peas at a party

I was a skinny toddler. This did not turn out to be a problem that plagued me in later life. But Mom wanted me to gain enough weight and confronted with a very picky eater, also not a problem in later life, fed me lots of the few foods I liked. Carrots. A lot of carrots.

Like any new mom, she was finely tuned in to the nuances of her baby’s health. So at the first sign of “jaundice,” she called the doctor and rushed me in. It turns out the “jaundice” was not the warning sign of some dread disease, and it was limited to the tip of my nose. The problem? Too many carrots. The solution? Stop feeding me so many carrots.

Carrots aren’t a “bad” food. In fact, carrots are a very “good” food. But too much of a good thing is . . . too much.

Fast forward 40 50, okay okay 60 years, and we have the announcement last week of the dire health condition known as popcorn lung. First let me say, that I don’t think adding diacetyl to microwave popcorn is a good idea. In fact, it’s a really bad idea no matter how buttery the flavor or how “natural” it is. Diacetyl has been making popcorn factory workers sick for years. In fact, the condition was known as popcorn workers lung. In my book, diacetyl shouldn’t be used until safe working conditions can be provided.

But this latest news frenzy isn’t about popcorn workers, it’s about popcorn consumers, well, that would be consumer. Wayne Watson consumed two to three bags of microwave popcorn every day. That would be three cases of popcorn per month.

Is microwave popcorn a bad food? Not at all. So how do you prevent popcorn lung? Stop eating so much popcorn. And how do you cure popcorn lung? Stop eating so much popcorn. Too much of a good thing is still too much whether it’s microwave popcorn or carrots.

Wayne’s mysterious declining lung capacity reversed–he no longer needs an inhaler or steroids–when he cut out the popcorn. And there’s a bonus besides his 15-minutes of fame. He’s learned to snack on fruits and vegetables, and he’s lost 35 pounds.

If you want to make popcorn the old-fashioned way, here’s a how-to guide from Elise at Simply Recipes for perfect popcorn. But then it may not make you famous like Wayne.