So it looks like it may be Twilight Time for Twinkies

Invented in 1930

On the morning of 11-16-12, I noticed an article in my local newspaper about the possibility that the Hostess Brands, manufacturer of Twinkies, Ding Dongs, Sno Balls and other brands—might be forced to close its doors and sell its brands. Then a few days later, Fox News reported that the company would indeed be closing. From the article:

A small union’s stubbornness in contract talks with Hostess is being blamed for the shutdown of one of America’s snack food icons, the loss of 18,500 jobs just before the holiday season and much-needed tax revenue from hundreds of plants and shops across the country.

While it’s always sad to see people lose their jobs, it’s also good to see that “healthier eating trends” are beginning to move the marketplace in the right direction. Albeit at a snail’s pace. As for the Fox News article, 95% of it was all about the failed union negotiations that led to the closure. But, in reality, that’s just what happened in the last few weeks of a healthier eating trend that started 30 or 40 years ago.

Hostess Sno Balls — another victim of “healthier eating trends.”

Interestingly, during that 40 year period of healthier eating, our nation’s rates of obesity, diabetes, cancer, heart disease and many others—have skyrocketed. Just last week, we got the news from the CDC that the type 2 diabetes rate had risen sharply in ALL fifty states and Puerto Rico during the past fifteen years.

So maybe the Twinkies of the world are not the main problem. It’s just that they’ve been the butt of so many jokes over the over the years that parents have finally concluded that they shouldn’t be buying them for their children. Meanwhile, those children are still getting fatter and sicker—as those same parents let them choose whatever they want from the typical kids menus of nuggets, burgers, pizza, fries and mac & cheese.

Definition of optimal diet: getting most of your calories from whole plants. See 4leafprogram.com

The Bottom Line. The healthier eating trend is a mirage. We’ve simply replaced one bad habit with several others. We still have no clue what we should be eating as true knowledge about nutrition continues to elude the brightest and best-educated people in our society—including our physicians and scientists.

Just this week, I met a registered dietitian who lives in California. After working in her field for two decades, she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. Luckily, she discovered Dr. John McDougall, attended his 10-day immersion, learned what “healthy eating” really means and totally reversed her disease.

Now she is leveraging that newfound true knowledge about nutrition in her role as a professional diabetes counselor. For 81 more stories like hers, take a look at the second link below. One final note, as I publish this blog on 11-20-12, this Hostess story is still unfolding—and those employees may get to keep their jobs for awhile longer.—My 654th consecutive daily blog—

• Source article. Hostess to close, lay off 18,500 after ‘crippling’ union fight | Fox News.
• McDougall Successes blog. Arthritis, MS, Lupus & more…a total of 81 success stories
• Earlier blog. Diabetes. Oklahoma rate up 227% in just fifteen years
• Earlier blog. GERD, NERD & other food-driven ailments that baffle doctors

Handy 4-piece take-charge-of-your-health kit—from Amazon.com

• The movie that’s changing the lives of millions: Forks Over Knives DVD 
• Healthy Eating, Healthy World, The “big picture” about food (our book)
• An essential scientific resource: The China Study by Dr. T. Colin Campbell
• Dr. McDougall’s new book, The Starch Solution, with lots of great recipes.

Want to find out how healthy your family is eating? Take our free 4Leaf Diagnostic Survey. It takes less than five minutes and you can score it yourself. After taking the survey, please give me your feedback as it will be helpful in the development of our future 4Leaf app for smartphones. Send feedback to jmorrishicks@me.com

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J. Morris Hicks, working daily to promote health, hope and harmony on planet Earth.

For help in your own quest to take charge of your health, you might find some useful information at our 4Leaf page or some great recipes at Lisa’s 4Leaf Kitchen.

Got a question? Let me hear from you at jmorrishicks@me.com. Or give me a call on my cell at 917-399-9700.

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Blogging daily at hpjmh.com…from the seaside village of Stonington, Connecticut – Be well and have a great day.

—J. Morris Hicks, board member, T. Colin Campbell Foundation