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Eating microwave popcorn increases the level of PFAS in body (2022)

uclahealth.org

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Re: Eating microwave popcorn increases the level of PFAS in body (2022)

#81
post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even double blinded randomized cross over trials only shows associations. That doesn’t mean you can’t make reasonable casual inferences after looking at the balance of evidence. Else we couldn’t even infer that smoking causes cancer, something most people have to bite the bullet on when they denounce nutrition science.

? You can show causation by having a test group and a control group. Just get N people. Have the control group eat pot cooked popcorn and have the experimental group eat microwave. You can’t get causation by just observing, but once you are willing to make someone do something, then it’s pretty easy to arrive at. I tried to verify the GP quote but actually couldn’t find it in the study - but if it’s true, people who…

The quote is in the original UCLA Health article, not the study.

"Research suggests that people who regularly consume microwave popcorn have markedly higher levels of PFAS in their bodies. A study published in 2019 analyzed a decade of data about the eating habits of 10,000 people, which was collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention between 2003 and 2014. Blood samples from the study participants were also collected. The researchers found that people who ate microwave popcorn every day over the course of a year had levels of PFAS that were up to 63% higher than average."

Re: Eating microwave popcorn increases the level of PFAS in body (2022)

#82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does the silicone leech anything? Seems like a metal popper on the stove would be best.

Microwave doesn't heat up your house as much and is probably faster.

Depends on your priorities. There is some recent evidence that silicone leaches chemicals into food, but if that's not important to you, then sure, microwave it.

Re: Eating microwave popcorn increases the level of PFAS in body (2022)

#84
post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That’s way too much work. Buy big bag of organic Amish baby corn. Buy a silicone popcorn maker. Toss a handful of popcorn in with some olive oil. Microwave for 3.5 minutes or until you hear only 2 pops a second. Sprinkle with salt. Done. Also a $20 bag will probably make more than a hundred bowls.

I was just about to post about the silicone popcorn makers. They’re amazingly practical, I’m super happy with mine, and I’m pretty sure it can’t get any easier than that. Some risk of burning your popcorn tho as the window between “most kernels popped” and “burnt” is relatively short, so until you figure out the correct timings for your microwave’s power, watch your fire alarms.

My silicone popcorn maker works great in a regular household size microwave. Not so good in a small microwave like you get in a cheap hotel or RV.

Re: Eating microwave popcorn increases the level of PFAS in body (2022)

#85

Best popcorn you can make is cheap and easy cleanup. Take one large pot (the kind that holds like 10qts). Cover the bottom with kernels. Add a bit of oil, basically just enough to swirl and have everything covered in an oil sheen, not enough to have them submerged. Cover, put on high (I use gas). I like to suspend a paper towel between the lid and the rest of the pot, absorbs excess oil and water. Once popping slows,…

That’s way too much work. Buy big bag of organic Amish baby corn. Buy a silicone popcorn maker. Toss a handful of popcorn in with some olive oil. Microwave for 3.5 minutes or until you hear only 2 pops a second. Sprinkle with salt. Done. Also a $20 bag will probably make more than a hundred bowls.

It's really no different. Take a pot, toss in a handful of popcorn with some oil. Turn on stove for a couple of minutes until pops subside. Sprinkle with salt. Done.

I never bothered with the butter etc, though maybe I should.

Re: Eating microwave popcorn increases the level of PFAS in body (2022)

#86
post #65

Best popcorn you can make is cheap and easy cleanup. Take one large pot (the kind that holds like 10qts). Cover the bottom with kernels. Add a bit of oil, basically just enough to swirl and have everything covered in an oil sheen, not enough to have them submerged. Cover, put on high (I use gas). I like to suspend a paper towel between the lid and the rest of the pot, absorbs excess oil and water. Once popping slows,…

There are Chinese popcorn cannons that require less work. Here is a video of a family of two operating such a popcorn booth in China: https://youtu.be/DZQNjZ1xNgE We have much to learn from their culture.

Looks like they're using the cannon to make both puffed rice (the first "shot") and popcorn (the second one). Same principle, of course.

Re: Eating microwave popcorn increases the level of PFAS in body (2022)

#87

Fast food also. Not shocking since it’s all served in grease-blocking packaging. It’s always depressing to eat inside a fast food restaurant, where they wrap all of your food in chemically treated packaging you almost immediately discard since it’s presumably cheaper and simpler than having washable dishes.

Take heart, because all the dishes and silverware in an upscale restaurant are likewise coated in contact poison. The reason being is that kitchens don't have the patience to air-dry their dishes, so they use chemical drying agents. These drying agents are toxic and they tend to leave a residue everywhere. So enjoy your fast food and know that you are in good company, no matter the number of Michelin stars.

Having just started my dishwasher with a rinse aid, I checked on some of the ingredients. All of them slightly toxic w/ little potential to bioaccumulate.

Do you know what chemicals or products restaurants tend to use?

Re: Eating microwave popcorn increases the level of PFAS in body (2022)

#88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Microwave doesn't heat up your house as much and is probably faster.

Depends on your priorities. There is some recent evidence that silicone leaches chemicals into food, but if that's not important to you, then sure, microwave it.

Microwave it in a paper bag or a glass bowl if you like.

Re: Eating microwave popcorn increases the level of PFAS in body (2022)

#89

Best popcorn you can make is cheap and easy cleanup. Take one large pot (the kind that holds like 10qts). Cover the bottom with kernels. Add a bit of oil, basically just enough to swirl and have everything covered in an oil sheen, not enough to have them submerged. Cover, put on high (I use gas). I like to suspend a paper towel between the lid and the rest of the pot, absorbs excess oil and water. Once popping slows,…

Out of interest, why do you prefer a salt grinder? I've never understood why these exist. Pepper grinders, absolutely - the aromatics are released on grinding. By not so with salt. Curious if I'm missing something.

Re: Eating microwave popcorn increases the level of PFAS in body (2022)

#90
post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are Chinese popcorn cannons that require less work. Here is a video of a family of two operating such a popcorn booth in China: https://youtu.be/DZQNjZ1xNgE We have much to learn from their culture.

Looks like they're using the cannon to make both puffed rice (the first "shot") and popcorn (the second one). Same principle, of course.

They were working with rice, after firing that batch they load the cannon with flint corn (pop corn)

Corn explosion is louder than rice one.

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