Happy Donut Day?
June 1 has the dubious distinction of being the official holiday for everyone's favorite fried, hole-in-the-center treat. Maybe if doughnuts were actually reserved for a once-a-year holiday, they wouldn't be so bad -- but the truth is that we don't need a special day to remind ourselves to eat this treat. Dunkin' Donuts alone reportedly sells enough of the treats each year to circle the globe twice.
But this "breakfast" food is more like a "dessert" food, and should be enjoyed in serious moderation -- they're packed with empty calories and often tons of sugar. So before you dig into the box at work this morning (or stop by a store for a freebie), we trolled the nutrition facts of some of the chains offering doughnut deals today, and rounded up seven picks loaded with more sugar than a candy bar. (Our point of reference? One Kit Kat bar, which clocks in at 22 g of sugar.) According to the American Heart Association, women should aim to limit added sugar to 20 g a day, and men 36 g a day -- some of these doughnuts wipe that out in a single serving.
Still can't resist? We suggest indulging in a doughnut hole to satisfy the craving.
Here are some of the worst offenders from top purveyors of the pastry:
Krispy Kreme's Glazed Devil's Food Old Fashioned Cake Doughnut: 27 g
Krispy Kreme's Glazed Blueberry Old Fashioned Cake Doughnut: 29 g
Dunkin' Donuts Apple Crumb Donut: 49 g
Dunkin' Donuts Blueberry Crumb Donut: 52 g
Tim Horton's Strawberry Vanilla Donut: 28 g
LaMar's Donuts Bavarian Cream: 61 g
LaMar's Donuts Donuts Cherry Filled: 45 g