Twinkies Nutrition

Five-hundred million Twinkies are baked each year. The treats were first offered in 1930 and are now produced by Hostess. Twinkies feature a vanilla sponge cake surrounding a creamy vanilla-flavored filling. Despite their popularity, Twinkies offer very little nutritional value.

Calories and Macronutrients

One Twinkie contains 150 calories. Of the 4.5 g of total fat, 2.5 g are saturated. Each Twinkie contains 27 g of carbohydrates and 1 g of protein.

Other Nutrition Information

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Twinkies contain 20 mg of calcium each. A Twinkie provides 220 mg of the Institute of Medicine recommended 1,500 mg limit. A Twinkie provides 20 mg of cholesterol of the 300 mg daily recommended limit. Twinkies do not provide a significant amount of any other vitamins, minerals or other nutrients.

Concerns

One Twinkie contains 19 g of sugar, equivalent to almost 5 tsp. The American Heart Association recommends keeping added sugar intake to 6 tsp. per day for women and 9 tsp. per day for men. Twinkies are made from refined flour which offers no fiber or additional nutrition.

Considerations

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Hostess makes 100-calorie packs for several of its cake products. The Twinkie Bites contain 100 calories for three mini-cakes with 2.5 g of fat. Fried Twinkies are a popular fair food. This method of preparation causes the calorie count to increase to 420 with 34 g of fat.

Ingredients

Despite the rumors, Twinkies only have a shelf-life of 26 days. Twinkies also contain partially hydrogenated oils. Although the nutrition label says they contain 0 g of trans fats, the presence of this ingredient indicates that the cakes have trace levels that can add up if you eat more than one per day. They also contain artificial colors and flavors as well as preservatives.