(via NYTimes.com) Looking Inside the Twinkie The news that the food maker Hostess filed for bankruptcy protection has triggered a national discussion of its products, including Wonder bread, Ho Hos and that nostalgic lunchbox favorite, the Twinkie. I recently spoke with the food writer Steve Ettlinger, author of the book “Twinkie, Deconstructed,” about the ingredients that go into a Twinkie, why it matters and what happens when you try to make one at home. Here’s our conversation: Q. So what does the story of the Twinkie tell us about processed foods in the United States? A. It tells us that processed foods are part of a very serious industrial complex. I call it the Twinkie Industrial Complex. Processed food ingredients are made in large parts from the most common industrial chemicals, like phosphoric acid and sulfuric acid and ethylene, which comes from natural gas. That, for me, is sobering. I’m not saying„ “Oh, shocker, we rely on petroleum for our food.” Petroleum is needed to transport locally produced organic food too. Petroleum is used for transportation, for pesticides and herbicides, for processing. One thing I noticed in my travels is there are certain food processing hubs in the Midwest where these large plants that process beans and seeds are located. The power needed to run these things is extraordinary. That was very unfoodlike, in my mind, and really surprised me. Q. In the book, you write about visiting a plant that mines phosphorus, an ingredient used in explosives, matches and artillery shells. Why is it used in a Twinkie? A. Phosphoric acid is a fairly common food processing ingredient. It’s also used in cheese processing. It is used in a dry form, ultimately, to make the acidic part of baking powder, which is why I was looking at it. The elementary phosphorus I saw being made was destined to be turned into phosphoric acid. It was being mined in Idaho and sent to a plant in the Midwest, where’s it’s stored in a giant spherical tank because it’s dangerous. It’s odd to see this kind of scale and chemistry and think, ‘Wow, that would be a really great ingredient in a little yellow snack cake.” Q. How many different types of rocks are used to make a Twinkie? A. Five, if you count salt. Gypsum, trona, limestone and phosphorus ore, but a geologist might take issue with calling phosphorus ore a rock. You can argue that over beers. Q. What’s in the white filling of a Twinkie? A. I asked a Twinkie employee I cornered at the exit of the plant. He smiled and said, “If I told you, I’d have to kill you.” It seems that the “cream” is probably partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. I think the key ingredient is polysorbate 60, and possibly cellulose gum. The filling has to be of a consistency that works well in the pumps and tubes that make these things. On the label they call it a “creamy filling.” They don’t actually say what it is. Read the full article here: Looking Inside the Twinkie

(via NYTimes.com)

Looking Inside the Twinkie

The news that the food maker Hostess filed for bankruptcy protection has triggered a national discussion of its products, including Wonder bread, Ho Hos and that nostalgic lunchbox favorite, the Twinkie. I recently spoke with the food writer Steve Ettlinger, author of the book “Twinkie, Deconstructed,” about the ingredients that go into a Twinkie, why it matters and what happens when you try to make one at home. Here’s our conversation:

Q. So what does the story of the Twinkie tell us about processed foods in the United States?
A. It tells us that processed foods are part of a very serious industrial complex. I call it the Twinkie Industrial Complex.

Processed food ingredients are made in large parts from the most common industrial chemicals, like phosphoric acid and sulfuric acid and ethylene, which comes from natural gas. That, for me, is sobering. I’m not saying„ “Oh, shocker, we rely on petroleum for our food.” Petroleum is needed to transport locally produced organic food too. Petroleum is used for transportation, for pesticides and herbicides, for processing.

One thing I noticed in my travels is there are certain food processing hubs in the Midwest where these large plants that process beans and seeds are located. The power needed to run these things is extraordinary. That was very unfoodlike, in my mind, and really surprised me.

