Any day of the week, someone here at work brings in a big box of bagels for their team meetings, etc. Personally, I don’t even like bagels. I’d much rather have a donut. I have a feeling they think the bagels are healthier, but they aren’t.
Your average bagel is between 3-400 calories, and then add about 70 calories for the cream cheese. The average donut is 2-300 calories, with the plain glazed coming in at 180. Not great, but better average than the bagel.
Just out of curiosity, I looked up these facts.
I used to work in a bakery, so I eat a donut about once a year. That is enough.
I go up and down on bagels; I’ll eat them once a week for awhile, and then not for months. I don’t eat cream cheese, though; usually I get the cheese-like spread that isn’t so caloric. Or I’ll splurge on Neufchatel and pepper jam–mmmm.
It’s not entirely fair to compare a 4 or 5 ounce bagel to a 2 ounce donut. The standard, “not-supersized-for-American-consumption” bagel (think Lender’s) is about 2 or 3 ounces and has 150-200 Calories.
According to the second link in the OP, doughnuts range from 150 to 360 Calories, and bagels range from 320 to 450 calories. Advantage: doughnuts, although there is a significant overlap.
Bagels appear to be much higher in carbohydrates, the current dietary bugbears. But I can’t shake the notion that the massive amount of fat in your typical doughnut is worse. Heck, I’m old-fashioned enough to still feel I’d be better off with a fruit cup. And it looks like doughnuts are much higher in protein, for whatever that’s worth.
In any case, I find one large bagel will fill me up until lunch time, whereas one doughnut will always leave me wanting more.
I’ve given them both up. I enjoyed them both. A few years ago I used to eat a bagel and schmear regularly at work each morning, until my then boss took to calling me “bagel girl” and said I was going to end up as “round and doughy” as a bagel if I didn’t watch out! Bastard. But he was right - lol! I love a good donut, or bad donut, whatever…lol! Both are evil what with all their white flour and sugar and nonsense I don’t need to be eating. I’m opting for healthier choices these days…turning 33 and all! :rolleyes: lol!
That’s like asking me to choose whether I prefer carrot cake or fudge. They’re so different, it depends on what my mood is which I want. Some days I want a bagel. Some I want a donut, plain glazed. Sometimes I want a cinnamon roll or kolache.
I’m just not into doughnuts, for the most part. I’ll get a craving for one maybe a few times a year. But… onion bagels with cream cheese and lox, with a slice of red onion used to be my favorite Sunday breakfast (before Atkins, that is). I miss bagels.
Indygrrl, it looks like you live in the midwest. You’ve probably never actually had a bagel, just round bagel-like objects (for the record, Lender’s does not make bagels). If it ain’t boiled, it ain’t a bagel.
The health claim is that bagels contain far less sugar (this was back in the time when sugar was the big health issue, just before fats were, and now carbs. It’s amazing that no one notices the pattern). A good bagel is far superior to any donut for a good, solid breakfast. Donuts are a nice treat, but I’d take a good bagel four out of five.
I like both doughnuts and bagels. If I want something sweet I’ll take a sugar-glazed donut or a maple bar. Otherwise a bagel slathered with cream cheese will satisfy me. Every Friday I get a bagel with cream cheese from our company cafeteria, while I rely on co-workers to bring in boxes of doughnuts at other times during the week. Maybe one of these mornings when I’m feeling generous I’ll return the favor.
The ones they bring in are from Einstein. I just can’t justify a 500 calorie breakfast, so I usually skip them or eat a half. I’m all about some sugar, so if it was donuts, I’d probably eat them regardless of the calories. So, when I think about it, I’m glad they don’t bring donuts because then I’d probably get fat.
I don’t really like donuts or bagels all that much. At least not the kinds of bagels I can get here in the Midwest. But give me a real bagel anytime - the kind that have been boiled and baked, slightly crunchy on top with a sprinkling of kosher salt and lots and lots of lox, capers & cream cheese and a tiny bit of red onion.
Fresh, toasty hot bagels w/ cream cheese and/or butter are a treat, but a pile of cold bagels on the table of a conference room are different matter altogether. I’d rather have a cold donut than a cold bagel any day.
Bagels are chewy and have substance, thus are a meal. Doughnuts are just dough and either cream or some sort of faux fruit and are so relegated to snacks.
