Similar to those white flour-based cereals, donuts are usually made from refined carbs, which don’t provide you much nutritional value, says Andrews. Donuts are also usually deep-fried, making them high in trans fats, which can raise your LDL “bad” cholesterol and lower your HDL “good cholesterol,” according to the American Heart Association (AHA). This doesn’t mean you need to avoid refined carbs (and the donuts that come with them) altogether; it just means your health will thank you for indulging in moderation.
As convenient as it might be, pre-made dough is high in artificial trans fats (namely, those hydrogenated oils we talked about earlier that are made by adding hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils to make them more solid), says Julie Harrington, R.D., author of The Healing Soup Cookbook. And those trans fats (aside from affecting your cholesterol) also increase your risk of of heart disease and stroke, according to the AHA.