photo: Brand X Pictures/Thinkstock

It’s hard to imagine a movie night without popcorn. A classic finger food, and one that, decades ago, never had us questioning our calorie intake. Popcorn has melted its buttery nourishment (or lack thereof) into our hearts (and arteries). Whether it’s a comfort food or a nutritional treat, we’ll have to examine that. After all, it’s true that the puffed kernel can hurt you, but only if you allow it.

The Facts
In one sitting, popcorn can fill you with up to three days’ worth of saturated fat, and almost a day’s worth of sodium. If that doesn’t freak you out enough, one bucket of popcorn is the nutritional equivalent of a McDonald’s hamburger AND quarter-pounder.

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photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock

Halloween and all of its superstitions are upon us. And while I don’t believe in them per se, I do believe in food and fun. Check out these popular food superstitions:

Breaking a Wishbone

Who hasn’t let the wishbone from Thanksgiving dinner dry over night so they could challenge their sibling to tug-of-war the next day? If you wind up with the longer piece, you get to make a wish—and rub it in to your brother.

Throwing Salt Over Your Shoulder

I think the floor on the set of Rachael Ray’s show must be littered with salt. But she has the superstition slightly wrong: It’s believed that if you spill salt—which is bad luck—you should toss more over your left shoulder to ward off the evil spirits your spill stirred up.
You don’t need to throw salt willy-nilly if you haven’t spilled your salt.

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