Twinkies: Snack to Avoid

Image provided by Rex Roof
Hostess Twinkies is a popular processed snack that is well known for its taste and urban legends. It is a spongy cylinder-shape cake about 4 inches long, yellow in color and is filled with creamy white frosting. Twinkies is well known for its shelf life due to the added chemical ingredients which can expand its shelf life substantially.

Now days, Twinkies is made out of organic and non-organic chemicals, and is nutritionally worthless yet still popular among kids and adults. Many of the chemicals are used to replace natural ingredients to increase shelf life and mimic their natural functions. One Twinkie has about 150 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 20 milligrams of cholesterol, 19 grams of sugars, 27 grams of total carbohydrates, 1 gram of protein and no dietary fiber.

Most of its carbohydrates are from refined sugar, therefore, the energy you get from eating Twinkies will disappear quickly or get stored as fat. Food with no dietary fiber is a sign of unhealthy food and should be avoided as much as possible. Fiber helps control blood sugar levels by slowing the digesting process. It is also known for lowering cholesterol levels. Eating food that lacks fiber can promote constipation because fiber prevents the large intestine from absorbing too much water.

Twinkie ingredients:

• Polysorbate 60: An oily liquid used in food preparation and in cosmetics. Polysorbate 60 is part of a class of emulsifiers which are substances that stabilize an emulsion (mixture of two non-blendable substance). Examples of emulsifiers are honey, mustard and egg yolk. In Twinkies, polysorbate 60 is used to replace real fat and keep the cream filling moist.
• Monoglycerides and Diglycerides: Both are glycerides that can be formed through chemical or biological process and are used to help mix non-blendable ingredients. Monoglycerides and diglycerides are used in Twinkies to stabilize the cake batter and increase shelf life.
• Hydrogenated Shortening: Is used in Twinkies to replace butter, prolong shelf life and add extra flavor.
• Sorbic Acid: An organic compound used as food preservatives to stop molds, fungi and yeasts from spoiling foods. This ingredient is the main reason why Twinkies have a long shelf life.
• Cellulose Gum: A thickening agent, its main purpose is to retain moisture, stabilize proteins and form oil-resistant films. It is used in Twinkies to keep the filling smooth and creamy.

Twinkies is a snack that doesn’t do much good for energy and health, because most of its calories are from fat and sugar. Any food that can last for months without spoiling is probably unhealthy to eat and will make it that much harder to digest. Twinkies is processed food, meaning that many of its nutrients are lost during the manufacturing process.

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