Q. In the book, you write about visiting a plant that mines phosphorus, an ingredient used in explosives, matches and artillery shells. Why is it used in a Twinkie?
A. Phosphoric acid is a fairly common food processing ingredient. It’s also used in cheese processing. It is used in a dry form, ultimately, to make the acidic part of baking powder, which is why I was looking at it. The elementary phosphorus I saw being made was destined to be turned into phosphoric acid. It was being mined in Idaho and sent to a plant in the Midwest, where’s it’s stored in a giant spherical tank because it’s dangerous. It’s odd to see this kind of scale and chemistry and think, ‘Wow, that would be a really great ingredient in a little yellow snack cake.”
Q. How many different types of rocks are used to make a Twinkie?
A. Five, if you count salt. Gypsum, trona, limestone and phosphorus ore, but a geologist might take issue with calling phosphorus ore a rock. You can argue that over beers.
Q. What’s in the white filling of a Twinkie?
A. I asked a Twinkie employee I cornered at the exit of the plant. He smiled and said, “If I told you, I’d have to kill you.” It seems that the “cream” is probably partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. I think the key ingredient is polysorbate 60, and possibly cellulose gum. The filling has to be of a consistency that works well in the pumps and tubes that make these things. On the label they call it a “creamy filling.” They don’t actually say what it is.
Read the full article here: Looking Inside the Twinkie
4 months ago
MOTIVATION: being kind to yourself. I know, I know. It sounds cheesy and hippy-dippy. But truly think about how you are kind to yourself. Truly kind to yourself. Are you doing it that often? And when you do, are you doing it in ways that are actually kind? Often it comes off selfish if you want a moment for yourself or want to do something for just yourself. Other times, society tells us to “reward” ourselves in ways that are anything but (think junk food indulgences or wild drunken nights out to blow off steam). These are undercover ways of punishing yourself in reality that all add up later to even MORE need of being kind to yourself. Whether it sounds cheesy or not, take a read and honestly think about the way you’re being kind to yourself.  (via MINDbodyGREEN:) Why You Should Be Kind to Yourself [an excerpt] Self-kindness can be experienced by: caring for the whole of who we are, physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually listening to our bodies, and being honest with what we truly need in each moment showing ourselves love, acceptance and forgiveness through all of our experiences being gentle towards ourselves in our thoughts, feelings, actions and behaviors. Through kindness, we gently dissolve any negative energy and destructive patterns we are experiencing, creating space for the essence of who we are to shine through more fully in our lives. And once we have cultivated kindness within ourselves, genuinely extending kindness to others becomes effortless. We can give our love freely and demonstrate understanding with ease, even those we don’t know personally. Because what we see within ourselves, we see in everyone around us. When we feel love and kindness in ourselves, we notice love and kindness in others. Read the full article here.

MOTIVATION: being kind to yourself.

I know, I know. It sounds cheesy and hippy-dippy. But truly think about how you are kind to yourself. Truly kind to yourself. Are you doing it that often? And when you do, are you doing it in ways that are actually kind? Often it comes off selfish if you want a moment for yourself or want to do something for just yourself. Other times, society tells us to “reward” ourselves in ways that are anything but (think junk food indulgences or wild drunken nights out to blow off steam). These are undercover ways of punishing yourself in reality that all add up later to even MORE need of being kind to yourself. Whether it sounds cheesy or not, take a read and honestly think about the way you’re being kind to yourself.
 

(via MINDbodyGREEN:)

Why You Should Be Kind to Yourself

[an excerpt]

Self-kindness can be experienced by:
  • caring for the whole of who we are, physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually
  • listening to our bodies, and being honest with what we truly need in each moment
  • showing ourselves love, acceptance and forgiveness through all of our experiences
  • being gentle towards ourselves in our thoughts, feelings, actions and behaviors.
Through kindness, we gently dissolve any negative energy and destructive patterns we are experiencing, creating space for the essence of who we are to shine through more fully in our lives.
And once we have cultivated kindness within ourselves, genuinely extending kindness to others becomes effortless. We can give our love freely and demonstrate understanding with ease, even those we don’t know personally. Because what we see within ourselves, we see in everyone around us. When we feel love and kindness in ourselves, we notice love and kindness in others.
Read the full article here.
4 months ago