Book Review "Twinkie Deconstructed"

There is this book out “Twinkie Deconsructed.” It is enlightening, although I did not find it life altering. Yes there are some crazy ingredients in industrial baked goods, and yes some of those ingredients are used in things, like rocket fuel, and explosives, and weed killer, but really they won’t harm you. I mean anytime you sit and eat a box of something full of sugar it isn’t good for you, and there are some things worse for you than others, but indulging in a Twinkie, or in my case a HoHo (they’re my favorite), every so often won’t kill you.

What I found most surprising in the book is the number of ingredients that are found in your kitchen. Sulferic acid is one of the main ingredients in Ferrous Sulfate, which is used to fortify white flour. I almost always have a five pound bag in my kitchen. They say the acids that make up the ingredients of the ingredients won’t hurt you – I choose to not think about it too much. Yes, whole wheat unbleached flour (and yes white flour is bleached with that bleach) would be better, but I’ve gone this long, I’ll take my chances for the time being.

Then there are the crazy sounding names, sodium bicarbonate, monocalcium phosphate, and sodium acid pyrophosphate. These rocks and chemicals combined are baking powder. And I find it better than the alternative – people used to use ashes. And we eat salt, that’s a rock too.

The only ingredient that really makes me worry a little is the High Fructose Corn Syrup, and that is mostly due to the many articles out, and the heightened awareness made by the first lady. It’s not good for you. But the process of actually making the HFCS, that isn’t all that different from the numerous other corn and soy products. I do find it amusing though that there are, I think, nine ingredients made from corn on a Twinkie label. Why not just add corn?

So read the book if your interested in knowing what you eat. Don’t take it too seriously, and really, sugar and baked goods aren’t all that awesome for you, even though I wish they were. Fruits and veggies are the best.