Note: This post was originally written November 19, 2012
Full disclosure: I ate Ho Ho’s and Twinkies as a kid and loved them just like the other kids. But, I was a child and didn’t know any better. I’m not a kid any more and wouldn’t think of eating them now. We didn’t know better back in the 40’s and 50’s. My mom used to give us Wonder Bread slices slathered with butter and topped with sugar as a treat. My dentist safaried in Africa on that treat years later.
Let’s look closely at a package of Ho Ho’s. There are three cupcakes inside. I was amazed to see that the serving size is all three, the whole package. Usually, they break it down to a smaller number to reduce the caloric hit. One serving of the Ho Ho’s yields 370 calories, according to Calorie Count.
If you don’t pay much attention to calories, let me explain. I weigh around 150 pounds and can consume 2100 calories a day to maintain that weight. The 370 calories in a serving of Ho Ho’s comes to nearly a quarter of my daily allowance of calories. That takes the place of almost an entire meal.
The three cupcakes contain 17 grams of fat of which 13 grams are saturated fat. That’s a mouthful, or should I say an artery full of fat. The government recommends that we not eat more than 21 grams of saturated fat in a day. This is more than 80 percent of that amount in a single snack.
There are 30 mg of cholesterol which doesn’t seem too off-putting.
Some 220 mg of Sodium are high, but I have seen worse.
Total carbohydrates come to 54 grams. Okay.
Only one gram of fiber. Most of us are lacking in fiber intake. This snack doesn’t help. Adults need around 40 grams of fiber a day. Ho Ho’s leave us 39 grams short.
Sugars come to 42 grams. A teaspoon of sugar amounts to 4.2 grams, so this is 10 teaspoons of sugar. Gag much?
Lastly, there are two grams of protein. The average adult needs over 50 grams a day. So, again, Ho Ho’s pretty much leave you at the starting gate when it comes to your need for protein, nature’s building blocks.
This little breakdown shows why junk food in general and Ho Ho’s in particular are called empty calories. You use up nearly a quarter of your food budget and are left with meager amounts of nutrients that you need to show for it.
Another problem I have with this is that eating all that sugar and fat is like taking a cattle prod to your taste buds. No wonder people get hooked on it. They get accustomed to that explosion of flavor in their mouth. Regular natural foods begin to taste mild by comparison, almost tepid. Our palates become jaded and start to crave that jolt we get from the 10 teaspoons of sugar rolled up in all that fat.
I consider Ho Ho’s among the junkiest of junk foods. They damage us when we eat them, pervert our palates, distort our eating habits and contribute precious little to our health or daily nutritional needs – a vicious downward spiral.
As far as Hostess going out of business is concerned, Of course I am saddened by the loss of 18,000 jobs, especially around Christmas time. I have been out of work. It sucks. You know that innocent children are going to get the short end of that this holiday season.
But, don’t forget the big picture. Some 60 percent of us are overweight and 30 percent obese. Another ten percent of us have type 2 diabetes, a preventable disease that stems from inactivity and poor eating habits. Those are some of the reasons health care costs are raging out of control and our teenagers are coming down with adult onset diabetes. You can read further about the ravages of obesity elsewhere on the blog.
If you are one of those folks who craves the sugar hit, I hope you realize your need to work your way off it. Start with fresh fruits, melons. I find that fresh pineapple is a wonderful cold sweet treat. Don’t be afraid to allocate an extended period of time to getting your palate clean. You didn’t sugar it up in a day. You can’t expect to clean it up in one day either.
I think we are all better off this Christmas season if the ho ho’s are coming from Santa and not from Hostess.
Tony
In October 2013 a Connecticut College release said, “In a study designed to shed light on the potential addictiveness of high-fat/ high-sugar foods, Joseph Schroeder, associate professor of psychology and director of the behavioral neuroscience program, and his students found rats formed an equally strong association between the pleasurable effects of eating Oreos and a specific environment as they did between cocaine or morphine and a specific environment. They also found that eating cookies activated more neurons in the brain’s “pleasure center” than exposure to drugs of abuse.
Wellness Secrets of a SuperAger 
I have to come clean…I love hoho’s…and twinkies. Every once and awhile. Once a year is not so bad right?
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Once a year is not so bad. Stay healthy!
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Next time you are tempted to eat Ho Ho’s consider something sweet and healthy like pineapple slices. My grocery store sells cut up pineapple. You can keep it in the fridge and have it lots of times instead of just once. Also, it is good for you, so your system will thank you. Also, pineapple slices are only 42 calories, so you can have more than one.
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“A thickening agent used as glue…
” No wonder twinkies last forever. Might as well just add a bunch of sugar to a jar of paste and eat that! Interesting article. Thanks!
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Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Much appreciated!
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Like you, I am a proponent of healthy lifestyle education. Part of the problem isn’t knowledge. You clearly provided excellent LOGICAL reasons to avoid empty calorie food by examining the chemistry behind it. A big problem is that food satisfies an EMOTIONAL need. The pattern of eating as well as the ingredients reinforces addictive behavior. In my opinion, people need to get to the root cause of the emotional issues and find activities that can positively substitute and stimulate the same regions of the brain to overcome this addictive behavior.
Love your story and your commitment. Stay healthy and strong!
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Thanks very much for your thoughtful and informed comment. I agree with you about the emotional component in bad eating habits. It is pervasive. Unfortunately, I have only reason to combat it. Once people realize that they have to take responsibility for their actions, that might be a start.
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My experience has taught me that most people change behavior as a result of 1 letter in the alphabet that represent 2 words. The letter is “P.” The words are Pain and Pleasure. When either one is achieved over a sustained period of time or the intensity exceeds tolerable limits, behavior changes. The trick is not to resort to old patterns of unhealthy behavior as pain resolves or pleasure ceases to exist.
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Just happened upon your blog and wanted to say I’m enjoying your posts. This one sounds exactly like something I’d write as a former fat kid eating all kinds of junk. Now I never go out to eat and choose to cook real food at home for my family. Keep up the great posts and healthy choices!
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Thanks very much for your kind words. I ate badly for much of my life, so I know how you feel. Keep up the good work!
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Hello Tom, Excellent article. The food group analysis is horrifying. I agree that unless we rethink what we stick into our mouths, we are on the highway to early demise, our kids with us. Great read!
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Thanks for your kind words, Selina.
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I would rather be addicted to an occassional Ho Ho, Cookie, Brownie, than Street Drugs. Also what about all the McDonald’s Big Macs, Huge Fries, Milk shakes, that most everyone eats that leads to obesity..and people reach their kids. You go to a mall, or just down the street and fast food places everywhere. Tons of grease and fat/Cholesterol. Yet Nothing is mentioned about that. Far worse than an occassional Ho Ho.
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The post was about Ho Ho’s, not every kind of junk food available. I have written about McDonald’s fare also. Check the SEARCH box.
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Tony I can’t believe your mom lived to94 . Healthy , sharp and carried her laundry down 27 stairs once a week. She ate loads of Hoho twinkies and Fanny Mae! unfortunately trying to get her to not give it to her grandchildren was fruitless!
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LOL. Thanks, Jeanne. I don’t remember when she quit smoking, but it was also late in life. It’s interesting what bad habits we get away with and what ones we don’t BTW Hope you have a very happy Mother’s Day!
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