It Turns Out Microwavable Popcorn Is Actually Terrible For You

Prepare yourself for some pretty upsetting news: It turns out microwave popcorn is actually pretty terrible for the human body in every way.

Great. Now what am I supposed to eat for lunch today?

Food Babe says there's a whole list of reasons we should steer clear of microwave popcorn, and the evidence is pretty shocking.

Apparently, everything from the popcorn's bag to the ingredients used in flavoring the snack is dangerously unhealthy.

Several popular brands of microwavable popcorn contain harmful GMOs in their oils and emulsifiers, which are related to several serious health problems.

The bags are coated in perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a highly toxic ingredient found in Teflon pots and pans.

The ingredient causes nasty things like cancer and infertility in animals, but it has not yet been tested on humans.

Still, the EPA classifies PFOA as a carcinogen. Yikes.

What's worse is these popcorn brands are hiding secret ingredients in their snacks that are linked to even more horrible illnesses.

Diacetyl butter flavoring, MSG and other nasty additions to the butter in our microwaveable popcorn bags are all supposed to enhance the flavor of our daytime, nighttime and everytime-we-binge-watch-Netflix snack.

But, it turns out these hidden ingredients are also linked to causing a wide range of issues like Alzheimer's and even lung damage.

Not to fear, though: There isn't any sign that these same dangerous ingredients are found in traditional popcorn, so just pop it yourself, people!

If you've never popped your own corn before, the process only takes five minutes, and many say the results are tastier than the microwave versions we've grown to love.

Citations: Why Microwave Popcorn Is An Absolute Health Nightmare (Food Babe)