Which popcorn has more salt than 2 BIG MACS?!

We all know that the bucket of popcorn sitting on our laps in the cinema isn't going to be the healthiest thing in the world, but this latest research may shock you.

Consensus Action on Salt & Health (CASH) has looked into cinema popcorn, and the popcorn on sale in the shops, and has uncovered some shocking statistics regarding their salt and sugar levels.

According to their research, a large salted popcorn from the cinema can contain almost your entire daily intake of salt (6g)

The report showed that Cineworld's large salted popcorn contained 5.1g of salt  - which CASH said is the same as having 2 servings of a McDonald's Big Mac and fries! Empire Cinemas had 3.7g of salt per pack and Vue's large salted popcorn g 3.1g. Cineworld's toffee popcorn was also highlighted in the research as it contains 121g of sugar per 200g pack, equivalent to 30 teaspoons of sugar.

And it's not just cinema popcorn that came under fire. You will have noticed that supermarkets are stocking more and more ‘healthy' popcorn varieties but CASH warns that some are not as healthy as they may seen.

Highlighted in the report as salt sinners were: Kitchen's Sea Salt & Olive Oil (3.5g of salt per 100g) Metcalfe's Skinny Popcorn White Cheese (3.45g of salt per 100g), Metcalfe's Skinny Topcorn Wasabi Glaze (0.9g salt per 25g portion) and Pret A Manger Rock Salt Popcorn (0.8g salt per 29g portion)

Supermarket sugar sinners included: Morrisons Toffee Popcorn (32.5g of sugar per 50g portion, or eight teaspoons), Asda Chosen by You Toffee Popcorn (29g of sugar per 50g portion, or 7.3 teaspoons) and Aldi's Popcorn Toffee (19g of sugar per 40g portion, or 4.8 teaspoons).

CASH chairman Graham MacGregor said: ‘This is a perfect example of the food industry taking something that is good for health and ruining it.'

Which? report on 'healthy' options  

This news comes after a shocking Which? report which showed that there are a whole host of supermarket and fast food chain options disguising themselves as a healthy choice when in fact they are laden with hidden calories and fat.

The most alarming of these? Tesco's 300g pot of Honey and Mustard Chicken Pasta, which contains a whopping 702 calories and 35.5g of fat, whilst a Big Mac has 508 calories and 25g of fat.

We were shocked, horrified and a little bit embarrassed to see which foods are actually worse than the giant McDonald's treat, and which are way more unhealthy than we first realised.

Worse than a Big Mac

Here's all the treats that are actually worse than a Big Mac's 508 calories and 25g of fat...

Wagamama Yasai Surendra's Curry (717g) - 1,331 calories and 61.5g of fat

Wagamama Beef Teriyaki Donburi (595g) - 1,010 calories and 23g of fat

Tesco Cheese Coleslaw (300g) - 904 calories and 90g of fat

Tesco Tikka Masala and Pilau Rice (550g) - 886 calories and 37.1g of fat

Subway Italian B.M.T. 12" inch sub (452g) - 792 calories and 33.6g of fat

Tesco Curried Noodles (400g) - 734 calories and 38.2g of fat

Sainsbury's Duck in Plum Sauce with Egg Fried Rice - 721 calories and 20.5g of fat

Sainsbury's Chicken Jalfrazi (500g) - 708 calories and 26.8g of fat

Wagamama Pork Ribs (252g) - 702 calories and 42.9g of fat

Tesco Honey and Mustard Chicken Salad (300g) - 702 calories and 36.5g of fat

Sainsbury's Apple, Raisin and Walnut Coleslaw (275g) - 698 calories and 61.1g of fat

Subway Tuna 12" sub (466g) - 696 calories and 22.0g of fat

A 12" tuna Sub contains a massive 696 calories and 22.0g of fat

Morrisons Coconut Milk (400g) - 688 calories and 69.2g of fat

Morrisons Tomato and Chicken Pasta (330g) - 683 calories and 38.6g of fat

Pret a Manger Posh Cheddar and Pickle on Artisan Baguette (235g) - 660 calories and 26.8g of fat

Tesco Beef Lasagne (450g) - 651 calories and 33.8g of fat

Asda Red Pepper Humous (200g) - 648 calories and 53.2g of fat

Asda Cheese Salad (380g) - 634 calories and 34.6g of fat

Pret a Manger Chicken Caesar and Bacon on Artisan Baguette (221g) - 622 calories and 26.1g of fat

Sharwoods Chicken Korma (375g) - 615 calories and 16.5g of fat

Tesco Chicken and Mushroom Hotpot (450g) - 605 calories and 29.3g of fat

Princes Tinned Chili Con Carni (400g) - 604 calories and 39.2g of fat

Sainsbury's Natural Yoghurt (500g) - 600 calories and 46g of fat

Starbucks Venti White Chocolate Mocha with Whipped Cream (semi skimmed) - 573 calories and 21.2g of fat

Sainsbury's Classic Chicken Casserole (450g) - 568 calories and 24.3g of fat

Starbucks Southern Fried Chicken Ciabatta - 567 calories and 28.5g of fat

Pork chop, grilled (200g) - 558 calories and 38.0g of fat

Morrisons Kitchen Corned Beef Hash (450g) - 554 calories and 14.9g of fat

This corned beef hash contains 554 calories - not good for dieters!

Starbucks Sure As Eggs Is Eggs, Egg Sandwich - 535 calories and 33.0g of fat

Starbucks Almond Croissant - 525 calories and 26.1g of fat

Asda Classic Fish Pie (450g) - 518 calories and 23.0g of fat

Asda Ham and Mushroom Tagliatelle (400g) - 516 calories and 16.8g of fat

Pret a Manger Dijon Honey Dressing Pot (100g) - 515 calories and 53.6g of fat

Starbucks Chicken Caesar Wrap - 515 calories and 33.0g of fat

Tesco Coronation Rice (275g) - 512 calories and 23.8g of fat

Princes Tinned Stewed Steak (400g) - 508 calories and 22g of fat

Shocking calorie and fat levels

While these supermarket and takeaway options were not quite as bad as a Big Mac, we were shocked to see had high levels of fat and calories...

Asda Chicken and Bacon Pasta Salad (375g) - 502 calories and 24g of fat

Asda Classic Shepherd's Pie (450g) - 496 calories and 23.4g of fat

MacDonalds Large Chocolate Milkshake - 488 calories and 11g of fat

This milkshake treat will set you back 488 calories!

Starbucks Roasted Almonds (75g) - 484 calories and 41.4g of fat

Morrisons Kitchen Slow Cooked Lamb in Red Wine and Rosemary Gravy Calories - 458 calories and 24.2g of fat

Sainsbury's Egg and Bacon Sandwich Filler (230g) - 446 calories and 33.6g of fat

Morrisons Coronation Chicken Sandwich Filler (230g) - 427 calories and 23.5g of fat

Coca Cola (1 litre) - 420 calories and 0.0g of fat

7Up (1 litre) - 410 calories and 0.0g of fat

Sunny Delight Orange Juice (1 litre) - 370 calories and 0.5g of fat

Sainsbury's Guacamole (170g) - 360 calories and 34.3g of fat

Avocado (160g) - 316 calories and 31.2g of fat

Sun-Pat Crunchy Peanut Butter (50g) - 304 calories and 24.1g of fat

Pret A Manger Orange Spiced Hot Chocolate (295g) - 280 calories and 5.9g of fat

Hellmann's Mayonnaise (30g) - 216 calories and 23.6g of fat