Splurging on concessions at the local Cineplex may make your wallet lighter, but it could make you a lot heavier. Movie munchies are full of fat, sugar, and calories - and to add insult to injury they're also sold in mammoth-sized portions.
A large bucket of popcorn, for example, contains a whopping 17 cups of the salty stuff, which is more than five times the recommended serving. Candy gets super-sized, too: A package of Skittles at the concession stand is twice as large as one you'd buy in the drug store.
Though it's easy to say you'd quit eating when full, puffed-up portions are setting you up for failure. One Cornell University study found that no matter what size popcorn moviegoers are given, they're inclined to chomp down most, if not all, of the container. You'll be hard-pressed to find any healthy fare when you see a flick, but these 15 foods - ranked from least-bad to completely horrible - are particularly offensive.
ICEE
358 calories, 90 grams sugar in a large
Brain freeze isn't this frosty beverage's only side effect: Be prepared to crash hard after slurping down the drink's staggering 22 teaspoons of sugar.
Cookie Dough Bites
420 calories, 42 grams sugar, 19 grams fat, 11 grams saturated fat per 3.1-ounce package
It shouldn't come as a shock this indulgent-sounding dessert will load you up with sugar and fat. To burn one box you'd have to pedal on the stationary bike for about an hour and a half - about the average length of full-length feature film.
Skittles
450 calories, 87 grams sugar, 4 grams fat, 4 grams saturated fat per 4-ounce package
As you taste the rainbow, you may also feel your waistline expanding - just one side effect of the candy's more than 20 teaspoons of sugar.
Sour Patch Kids
490 calories, 92 grams sugar per 5 ounce package
"Sour" is how your body will feel after a pack of these sugarcoated gummy snacks. One package serves up about 23 teaspoons of sugar.
Goobers
510 calories, 44 grams sugar, 33 grams fat, 12 grams saturated fat per 3.5-ounce package
With more than 30 grams of fat, Goobers rack up the fat equivalent of 3 tablespoons of butter. What's more, they contain more than twice as much sugar as a scoop of ice cream.
Junior Mints
570 calories, 107 grams sugar, 10 grams fat, 8 grams saturated fat per 4.8-ounce package
Don't be fooled: This "junior" treat is a varsity diet-wrecker, delivering two and a half days' worth of sugar and more than twice as much saturated fat as a large order of french fries.
Reeses's Pieces
580 calories, 61 grams sugar, 26 grams fat, 20 grams sat fat per 4-ounce package
Small and mighty, these pieces really add up - to bigger numbers on the bathroom scale. In terms of the calorie and fat content, you'd almost be better off wolfing down two fast food hamburgers.
Sweetarts
680 calories, 136 grams sugar per 6-ounce package
Can you think of any circumstances under which you'd shovel 34 teaspoons of sugar into your mouth? No? Then pass on these multi-colored tablets.
Soda
Estimated at up to 696 calories, 174 grams sugar per large
There's a reason why New York City's Mayor Michael Bloomberg has declared a war on soda. A large can load you up with as many calories as more than a dozen Oreo cookies.
Nerds
790 calories, 185 grams sugar per 7-ounce package
For the same number of calories as you'll find in a box of Nerds, you could have a piece of steak, a side of mashed potatoes, a glass of red wine, and a chocolate chip cookie. Not to mention each package packs close to five days' worth of sugar.
Peanut M&M's
790 calories, 79 grams sugar, 40 grams fat, 16 grams sat fat per 5.3-ounce package
As they say, you are what you eat, and if you chow down on too many of these candies, you'll be as rotund as the life-size M&Ms that shill this treat. A box contains nearly 20 teaspoons of sugar and as much saturated fat as 18 strips of bacon.
Plain popcorn
Estimated at up to 1,269 calories, 81 grams fat, 2,013 mg sodium per large
Sure, this movie-theater staple can be a healthy snack, but when it's served in a trough-size bucket, you're bound to over-consume. In addition to carrying several meals' worth of calories, a large popcorn harbors more than your entire recommended daily sodium intake, putting you at risk for heart disease and high blood pressure. And none of that even factors into the fat and calories butter brings to the mix. Speaking of which ...
Buttered popcorn
Estimated at up to 1,591 calories, 113 grams fat, 2,038 mg sodium per large
You're doing your health a disservice every time you pump another ounce of this golden liquid over your kernels. A mere tablespoon of butter can contribute as many as 130 calories to your already fattening movie buddy.
Nachos with cheese
Up to 1390 calories, 54 grams fat, 3,132 mg sodium
A side of cheese alone will set you back 760 calories, so it's no surprise that a platter contains as many calories as a half dozen glazed donuts.
Pretzel bites with cheese
Up to 1,690 calories, 32 grams fat, 3,556 mg sodium in a large
Meet your reigning cinema calorie king. A single helping will boost you close to your daily calorie limit. Additionally, one serving of these bad boys will load you up with more than two days worth of sodium - equal to about two entire bags of potato chips.
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