Calories in Hostess Cupcakes chocolate, light

WeightWatchers Points are estimated by carbohydrates, fats, protein and fiber in product. They are not an affirmation of better quality or nutritional value of the product or its manufacturer. Only way to count for dieters. Less points are better.
Read more at Weight watchers diet review

Salt (NaCl) is not excactly sodium (Na).
It is not right to use these terms as synonyms.
The FDA recommended limit of sodium is 2,300 mg per day (or even less - about 1500 mg while one is on low sodium diets).
This is much less than the weight of salt.
(5,750 mg per day or 3,750 mg for low sodium diet) and not so convenient to calculate.
Know how much sodium is in your salt - without a calculator:
1/4 tsp salt = 600 mg sodium
1/2 tsp salt = 1200 mg sodium
3/4 tsp salt = 1800 mg sodium
1 tsp salt = 2300 mg sodium

This volume includes both naturally occurring from ingredients and specially added sugars.
USDA tells us that last years each American consumed an average 130 pounds of caloric sweeteners per year!
That works out to 30 tsp of sugars per day approximately 480 extra calories!
Just to think: Eating just 200 more calories daily than your body requires for body functioning and exercise leads to a 20-pound weight gain in a year.

Protein is important, but some of the protein you find in this product isn't exactly natural.
The protein comes from one of the following sources:

• milk protein concentrate
• whey protein isolate
• soy protein isolate

While it's fine to get some of your protein from supplemented items, keep in mind that they are not "natural" sources
and that it's not ideal to get protein only from processed goods.
If you're looking for more protein, try beans, quinoa, nuts, seeds, peas and spinach & leafy greens.
Not only do they have protein, they're filled with other vitamins and minerals.

It is used as a thickener in products such as ice cream, jelly, chocolate milk, infant formula, cottage cheese.
It is a vegetarian and vegan alternative to gelatin.
It has been used for hundreds of years in Ireland and China, but only made headway into modern food processing in the last 50 years.
The processing steps after harvesting the seaweed include drying, grounding, filtration, treatment with potassium hydroxide, removal of cellulose by centrifuge, concentration by evaporation, drying, and grounding.
Interestingly, the Philippines account for the vast majority of the world supply of carrageenan.
In some animal studies, carrageenan was shown to cause intestinal lacerations and tumors.
A 2001 meta-study of 45 peer-reviewed studies concluded that carrageenan consumption may result in gastrointestinal malignancy and inflammatory bowel.
The FDA has approved carrageenan as safe, basing its decision on industry funded studies.
European agencies and the World Health Organization have also deemed carrageenan safe, with the exception of infant formula.
The fear is the a baby's gut may be unable to handle the large carrageenan molecules.
In some individuals carrageenan may cause intestinal discomfort or worse.

People feeling reaction to MSG may also react adversely to MSG-like substances.
Glutamates or chemically similar items are added to improve a product's taste.

Here is a short list of common MSG-like substances:

• Yeast extract
• Autolyzed yeast
• Hydrolyzed proteins
• Textured proteins
• Anything "enzyme modified"

Phosphoric acid is used as an additive to acidify foods and beverages such as various colas and jams.
It provides them a tangy or sour taste and then, to mask and balance the acidity they add a huge amounts of sweeteners.
Remember! It’s a corrosive acid and can form toxic fumes when it comes into contact with alcohols, ketones and other organic compounds.
Phosphoric acid has been linked to lower bone density, dental erosion, risk of developing kidney disease.
BTW: The clear sodas that contained citric acid didn’t have the same risk.

Sources:
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition: Colas, But Not Other Carbonated Beverages, Are Associated With Low Bone Mineral Density in Older Women: The Framingham Osteoporosis Study
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition: Carbonated Beverages and Urinary Calcium Excretion
Epidemiology: Carbonated Beverages and Chronic Kidney Disease
General Dentistry: Commercial Soft Drinks: pH and in Vitro Dissolution Of Enamel
Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine: Teenaged Girls, Carbonated Beverage Consumption, and Bone Fractures
Phosphoric acid has been linked to lower bone density in some epidemiological studies, including a discussion in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.