How foods you eat compare to a Glazed Dunkin' Donut.

Apr 17

It’s been a long time since I have had a donut. The sugar, fat, carbs, calories, white flour, ohhh my! I admit I love the taste. But how I feel afterwards…Not so much.

Just about everyone knows that donuts are not healthy for you. No one would argue they were (or just about), unless they just like to argue. Here is a short list of some very common foods many people eat every day and how they stack up to a Dunkin’ Donut in terms of sugar.

First, to put things into context. A run of the mill glazed Dunkin’ Donut and all its tasty goodness amounts to 260 calories, 1 measly gram of fiber, and a moderate amount of sugar at 12 grams per donut. To put that into context, a sugar cube is 3 grams. So each donut is the equivalent of 4 sugar cubes.

Mind you, we are only taking about sugar here, not the fact that they are fried in oil, empty calories with absolutely no nutritional value and processed white flour gluten balls just waiting to mess up your health.

So onto the good stuff, or bad stuff. Next time you reach for some of these convenient and often touted as healthy foods, take a look at the ingredients and remember this blog.

And just for good measure here are some additional comparisons.

Preto heart Smart Traditional Italian Sauce, 3/4 cup = 1 Donut = 4 sugar cubes

Hunt’s Tomato Ketchup, 3 Tablespoons = 1 Donut = 4 sugar cubes

Campbell’s Creamy Tomato Soup, 1 cup = 1 1/3 Donut = About 5.5 Sugar Cubes

Cliff Builders Protein Bar = 1 3/4 Donuts = 7 sugar cubes

Cannon Fruit on the Bottom, Blueberry = 2 Donuts = 8 Sugar Cubes

Coca Cola, 1 can = 3 1/2 - 4 Donuts = 10.5 - 12 Sugar Cubes

Apple bees oriental Grilled Chicken Salad = 4 1/2 Donuts = 14 Sugar Cubes

So there you have it. Many foods are loaded with excess sugar to make them tasty and addicting. So you buy them over and over again, feeding the vicious cycle.

Visualization can be a very effective way to have a positive effect on your health. Many times a number doesn’t mean all that much. For example, drinking a can of soda will often give you a mega dose of 40-50 grams of sugar.

While it kind of sounds like a lot, not many people know what a gram of sugar looks like. So know you know that 1 can of Coca Cola is the equivalent of either eating 3.5 Donuts or Sucking down up to 12 sugar cubes all at once.

Here is a great comparison of what that glass of soda would look like if it only contained the sugar in it.

Scary right?!

If you are looking for some sugar substitutes here is my short list of ones that I use regularly and sparingly. Why I use certain ones will be covered in another blog post.

My general recommendation is to avoid all the excess sugar hidden in many foods so that when it does come time to use sugar, you can have the option of actually using either regular sugar if need be or a brown sugar, or raw sugar instead.

No one said you can’t ever indulge, but with these foods you are indulging EVERY DAY

Some sugar substitutes include Raw honey, coconut sugar, maple syrup, and if need be you can do Stevia. Although to be honest with you I’m not completely sold on the whole stevia thing. Number one, I don’t particularly like the taste, and even though it has been around for a long time and used as a sweetener for centuries, we are using it in much higher concentrations and doses that previously used. The research just isn’t available yet as to whether I will give it a thumbs up or a thumbs down.

So for now, I give it a sideways thumb until further notice.

We will be discussing some of the other sweeteners labeled as “healthy” in another blog. Seems like there is always some new sugar that is better and healthier. Personally I try to stick with my moto of KISS - Keep it simple stupid.

So until next time, keep it sweet! Or maybe less sweet?

Dr. Craig Mortensen