Twinkie tales. (Editorial).

It never fails. Every time you think you've seen it all, along comes something so beyond belief that it just leaves you shaking your head. That happened to me a couple of months ago.

Regular Vibrant Life readers know that we encourage eating the most healthful kinds of foods available--fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and the like. And while we aren't opposed to the occasional treat, extreme moderation is the approach we urge. So I'm sure you'd understand if we told you that Twinkies, those cream-filled sponge cake snacks, are something we'd tell you to pass.

Well, a couple of months ago I was reading a newspaper food section and came across a story that got my head to shaking. It seems that a restaurant in New York City has invented a new dessert: a deep-fried Twinkie. It wasn't enough for this restaurant that a Twinkie is already loaded with fat and calories. No, they've created a heart-attack-on-a-plate dessert. They take Twinkies, dip them in batter, and deep fry them. They claim that this makes the cream filling melt and sort of ooze throughout the cake.

I saw a piece on this restaurant and their creation on television a couple of weeks later. To be honest, the deep-fried Twinkle looks about as bad as it sounds. I'm amazed they don't have emergency medical personnel standing by at all times. The only redeeming feature of the dessert was that they spread some raspberry sauce on the plate before they placed two deep-fried Twinkie halves on top. I say, skip the cakes and just eat the sauce. Better yet, just have some raspberries.

With the start of the New Year, I'm resolving again to eat as healthfully as possible. Oh, the occasional splurge will still happen. I'm only human. But the benefits of eating well are many. You feel and look better. Clothes can fit you better. I've lost some weight during the past few months, and I'm planning to lose more during 2003. We can make it easier for you to eat well too. Of course, each issue of Vibrant Life features some great-tasting plant-based recipes. But we offer you the chance to get a free vegetarian recipe each week by e-mail, too. Visit our Web site at www.vibrantlife.org to sign up. More than 1,000 people are already signed up.

We aren't perfect at Vibrant Life, even though we try to be. And last issue we messed up. We told you that the person who wrote that great article on Vegetarian Diets and Vitamin B12 was written by Penny Rynk. Well, while we think her writing is as shiny as a pretty new penny, her name is really Peggy Rynk. Peggy, we're sorry. It won't happen again. And we hope you'll give us an opportunity to share your writing in the future.