Dunkin' Donuts decision

by Bev Sklar (Subscribe to Bev Sklar's posts)
Apr 14th 2008 8:30AM

Categories: Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements

You skipped breakfast this morning and a dozen assorted Dunkin' Donuts await you at the office. A hunger-meter registering near-starvation is no time to make a nutritionally sound donut decision.

On a good willpower day you walk away and seek a healthier alternative. But on a bad day you grab a donut, bite into the soft, melting circle of sugar and gulp it down in three bites. Then you try and forget it happened or your sugar rush will be ruined. Here are a few common selections I often see in a Dunkin' Donuts dozen. If it is a bad day, at least be aware of the nutritionally 'better' choice for your weak moment. Which selection do you think has the least fat and calories?

If you answered French Cruller, you're right! At 150 calories and 8 g of fat, this sexy little number has 80 less calories than the next best selection in the poll, a Glazed Donut with 230 calories and 10 g fat. I always figured the Old-Fashioned Cake Donut was the best bet, but don't let this Plain Jane fool you. It has 280 calories and 15 g fat, more than every choice in the poll!

12 "healthy" foods that really aren't:

Why? Click to find out!

Source

Comments (25)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Vannie 4-14-2008 @ 2:10PM

Hey! Where were you the other day when I stopped at DD to get a cuppa and a donut? (whine) I passed on the French Cruller and bought an Old-Fashioned Cake Donut instead. Who knew?

Vannie Ryanes
http://workandfamily.bellaonline.com
http://abettercook.tripod.com

Bev Sklar 4-14-2008 @ 5:14PM

Vannie,

"Who knew!" is right. Under starvation pressure with no healthier alternatives in sight, I'll make sure to pick the Cruller, not an Old-Fashioned!

:) Bev

Shay 4-14-2008 @ 2:54PM

THEY ARE MY DIET WEAKNESS! Maybe I read one Stephanie Plum (Janet Evanovich) novel too many but I gotta get a boston cream and/or jelly donut more days that I care to admit. One Friday after work I bought a 1/2 dozen. They didn't live to see Saturday. Since I am only allowed 2,195 calories per day I messed up ROYALLY!!!

jayne 4-14-2008 @ 3:01PM

The French Cruller may not have as many calories as other donuts, but I am def hungry after I just have a donut for breakfast and it sets me up for having a bad day eating wise. I think it would be far better to have a more caloric breakfast that would be more filling and not empty calories. Dunkin Donuts does have bagels which you can have with fat free cream cheese.

Wow, I can just think of a lot of other things I could eat and get much
more bang for my buck.

I have about 10-15 pounds that I would like to lose and struggle with
my weight every day. I love this column. I read recently about Pad
Thai here. I am not an idiot and realized that it was not a low cal
dish, but I was shocked to find out it was close to 1000 calories. I
will still order it, but split it with a girlfriend and have a salad
with it to fill me up.

It is all about moderation. Whether you eat a vat of pasta
or a vat of yogurt, it all depends on the number of calories. I
rather
have one delicious truffle than 100 fat free tastless somethings.

I drink water, try to make smart food choices, control portion size
to get exercise whenever I can. I wear smartsole insoles
http://www.smartsole.com to increase the calories I burn with every
step. I also use an old school precor rowing machine which is great
for the arms. http://www.precor.com

stew 4-14-2008 @ 5:26PM

lol....the bagel is probably worse than the donut, low fat cream cheese or not.
i used to think a bagel was a good alternative until my last doctor visit. the bagel turns quickly to sugar when the body metabolizes it.
its definately not as healthy as you think. and btw....lose the low fat cream cheese. a slice of low fat cheese would be better.

Shannon DiCarlo 4-14-2008 @ 3:06PM

That's great, but it's too bad that they won't let you buy just one munchkin though. At my DD, you have to buy at least 6!
So much for this country's diabetes, obesity and heart disease epidemic.

ARESON 4-14-2008 @ 3:43PM

THEY ARE THE GREATEST, ALONG WITH THEIR COFFEE. YUMMY

carole del monte 4-14-2008 @ 3:43PM

We stopped buying Dunkin Donuts several months ago when they got into their zero trans fats mode. The enjoyment went out when that process went in. We do buy their coffee for home use, exclusively, though. We do miss our usual Sunday morning donuts. My preference was the Bavarian Kreme.

Bob Wong 4-14-2008 @ 4:00PM

Dunkin' Donuts are over priced and don't taste very good. If I am going to consume all those calories, it should at least taste good!

inyocountycaman 4-14-2008 @ 5:06PM

Police to boycott?

heidi 4-14-2008 @ 5:03PM

dunkin donuts are fattening sugar is no good for anyone either is salt people should start drinking more water eating vegetables and fruit eating fattening foods especially fast food is just going to make you fat

debbie 4-14-2008 @ 5:13PM

I love donuts and if i'm going to splurge and pig out one weekend i want the good stuff. Where did all the great bakery's go that had not only donuts but the pastries as well, the cheese cake and peach cake....maybe i'm dating my self here but i know some of you out there remember these places, they had the best and dunkin donuts couldn't touch them. yes dunkin is good in a pinch but it's not the same.

FeistyGirl007 4-15-2008 @ 12:50AM

Ummm, Heidi, we all kinda know that...That is why the article was written...when we want a "fattening treat", this tells us which one has the least amount of calories...the "best of the worst" , so to speak... When we want a FUN, ONCE IN A WHILE treat or snack, we DONT want to eat fruits and vegetables or drink water... Fruits, vegetables and water are what we should do as a rule, most of the time, every day...BUT, NOT FOR FUN, lol, this eating is for FUN, not for all of the time and not for every day...I think that most people realize this about this article, but thanks for watching out for us, Mom...lol... (Btw, 30 yrs ago, at one of the first Dunkin Donuts, my Mom used to treat her thin self to the DD French Cruller, as she always thought that they had the least amount of calories of all of their donuts...Smart Mom...lol...)

Bev Sklar 4-14-2008 @ 6:14PM

Feisty,

Wow, your mom was intuitive! Now that I'm armed with the nutritional lowdown, I just have to make sure I don't reach for that second Cruller ... LOL.

Bev

haveaplan 4-14-2008 @ 5:50PM

You would think with Splenda being bakeable they would creeate a low-sugar line of pastries. Of course you would also expect them to not use nonbiodegradable styrofoam cups but naw- there must not be any money in saving the customer's health or the planet!

Me 4-14-2008 @ 6:00PM

Thanks for sharing Heidi! I don't think any of us would have realized this without you to explain it to us dummies! All Hail Heidi!! Our Savior!!! Guess I shoulda had that donut for breakfast, I'm really B*tchy today!

marg 4-14-2008 @ 9:59PM

The DD's in my city don't have French Crullers.

TAMELA 4-14-2008 @ 7:02PM

DUNKIN DONUTS HAVE GREAT FRENCH CRULLERS I HAVE ONE EVERYDAY AND THE REDUCED CARB BAGELS WITH CHEESE TOPPING ARE GREAT WITH THE REDUCED FAT BLUEBERRY CREAM CHEESE BUT THEY ALSO HAVE A LOT OF DIFFERENT BAGELS LIKE THE WHEAT AND MULTIGRAIN WHICH ARE VERY POPULAR AS WELL AS THE CROSSANT SANDWICHES SO DONT SNOOZE ON THE DD