The sugar rush may have worn off since November, when all Hostess factories were shut down following legal engagements with the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union. But Twinkies are now set to return to stores by the middle of summer.

"We expect to be making and selling in July," said Michael Cramer, executive vice president of Hostess Brands LLC on Thursday. "Probably the later half of the month before the product hits the stores."

Now that Twinkies are back, fans are gearing up to indulge in the airy sugariness of Twinkies once more. Many are wondering, are they really that bad for you?

A single Twinkie, mostly composed of carbohydrate and fat, constitutes 140 calories, and 2.5 grams of saturdated fat, or 13 percent of the recommended daily value.

Perhaps not surprsingly, deep-drying the Twinkie more than doubles its calorie count, to 361.

Although even professors of nutrition will occasionally experiment by making Twinkies a mainstay in their dietary regimen, grades of "F" on various nutrition rating scales tell us that for a healthy lifestyle, the shrink-wrapped pastries are best avoided.

Alternatively, we might simply listen to Cramer. "Everything will be as delicious and fattening as it always was," he said.