Snacking is Deadly to Your Health....No Seriously

It's getting to the point now the no one is safe anywhere or from anything. No I'm not talking about terrorists or military invasions. I'm talking about snacks. Yup. Snacks. It shouldn't come as much of a surprise since it seems like doctors in organizations from the American Medical Association to the Snack Food Council have weighed in on one side of this argument or the other for years. At one point it was a good thing to have coffee every day and then within a month that ruling was overturned and it was declared that too much coffee could cause heart attacks. Then a few months later that ruling was again overturned. I think at present coffee is good for you so drink up while you can!

Popcorn was the subject of another such study. It seems that we are on a constant search for munchies that we can eat to excess without having to worry about whether or not it's good for us. And since things like chips and fries and other finger foods are generally on the unhealthy side, popcorn seemed like the likely alternative to these unhealthy options. But just like coffee, it seemed that no one could decide whether it was good for you or bad for you. A few years back a study was released which stated that popcorn that was air popped and had minimal salt and butter was healthy for you. When reported in the news, the main headline was released which said that popcorn was healthy. I guess it would have taken too much time to report about the salt and butter levels so those comments were conveniently left off but the immediate result was that people began to devour popcorn at levels not previously seen.

Movie theatre popcorn is often swimming in a buttery substance that adds a bit of flavor to the otherwise often bland snack. Compound that with the fact that salt is sprinkled on in copious amounts and you've just turned that healthy snack into a bite-sized coronary preparation kit. It's no wonder then that people soon declared that popcorn was no longer on their list of healthy foods and that medical associations rallied against popcorn being considered a healthy snack. A few months after the bottom of the popcorn market fell out and once clarification on the issue was provided, it was declared that popcorn was indeed a healthy choice though not in excess. It seemed then that the issue of healthy popcorn was resolved right? Wrong.

Not content to study only the effects of eating popcorn, doctors have studied the effects of breathing popcorn. Now I'm not talking about some drug junkie so high on drugs that he's attempting to snort popcorn kernels, rather I'm talking about the inhalation of popcorn fumes while being popped. Anyone who has worked in an office in rather close proximity to the department microwave or kitchen area will tell you that it can be a blessing or a curse. The blessing comes from the fact that you are usually close enough that you can quickly warm up your food or coffee should the need arise. The curse comes from the fact that if you are on a diet, you are going to be sorely tempted by the number of people cooking some food at some point during the day.

That being said, the recent study on the effects of popcorn fumes declared that potential health issues could arise from the fact that breathing in acrid popcorn fumes could contribute to lung disease over time. Yes. You read correctly. Apparently the stink of burnt popcorn that sometimes fills offices is also enough to kill you over time. Wonderful isn't it? Your healthy snack is killing you with its enticing smell. The Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association (it's a real entity!) apparently took the announcement seriously enough that they recommended that companies that use the butter additives limit the amounts they include in their products to the greatest extent possible.

If we are to believe the study, a patient who was exposed to popcorn fumes every working day for several years began to see a marked decrease in lung capacity and breathing ability and this was somewhat reversed after stopping his daily popcorn habit. That being the case, new concerns are arising over whether or not office workers seated near the kitchen or microwave need to be provided safety cards like in airlines when you're seated in an emergency row. You may soon have to declare your understanding of the fact that your office's proximity to the kitchen could pose health threats and you are willing to accept those risks. Will that mean teenagers who work at the concession stand at movie theatres will have the chance to seek compensation to being exposed to potential health risks?

Does this mean that we're going to see a rise in the number of cases where teens with the potential to have become the next great sports legend of our era can now sue snack food companies based on the fact that by breathing in popcorn fumes while preparing a bag is now grounds for suing? I mean after all, they were preparing popcorn as a healthy choice and they didn't know (until now) that the fumes were reducing their capacity to be top-class athletes. Call up your lawyer! There's the potential for lawsuits here. Does that mean I finally have the right to yell at co-workers who make (and burn) popcorn at the office during the working day? Does this also mean that people can sue their companies (out of spite) for forcing us to work in hazardous conditions? The potential for millions... nay... billions of dollars in compensation is out there! Now if we can combine this with blaming McDonalds for serving hot coffee... we'll be set for life!