DOES THE TWINKIE DIET WORK?

In 2010, a professor of human nutrition at Kansas State University named Mark Haub decided to conduct an experiment. He wanted to see if simple calorie reduction could produce better health outcomes regardless of the nutritional quality of the food consumed. His food of choice? Twinkies snack cakes and other processed junk foods. After reducing his daily calorie intake from 2,700 to 1,800 for two months, Haub lost 27 pounds. His Body Mass Index (BMI) plummeted from 28.8 (a diagnosis of  “overweight”) to a healthy 24.9. His body fat percentage showed similar improvements, dropping from 33.4 to 24.9 percent.

Short-Term Healthy Outcomes

Professor Haub didn’t know what to expect, but by all measures, his overall health measurements had improved. On top of his body weight and BMI improvements, his LDL (“bad cholesterol”) dropped by 20 percent and his HDL (“good cholesterol) improved 20 percent. He also reduced his triglyceride levels by an astounding 39 percent. Despite the empty calories of his Twinkie-based diet, this experiment seemed to suggest that calorie restriction is the key to better health. Or is there more to it?

Long-Term Outcomes

While the professor’s experience might suggest we should all indulge in smaller portions of junk food as a strategy to lose weight, there is one glaring alarm. The long-term consumption of a junk food diet likely deprives our bodies of the nutrition we need to prevent serious health conditions, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and cancer. If one of our goals is a long and healthy quality of life, incorporating more nutritional choices like vegetables, fruits, and whole grains into our daily diets is important. And as Professor Haub demonstrated, keeping daily calorie consumption of any food is very important to achieving healthy weight, BMI, and body fat percentage.

The other long-term consideration is practicality. Over time, it’s easy to get sick of eating one type of food, even if it provides a momentary delight to the taste buds. Variety is important, but again, so is moderation.