It’s Tuesday morning, and you realize you are in charge of advisory snack. You start to panic, but then remember you can go to Dunkin’ Donuts to get the usual two-dozen pack of donuts.
Soon, the automatic response to being in charge of snack is to bring donuts, so every Tuesday from that point forward is deemed “donut day.”
We are in school about 9 months, resulting in about 36 weeks of school. Let’s assume the average Academy student will have two donuts every Tuesday. That amounts to 72 donuts across the school year. If you were to multiply all the macronutrients of these two donuts by 72, you would realize what you’re actually putting into your body.
Relatively speaking, the least unhealthy donut at Dunkin’ is the Chocolate Frosted Donut, and the most unhealthy item is the Chocolate Coconut Cake Donut.
Since one pound equals 3,500 calories, then in calories alone, an average student would potentially gain 5.5 pounds from the healthiest Dunkin’ Donut and 11.3 pounds for the most unhealthy Dunkin’ Donut. Chocolate Frosted Donut Chocolate Coconut Cake Donut Calories.
Sure, Dunkin’ Donuts seems like the most convenient option because of its close location to school. There are, however, other accessible options in our vicinity that will keep your scale from tipping.
Here are some “healthier” ideas for the next time you’re in charge of snack.
1.) Tim Hortons. 5221 North Hamilton Road. Muffins: Whole Grain Blueberry, Whole Grain Raspberry, Blueberry Bran, Cranberry, Raisin Bran, Wheat Carrot
2.) Crazy Goat Coffee. Creekside Plaza, Gahanna. Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, Homemade Quiche, Parfait, Fruit Cup
3.) Caribou Coffee. 1370 North Hamilton Road. Sandwiches: Egg White and Turkey Bacon Daybreaker, Spinach-Egg & Swiss Mini, Turkey and Bacon Mini. Banana Bread. Maple Brown Sugar Crunch or Classic Oatmeal
4.) Panera. 1370 North Hamilton Road. Whole Grain Bagel, Sesame Bagel, Plain Bagel, Reduced Fat Honey Walnut or Reduced Fat Raspberry Cream Cheese, Egg and Cheese on Ciabatta, Breakfast Power Sandwich
5.) Starbucks: 300 South Hamilton Road. Bakery Items (under 350 calories): Petite Vanilla Bean Scone, Marshmallow Dream Bar, Low-fat Red Raspberry Muffin, Reduced-Fat Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake, Morning Bun, Marble Pound Cake, Plain Bagel, Chocolate Croissant, Asiago Bagel, Chonga Bagel, Reduced-Fat Very Berry Coffee Cake, Starbucks Indulgent Chocolate Cookie, Multi-Grain Bagel, Pumpkin Bread, 8-Grain Roll, April Bran Muffin
Warm Breakfasts (under 350 calories) include Perfect Oatmeal, Spinach Roasted Tomato Feta & Egg White Wrap, Reduced-Fat Turkey Bacon, Cholesterol-free Egg and Reduced Fat White Cheddar Breakfast Sandwich
Fruit Cup, Greek Yogurt & Honey Parfait, Dark Cherry & Yogurt Parfait, Strawberry Blueberry Yogurt Parfait
6.) Dunkin’ Donuts. 1111 North Hamilton Road DD Smart Menu has Multi-grain Bagels, Reduced Fat Blueberry Muffins, English Muffins
7.) Subway. 321 Stoneridge Lane Stoneridge Plaza Shopping Ctr. 6-inch sandwiches (6 grams of fat or less): Blackforest Ham without Cheese, Oven Roasted Chicken, Roast Beef, Subway Club, Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki, Turkey Breast, Turkey Breast & Ham, Veggie Delite
Mini Subs: Black Forest Ham, Turkey Breast, Veggie Delite
8.) Buffalo Wild Wings. 1380 Cherry Bottom Road. Appetizers are Grilled Chicken Quesadilla, Tortilla Chips w/ Two Types of Salsa, Chicken Sandwich, Naked Tenders, Veggie Boat
9.) Smoothie King. 1350 N. Hamilton Rd. Energy Bars, Granola, Soy Chips, Hi-Protein Cookies, Veggie Chips, Veggie Stix, Smoothie Bars, Snack Bags, Banana Berry Treat, Berry Punch, Caribbean Way, Cherry Picker, Fruit Fusion, Grape Expectations, Lemon Twist Banana, Lemon Twist Strawberry, Light & Fluffy, Peach Slice Plus, Pineapple Surf, Strawberry X-Treme
Will just once a week matter . . . or not? When in your advisory groups, consider the risks of eating donuts every week that we are in school. Even 5 pounds adds up quickly.
Written by Libby Sirak’15 and Charlotte Vaziri’14
Graphic by Connie Zhang’14
Animation by Alex LiChen’16
