins is high in fat and saturated fat.
Calories
A large popcorn without butter, which holds 16.5 cups, contains 743 calories. If you like butter-flavored popcorn, 1 tbsp. of the butter topping at Harkins Theatres will add an additional 130 calories. By comparison, the same-size serving of air-popped popcorn contains 511 calories.
Fat
Sixty percent of the calories in a large serving of Harkins Theatres popcorn without butter comes from fat. In addition to being high in total fat, the popcorn is also high in saturated fat. A 16.5-cup serving contains 50 g of total fat and 5 g of saturated fat, meeting 77 percent of your daily value for fat and 25 percent of your daily value for saturated fat. Adding 1 tbsp. of butter topping will increase the total fat content of your popcorn to 64 g and saturated fat to 7 g. High intakes of fat, specifically saturated fat, increase blood cholesterol levels and risk of heart disease. By comparison, the same-size serving of air-popped popcorn contains 6 g of total fat and less than 1 g of saturated fat.
Carbohydrates and Fiber
A large popcorn contains 83 g of carbohydrates and 17 g of fiber. While Harkins popcorn is high in fat, it is also high in fiber, with one large serving meeting 68 percent of your daily value for fiber. Fiber slows digestion, helping to control your appetite so that you eat less. In addition, fiber may help lower your risk of heart disease by helping to lower your blood cholesterol levels.
Sodium
Harkins popcorn is a low-sodium snack choice. A large bag contains just 100 mg of sodium. Any food item with less than 140 mg of sodium per serving is considered a low-sodium food, according to the Colorado State University Extension. Limiting your intake of high-sodium foods can also reduce your risk of heart disease by helping to prevent high blood pressure. You should try to limit your daily sodium intake to less than 2,300 mg a day.
References
- Harkins Theatres: Harkins History
- USDA Nutrient Database: Air-Popped Popcorn
- My Fitness Pal: Calories in Harkins Buttery Topping
- My Fitness Pal: Calories in Harkins Large Movie Theater Popcorn
- MayoClinic.com; Percent Daily Value: What Does it Mean; Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.; May 2010
- Penn Medicine: Fat in Your Diet
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