Is it better to eat a donut for breakfast, or nothing at all? (2024)

FAQs

Is it better to eat a donut for breakfast, or nothing at all? ›

High in Calories

The Takeaway

If you have the chance, choosing a doughnut rather than eating nothing at all can jumpstart your metabolism and give your body the fuel it needs. But if you're just not hungry in the a.m., don't sweat it: There are some benefits to forgoing a morning meal as well.

Studies show that most people who lose weight and keep the weight off eat breakfast every day. On the other hand, you need to pay attention to what, when, and how much you eat. One study showed that people who had large breakfasts ate more during the day.

It's fine to enjoy a glazed doughnut every once in a while, but for your health, it's best not to make it a habit. Glazed doughnuts are not healthy, although you can certainly enjoy one every now and again. Eating too many of them may lead to weight gain and increase your risk of diabetes and heart disease over time.

After long hours of sleep, the combination of carbs and caffeine provides the perfect jolt that our system needs in the morning. That's because the caffeine in coffee awakens the brain and the carbs from sugar and flour in donuts give the body a dose of quick energy.

Doughnuts will cost you 250 to 550 calories, but the 15 to 30 grams of sugar in each is the real problem. With such a huge amount of sugar in a small package, your body pumps out loads of insulin to try to accommodate. A huge blood sugar spike leads to an even bigger sugar crash.

Doughnuts Are Loaded With Sugar

Take Dunkin' Donuts Chocolate Frosted Cake Donut, for example. This sweet treat provides 20 grams of sugar and 350 calories per serving. The Old Fashioned Doughnut from Top Pot boasts 36 grams of sugar and 480 calories per serving.

In general, Senn recommends eating within an hour of waking up, but only if you feel hungry. Some people don't crave a morning meal, and that's okay. If your body runs best with breakfast, solid starts include: Oatmeal with nuts and bananas.

Eating breakfast helps give your body the nutrients it needs to sustain your energy, balance your hormones and enhance your mood so you can think clearly and focus. That said, skipping this crucial morning meal is linked to poor health outcomes like blood sugar imbalances and greater risk of chronic diseases.

In the case of Intermittent fasting, skipping your dinner is better and easier. You can have your dinner either early or have a heavy snack and can begin your fasting. Research suggests that fasting in the evening and overnight, then eating early in the morning is the better way to follow this diet to lose weight.

What two foods can you not eat for breakfast? ›

“Consuming high sugar foods such as pastries and high sugar breakfast cereals or high sugar yoghurts aren't ideal for breakfast as they can spike blood glucose levels, leaving you feeling hungrier faster,” registered nutritionist and the author of How To Stay Healthy, Jenna Hope tells GLAMOUR.

The classic sugared donut is also the most nutritious donut on the menu. It has 240 calories, 11g fat, 4.5g saturated fat, 33g carbohydrates, 4g protein, 13g sugars, and 270mg sodium. If you love donuts, you've got plenty of varieties to choose from. Many of the popular donuts have 300 to 400 calories each.

Donuts are ultra-processed foods.

These foods are full of sodium and/or sugar, and regular consumption of these foods may lead to some serious health issues such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, depression and even cancer.

While you should avoid consuming too much fatty or greasy food as a rule, this is especially important in the hour or two before you go to bed. Food items like donuts and French fries tend to cause heartburn, acid reflux, and stomach upset, all of which make it difficult for you to get restful sleep.

Provides Energy

They contain carbohydrates, which are essential for fueling our bodies. When we eat a Krispy Kreme donut, the carbohydrates are broken down into glucose, which is used by our cells as energy. This can help to keep us going throughout the day and prevent us from feeling fatigued.

An original Krispy Kreme donut has 11 grams of fat—5 of those being saturated—while a Dunkin' original donut has 6 gram of saturated fat (30 percent of your fat intake). Meanwhile, a typical chocolate chip cookie has 2.4 grams of saturated fat...so um...let's just agree that donuts are sugar AND fat bombs.

The good news is that unless you eat doughnuts every day or go through a dozen in one sitting, they're not necessarily a huge diet-buster.

So back to the original question, “Can you eat doughnuts and lose weight?” Well, YES. Provided you can account for your daily macronutrient and micronutrient requirements, there's absolutely no reason why you can't enjoy your doughnuts in moderation.

Generally, doughnuts are just a little bit healthier than bagels as a breakfast food. The reasoning comes down to two things: carbohydrates and sodium. While this can vary based on the type of doughnut that you have, carbohydrates and sodium are not as high in doughnuts as they are in bagels.

There you have it, the versatility of donuts. We can see that over the years, donuts have been both a form of dessert and breakfast food and continue to do so, depending on the person you ask. So it all comes down to preference.