https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twinkie wrote:
<<In 2010, Kansas State University professor Mark Haub went on a "convenience store" diet consisting mainly of Twinkies, Oreos, and Doritos in an attempt to demonstrate to his students "...that in weight loss, pure calorie counting is what matters most, not the nutritional value of the food." He lost 27 pounds over a two-month period, returning his body mass index (BMI) to within normal range. However, despite calling it the "Twinkie diet", Haub also consumed a multivitamin, a protein shake and fresh vegetables along with the Twinkies, Oreos, and Doritos.
A common urban legend claims that Twinkies have an infinite shelf life, and can last unspoiled for a relatively long time of ten, fifty, or one hundred years due to the chemicals used in their production. A homage to the unlimited shelf life urban myth appears in the film WALL-E, where the title character's pet cockroach is shown eating its way into the 700 year old cream filling at one end and emerging out the other, none the worse for wear. In reality, Twinkies are on the shelf for a short time; a company executive told The New York Times in 2000 that the "Twinkie is on the shelf no more than 7 to 10 days." The maximum shelf life was reported to have been 26 days, until the addition of stronger preservatives made beginning in 2012 increased it to 45 days.
In the film "Ghostbusters", the character Egon Spengler describes a speculated level of psychokinetic energy and uses a regular Twinkie size to represent the normal level of such energy in New York City. He then says that based on a recent sample, the Twinkie representing New York would be over 35 feet long and weigh approximately 600 pounds, to which the character Winston Zeddemore replies, "That's a big Twinkie."
In the 1988 blockbuster "Die Hard", LAPD Sergeant Al Powell is seen buying Twinkies at a gas station, to which the attendant says "I thought you guys ate donuts?". Powell replies, claiming that they are for his pregnant wife. It is later revealed to be his favourite snack, to the point that he is able to list all the ingredients to John McClane, claiming they are "Just about everything a growing boy needs!".
"Twinkie defense" is a catchall term coined by reporters during their coverage of the trial of defendant Dan White for the murders of San Francisco city Supervisor Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone. White's change in diet from healthful food to Twinkies and other sugary foods was said to be a symptom of depression.>>