Q: Is the artificial butter used on movie-theater popcorn safe to eat? Is butter better?
A: Popcorn by itself is an excellent snack. At about 35 calories per cup, air-popped popcorn is a whole grain and offers 1 gram of fiber per cup. But these benefits can be nearly canceled out. A large tub of movie-theater popcorn can ring in at more than 1,100 calories and contain 1,500 milligrams of sodium and 50 grams of saturated fat. That’s before adding more butter flavoring at the condiment stand.The ingredients of artificially flavored popcorn are technically safe, but the real hazard lies in the caloric, fat and sodium content. And using real butter would result in nearly the same caloric content.
Q: When I got my flu shot, my arm hurt for hours. My co-workers said they felt no pain. Why the difference?
A: People perceive pain differently, and some people are more sensitive based on many poorly understood psycho-social factors. Where you get the shot also can make a difference — muscle and tendon are rich in nerve endings, while fatty tissue is relatively lacking in them.
Some people are allergic or sensitive to the components of the vaccine. These inflammatory reactions can be painful but are not serious. Any severe reaction should be evaluated by your physician.
Sources: Marissa Testa, metabolic dietitian, Nationwide Children’s Hospital; Dr. Paul Kirk, medical director of Ohio State University Employee Health Services
