Don't Twinkie Twinkie Little Star

As a Child Psychiatrist with an Epidemiology background, I have been a little disappointed by the News coverage of the Hostess closing.

I confess that I have not conducted a serious meta-analysis of all the articles, op-eds, and other essays on the topic; but, judging by what I have seen and heard in the last week or so, an excessive amount of focus has been on either sadness (e.g., nostalgia) or outrage (panic in the ranks at the idea of a Twinkieless world).

The closure of Hostess, a company that unleashes products high in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol , Sugar and additives (in case you really don't know: the latter might aid mummification but not your child's physical development) onto the brains of vulnerable children who will largely grow up then to be adults who are defensive about any threats to Junk Food as we know it…is a great opportunity to further re-examine our collective eating habits.

If you have never been to the CDC (Center for Disease Control) website, please go now: http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/trends.HTML

This will emphasize that obesity is a major and rising public health problem, with even states with traditionally healthier populations feeling the (major) bulge in the last years.  Especially if you are visual person, press play on “Percent of Obese (BMI > 30) in U.S. Adults” which will show you the map of raising US obesity 1988-2010.

Sea Food Instead but Not the Dolphin Please

So the possibility of Twinkie going under is a bit like hearing that a non-insignificant drug cartel has been dismantled or that a virulent micro-organism has been defeated. Except that too many people are nostalgic about it. Imagine this: “Don’t eradicate the Poliovirus!! It is like a household pet to me!”.

In fact, according to the news, there is no chance that Twinkie will really go under: it will be saved by another company eager to cash into this much revenue. That should make us sad and outraged.

Till Later,

Anne