Dunkin Donuts Lower Carb Bagels

I debated whether or not to try a Dunkin Donut lower carb bagel simply because, just by the title of "lower carb bagel" instead of "low carb bagel", I knew they probably still had a lot of carbs, but in the interest of informing my readers of all potential possibilities, I tried one on my way to Christmas shopping. (My girlfriend informed me that they had them.)

I walked in and asked if they had any printed information on the bagels, which they didn't. The man next to me ordered one too. He said that he had been eating them for a while and they were pretty good, but you couldn't eat them plain, you had to have something on them. (Anything had to be better than their regular bagels or muffins, see below.) So... I ordered one to go, toasted, with cream cheese, with a small coffee. It came to about $3. They were down to their last 3 lower carb bagels, but the bin where they store them isn't nearly as big as the regular bagel bins, so this must not be one of their top sellers. (Do you know how much money you save each week by making your own breakfast?)

Anyhow, the bagel was OK. It was a much larger bagel than the Thomas' Carb Conscious bagels that you get in the grocery stores. It also was less dense than the traditional bagels, which, of course, makes sense. It had a white color instead of a whole grain color, which, in contrast, surprised me.  I ate the bagel around 8:30 a.m. and didn't become really hungry until about 12:30 in the afternoon while I was still shopping. Would I buy this again? Probably not. I just can't eat that many carbs. But for men who are on South Beach, it might be OK, if they continually exercise.

They also have a lower carb croissant, which I haven't tried yet. It has fewer carbs, but it has just about the same amount of calories -- a lot!

Dunkin Donuts Low Carb Nutrition Facts

	Dunkin Donuts Lower Carb Bagel	Dunkin Donuts Regular Bagel
Serving Size	1 bagel	1 bagel
Calories	380	320
Total Fat	12g	2.5g
Saturated Fat	4.5g	.5g
Cholesterol	20mg	0g
Sodium	780mg	650mg
Total Carbohydrates	45g	62g
Dietary Fiber	14g	2g
Sugars	8g	4g
Protein	25g	12g
Ingredients	Bagel [Water, Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Modified Wheat Starch, Vital Wheat Gluten, Bleached Soybean Fiber, Wheat Protein Isolate, Soybean Oil. Contains Less Than 2% Of The Following: Inulin, Salt, Yeast, Dough Conditioner (Datem, Ascorbic Acid, Azodicarbonamide, Enzymes, L-Cysteine Hydrochloride), Natural & Artificial Flavor, Sucralose, Degermed Yellow Corn Meal, Potassium Sorbate And Sodium Benzoate (Preservatives), Sunflower Meal], Topping (Pasteurized Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes).	Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Contains Less Than 2% Of The Following: Degermed Yellow Corn Meal, Salt, Soybean Oil, Rice Flour, Yeast, Dough Conditioner (Datem, Ascorbic Acid, Azodicarbonamide, Enzymes, L-Cysteine Hydrochloride).

Here is a new lower carb bagel from Stop & Shop to look at. I tried to compare Dunkin Donuts to Einstein Brothers, but they only have overall figures for Einstein:

Lower-Carb 9 Grain Bagel & Plain Cream Cheese
27 grams of protein, net 19 grams of carbs

Egg & Bacon Frittata on Lower-Carb 9 Grain Bagel
53 grams of protein, net 22 grams of carbs

100% Albacore Tuna Salad on Lower-Carb 9 Grain Bagel
43 grams of protein, net 22 grams of carbs

Lower-Carb 9 Grain Bagel Dog (a la carte)
39 grams of protein, net 25 grams of carbs

Kudos to Dunkin Donuts for their web transperency regarding their products! Even down to the ingredients. They may have had printed information available in the stores and the fact that I couldn't get it  could have been a training issue.

It is very hard to compare these items since only the Thomas' has a gram count versus Dunkin Donut's 1 bagel or 1 croissant serving size. Although, I absolutely understand why -- if you are producing some of these inconsistently, then it is difficult to ensure that each serving size has the same amount of grams. I suspect, that the Dunkin Donuts bagels are larger (weigh more) than the croissants and the Thomas' bagels. I may buy a bagel and a croissant and weigh them just for kicks.

Dunkin Donuts Low Carb Croissant and Thomas' Carb Consider Bagel Nutrition Facts

	Dunkin Donuts Lower Carb Croissant	Thomas' Carb Consider Bagel
Serving Size	1 croissant	1 bagel (62g)
Calories	370	150
Total Fat	24g	2.5g
Saturated Fat	8g	.5g (trans fat 0, Polyunsaturated Fat 1g, Monounsatured Fat .5g
Cholesterol	5mg	0g
Sodium	300mg	340mg
Total Carbohydrates	19g	24g
Dietary Fiber	2g	6g
Sugars	1g	less than 1g
Protein	18g	11g
Ingredients	Water, Vegetable Shortening (Hydrogenated Soybean Oil And Cottonseed Oil, Palm Oil), Enriched Wheat Flour (Flour, Niacin, Enzyme, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Wheat Gluten, Cream Cheese (Cream, Milk, Bacterial Culture, Carob Bean Gum, Salt), Soy Flour, Contains Less Than 2% Of The Following: Sodium Caseinate, Canola Oil And/Or Soybean Oil, Buttermilk Powder, Salt, Mono And Diglycerides, Yeast, Datem, Guar Gum, To Preserve Freshness (Calcium Proprionate, Sodium Proprionate, Propylene Glycol, Lactic Acid), Sorbitan Monostearate, Monoglycerides, Potassium Acid Tartrate, Xanthan Gum, L-Cysteine, Polysorbate 60, Sucralose, Citric Acid, Ascorbic Acid, Azodicarbonamide.	Unbleached Enriched Wheat Flour (Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Reduced Iron, Niacin, Thiamin Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) Folic Acid), Water, Wheat Protein Isolate, Oat Fiber Wheat Gluten, Soybean Oil, Cornmeal, Salt, Yeast, Preservatives (Calcium Propionate, Sorbic Acid) Monoglycerides, Guar Gum, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Grain Vinegar, Natural & Artificial Flavor, Critric Acid, Sucralose.

Update: They didn't do this study with low carb bagels, but some fascinating information how eggs help you eat fewer calories!

Comments

[Daniela]

It seems to me as if these low-carb options actually have more calories, much more fat, and a whole slew of unpronounceable ingredients.

Isn't it better to, once in a blue moon, give in to temptation and have a REAL bagel or croissant, or to just have half of one?

I sure think so.

[Sara]

Poeple ar enot realizing that there are 14 grams of fiber, which are undigestible. Therefore even though they may seem to have more caolires, in actuality, they do not. Also for anyone either trying to lose weight or someone health conscious, fiber is extremely important and other bagels do not have that amount.
I think they are a great choice!

[Sierra]

If you're cutting out carbs or significantly lowering them then you have to replace that energy elsewhere. That's where fat and calories come in. People have a very narrow-sighted vision on what is healthy or not. Yes, traditionally people look at calories and fat as indicators if it's healthy or not, but if you're eating low carb your body is relying solely on that fuel source, so you're actually burning pure fat. Also what worries me more about this bagel is that is has 8 grams of sugar, much more than their regular one, kind of strange. One of the main benefits and reasons low-carb diets and lifestyles work is because your blood sugar levels become extremely regulated, which not only allows you to lose or maintain weight easily, but makes you feel great. Much less hunger and cravings.

I've been on Atkins for a while now, and I have found that even though you're allowed to have much more fat and calories than a regular diet, my restriction of carbs naturally keeps those intakes down as well. I still eat well under 2000 calories a day and about 50 grams of fat. Much less than the average American diet.