Donuts vs Bagels
Nutritional Show Down

Written by Sky Taylor, Diet Bites

Donuts and bagels.

Who would think that two little dough-wads would differ so drastically in calories and nutritional values? Both are devised from a flour base. Both contain similar ingredients.

But just as the rose and the thistle grow within the same forest path, so do donuts and bagels in the humble kitchens, pantries and bakeries throughout the Diet Village - each with stunning nutritional values and differences.

And making the best choice can equal substantial rewards when it comes to health and the numbers etched on the weight loss scales. It's these smart little choices that add up to great rewards.

Diet Bites has tracked the nutritional values of both donuts and bagels below, but before we peep at the nutritional charts, let's do a quick Nutrition Summary of the key nutritional differences.

Donuts vs Bagels Per 100 Grams, Nutrition Facts

Calories & Carbohydrates: Based on per 100 grams, donuts contain about 125 calories more than bagels while the Carb Countdown remains neck-in-neck. Gasp!

Protein Grams: While the healthier bagel contains almost twice the protein grams as our Underdog Donut, its 6.21 grams of protein can't be overlooked. Go Donuts!

Fat Grams: Grab the tissue box because the Fat Gram area is where our little Underdog appears to fall apart - hole and all. Sad but so, these dough wads are fried in pure-d fat which equals pure-d fat calories. Our skinny bagel is standing erect & proud - containing 1.60 grams of total fat vs 19.40 total fat grams for our Underdog.

Cholesterol Grams: Better grab another box of tissues as our Underdog contains 30 grams of cholesterol; Mister Healthy Bagel? Zero!

Fiber Grams: Aha! Too close to call!

Sugar Grams: Oh no....Underdog has just walked the Diet Plank to dump his sugar-load, but what else would we expect from this sweet guy?

Calcium Content: Yeah! The Underdog Donut wins hands-down as it contains more than twice the amount of calcium as the skinny bagel. Who'd have thought it?

Iron Content: Aha! Again, too close to call!

Phosphorus Content: Give another round to the Underdog!

Potassium: Aha! Yet again, too close to call!

Sodium Content: Our Underdog appears to be on a winning streak - smashing Mister Healthy Bagel to the ground - containing far less salt content. The Diet Referee is counting now....one! two! three! four!

Zinc Content: Ooooh.....the donut has a tab more zinc values, too.

Selenium & Vitamin C Content: Look out, Mister Healthy as the Underdog is on a....roll.

Choline Content: Oh no, is Mister Healthy getting slammed here with our Underdog coming in at a high 29.1 mg of Choline vs 0 for the bagel.

Folate, Folic Acid, Vitamin B-12, Vitamin A, Retinol & Beta Carotene Content: Just look at this....Underdog Donut excels in these nutritional areas while Mister Healthy Bagel falls flat.

Vitamin A in Donuts equal 23 IU while the Bagel is left floundering in the dough. Beta Carotene mcg equal 3 points for Underdog Donut while the Bagel gets a big fat zero. Retinol- five for the underdog and again, zero for the bagel.

Luetein + Zeaxanthin Content: Oh wow - just look at this! Donuts contain 36 times the luetein+zeaxanthin content of bagels. Too cool, but does this mean that donuts rule?

Vitamin K Content: Aha! Donuts contain almost 12 times the Vitamin K content as bagels. Surely, this is a big win for our Underdog Donut, right? Please say it's so, please say it's so...

Unfortunately, it isn't so - and I know it's sad because our Underdog is a far more popular guy than our Mister Healthy. We don't see Bagel shops on every street corner, yet donut shops are certainly prolific. What's a morning at the office without sticky papers, right? Both on the desk and in the restroom, right?

So, what did the donut in? Two whammy areas - fat content and sugar content, and these two Nutritional Meanies will do it every time to the comfort foods we're drawn to; yes indeedy - when these two guys combine they are a hard tag-team to beat.

Another area that can't be overlooked is the cholesterol grams contained in our Underdog.....30 grams of cholesterol. So many Diet Nightmares suddenly surface, along with words like....leaky valve and plugged arteries. If only our Underdog could plug the leaky valves and unplug our arteries, what a team we'd make, right?

So.....where do we go to from here, us and our fond little friend, the Underdog Donut? Should we send him packing for good? Never to enter our Diet Portals again? Beam him to Diet Hades? Blast him back to the old Fat Vat and Sugar Ant Hill?

But as we gaze at him in all his 'glazing glory', how could we possibly do such? Never to taste his yeasty feast? His sweet nothingness? Would we yearn for his little hint of spice? Of ground nutmeg? Oh....the pain involved in these tough Diet Decisions. Surely, there must be a less painful solution....

Hark - over the hill, as our Underdog Donut is vanishing as the sun sets in the east (for things are always backwards in a nutritionally-challenged universe), we call out, "Come back! Come back, little dough-wad!"

He stops. Coyly, he turns and his visible hole quakes with comforting joy. Could it be? Oh yes! We can find a place in our diets for the Underdog Donut, we smile - as we tuck him fondly and gently away into our 'Every Once in a While' Box.

For more detailed information on the nutritional content of single-serving donuts and bagels, we have the scoop.

Donuts: Yeast-Leavened Donuts, Glazed Donuts, Enriched Donuts

Bagels: Enriched, Plain, Onion, Poppy Seed, Sesame

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