Twinkies, Ding Dongs, and Wonder Bread Not Recommended by William Dufty and the Iconic Gloria Swanson in 1977

By Harry Sneider

My career as a professional fitness trainer, coach of Olympians and friend of celebrities included the iconic Gloria Swanson. Do you remember the movie “Sunset Boulevard” where Gloria was the famous Norma Desmond with the great William Holden? This 4’11” bombshell was walking on the Ambassador College track where I was coaching Olympians for the 1980 Games. The tiny lady came to me and said, “What are you feeding that Olympian?” She warned me not to give these great athletes too much sugar.
At the time she was married to the award winning author William Dufty who had written the best seller “Sugar Blues”, available on Amazon.com. She told me that she had found sugar to be a dangerous ingredient to all of us for our overall health. She told me “Eat whole grains. Drink pure water. Start the morning with a banana. When hungry eat fruits and vegetables, occasionally some fish.” Gloria had survived major illnesses because of her health regime. With her husband she had discovered some interesting techniques that food producers are using to get our nation addicted to sugar. She paralleled the addiction to sugar like it was a drug. She even mentioned that cigarette manufacturers put sugar in tobacco to increase the desire for this very dangerous habit.
Where does this all fit in with the current talk and debate about Twinkies, Ding Dongs, and Wonder Bread? I’m sure we’ve all had these treats growing up. I still remember in the school lunches many of the children had these sugary addictive treats. Sugar is good in moderation, but has an addictive component that can lead to diabetes, obesity, decayed teeth, alcoholism and possibly even cancer. There are reported major mood swings with sugar addiction and one can get very hyper and in a few hours be in the depths of depression. So you are encouraged to keep eating those Twinkies, Zingers, and Ding Dongs throughout the day. This is not good for overall health. Gloria Swanson warned me not to let the Olympic athletes as well as my family and friends get into these negative addictive habits.
Now for a solution to this sugar addiction: Can you change little by little to fruits like bananas, watermelon, cantaloupe, strawberries, blueberries, apples, oranges, grapes, pears, and other natural fruits? They contain natural sugars and are good for your overall health. Start the morning with a whole grain cereal like oats, millet, and wheat. This will give you energy and give you muscle building nutrition if you include some protein like eggs, yogurt, and fish. Your lunch can include vegetable soups with whole grain bread turkey or tuna sandwiches. Dinner can have a great leafy green salad, with a nice piece of chicken or salmon along with broccoli and a generous glass of milk. This can give you the health your body needs. Enjoy life with good health! YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT!
Harry Sneider can be reached at 626-355-8964 or harrysneider@earthlink.net.

-Courtesy Photo

More from Arcadia Weekly