Experts Agree Doughnuts a Totally Worthless Food

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http://www.mercola.com/2005/may/21/doughnuts.htm

 

Experts Agree Doughnuts a Totally Worthless Food

 

For many Americans, there's nothing quite like biting into a warm,

hot-off-the-grease doughnut. Yet whether they're frosted or sprinkled,

sugar-glazed or plain, one truth remains: Doughnuts' lack of

nutritional quality makes most nutritionists wince.

 

What makes doughnuts so damaging to your health? For starters, they're

packed with:

 

* Trans fats

* Artificial flavorings

* Refined sugar and flour

 

.... all the " goodies " that contribute to a massive, health-harming

outcome. (Even the typical glazed blueberry doughnut from Krispy Kreme

contains artificial fruit made from sugar, high fructose corn syrup,

corn cereal and other assorted chemicals.)

 

USDA Dietary Contradiction

 

So, while most dietitians believe people should aim for an ideal

diet--eliminating foods that have been stripped of many nutrients,

packed with potentially detrimental ingredients like the unhealthy

kinds of fats or both--the 2005 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

dietary recommendations veer Americans in a slightly different direction.

 

In fact, the USDA's new flawed food pyramid gives Americans the

perfect excuse to indulge their sweet cravings by allowing for

" discretionary calories " obtained from high-fat foods such as

doughnuts. However, this junk food allowance is only risk-free if a

person is not trying to lose weight and has met all other nutritional

requirements according to the guidelines. It also assumes people will

have the will-power to eat in moderation.

 

Doughnuts on the Brain

 

Tasty, feel-good foods like doughnuts are not only difficult to

resist, they can actually lead to addiction for people who have

stronger than normal genetic tendencies to enjoy foods that are

especially high in fat and sugar.

 

Moreover, brain scan research found that high-carbohydrate foods like

doughnuts--with their appealing texture and high sugar and fat

content--artificially raise serotonin (linked to mood) and dopamine

(associated with pleasurable sensations) levels in the brain, fueling

addiction.

 

New York Times May 3, 2005 (Registration Required)

 

 

 

 

Dr. Mercola's Comment:

 

While doughnuts made the top of my list of the five absolute worst

foods you can eat, it's good to see conventional experts agree with my

assessment.

 

Even though eating a single doughnut is unlikely to seriously harm

you, doing so can prevent you from eating more nutritionally dense,

whole foods by not only filling you up with empty calories, but the

calories they do have are full of brain-busting trans-fats that can

devastate your health.

 

Also, please remember that, as long as you continue to eat foods like

doughnuts, there is a strong likelihood you will continue to crave

them. One of the best ways to stop these cravings is to stop eating

these foods altogether. The hormones insulin and leptin are likely a

large part of the physical reasons for your cravings, especially for

high-carbohydrate foods.

 

 

Thankfully, it seems many of you are beginning to understand just how

devastating doughnuts can be to your health. Krispy Kreme is probably

a good barometer of the public's interest in doughnuts, and their

stock is currently down more than 80 percent from 2004.

 

Related Articles:

 

Why Junk Food is so Tempting, And How to Beat Your Temptation

 

Trans-Fat: What Exactly is it, and Why is it so Dangerous?

 

High-Flying Doughnut Maker Krispy Kreme Hit by Low-Carb Craze

 

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