Nutritionist Goes on Twinkie Diet and Loses Weight

Every week, there's a new food that's bad for you according to research. Popping up at the top of every nutritionists' list of things to limit or eliminate - processed foods and sugar.

But nutritionist Mark Haub, an associate professor of nutrition at Kansas State University, decided to test out whether those junk foods were really as bad as their reputation leads people to believe - and teach his students along the way.

For one month, Haub ate Twinkies, Nutter Butters, steak and milk, and took a multivitamin. And he lost weight.

Haub's question was, is it what you eat, or how much you eat, that really matters - assuming you're meeting all your nutritional needs.

He decided to limit his caloric intake to 1800 calories a day. According to ABC News, "Haub began the experiment on Aug. 25, restricting his caloric intake to 1800 calories a day and keeping his physical activity the same, but with eating predominantly junk food: four to five processed snack cakes a day along with whole milk, canned or frozen vegetables, a multi-vitamin, protein supplement and things like chips and ribs."

You would think that being on this sort of diet, Haub would at least see some issues with his cholesterol or blood sugars. Not the case.

As Haub told ABC, "He had more energy, stopped snoring, and not only did he lose enough weight to drive down his overall cholesterol and body mass index (BMI), his good HDL cholesterol crept up two points and his blood glucose -- despite all that cream filling -- dropped 17 percent."

Haub intended to get people talking, and that he has. Nutritionists and experts from all over are already weighing on on his diet, all agreeing that while Haub saw short-term benefits, the long-term effects of this diet would not be good.

When you're overweight, your cholesterol and BMI, along with your blood sugars, are likely in an unhealthy range. Any amount of weight you lose will lower those numbers, improving your overall health. The reduced number of calories (1800) would create a deficit, regardless of what was eaten, that would lead to weight loss. However, eating no fruits or vegetables leaves Haub with no antioxidants or phytonutrients - both key to health and even cancer prevention.

Haub still insists that he could eat the Twinkie diet moderately without health implications. Perhaps a new diet study is on the horizon for his diet plan.

ABC News: Twinkie Diet: Short-Term Fix, Long-Term Problem