I love love love Sour Patch Kids. If someone asked me what my favorite food is, that's what I'd say--even if it's not technically a "food".
My boyfriend and I have plans to go see a movie on campus Friday night. The theater there charges only $2 for students and the popcorn and cokes are free. This poses a huge threat to my diet because I've always taken anything free, even if I didn't need it.
I can get a diet coke, that's fine. But what will I substitute for the buttery, salty popcorn that my boyfriend will be eating next to me? I can picture the wonder aromas wafting up to my nostrils right now.
So this got me thinking, "What healthy and satisfying movie snacks are out there?" I wish I could tell you that I was amazed by the amount I found. Hardly. I saw: celery sticks, pretzels, nuts, fruit, cut up veggies, etc. BLECH! Honestly, I think those'll just make me want my sour patch kids or popcorn even more. I'm fine with incorporating those things into my daily diet, but there's a sort of feeling that seeing a movie invokes that draws me toward the unhealthy stuff. It's like going to a carnival and passing on the funnel cake for celery sticks. Uh, no thanks.
Some may say that one serving of sour patch kids can't be all that bad. And I agree. One serving of sour patch kids, for me however, can sabotage my entire diet. There's no braking system here.
I did amazingly well with the movie snacks this summer when we went to see Indian Jones. I had just bought a huge basket of local strawberries, so I cut some up and shared them with my boyfriend during the movie. They were so good! And satisfying! And no longer in season! :o(
I found this article on SparkPeople that had some better snack suggestions than others I found. Not sure whether sparkpeople will make you log in to read it or not. The only other thing I found that may hit the spot is Kernel Season's Popcorn Seasoning. I've tried several of these and really like them except that they have a hard time sticking to butterless popcorn. I saw somewhere that you can use that healthy "butter" spray to help it stick, but I haven't tried that yet. And I'm really not all that sure that these seasonings are a healthier option. There's 2-5 calories per 1/4 tsp (1 serving) so if you stick to the serving size, perhaps it is.
A major help would be to somehow change my way of thinking that going to the movies = yummy junk food.
A funny (& perhaps relatable) aside: my dad buys the popcorn size with the free refill and then will eat all (we sometimes help) of the popcorn during the previews and get a refill before the movie even starts. :o)
Anyone have any alternative movie snack tricks up their sleeves?
I can really relate to this post. I'm a sweets lover, but I have to watch how much I eat otherwise it all goes to my butt! Not nearly as satisfying as Reese's peanut butter cups (yum!), I have found some joy in raisins or yogurt covered raisins. I also find carrots with hummus to be pretty good too. The only other thing I have found to work is to not go to the movies hungry. Otherwise, I almost always cave in.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I agree. Eat before you go, then don't buy anything. Nothing. It's a habit, like smokers lighting up at 4pm. You just have to show yourself that you don't have to be stuffing your face just because you're in a theater. Or go to live theater instead. Support the arts and they don't let you eat in there!
ReplyDeleteOr..you could just eat healthy popcorn. Buy the microwaveable kind that has no added topping such as Smart Pop. Later melt a little healthy butter like Promise and drizzle on top. Top it off with a shake of salt and enjoy.
ReplyDeletePopcorn alone is not bad it's all the stuff that goes on it and how much of it you eat