What are donut side effects every ethical consumer must know? Are donuts vegan? Good for you? Sustainable? Food you should buy organic and fair trade? Here are donut pros and cons…
Food is something we consume every day. If you’re like me, you do all the research you can to make sure you don’t hurt yourself, the planet, animals or others when shopping. As an ethical consumer myself, I am giving you all the info I’ve found on donut side effects.
You are going to learn all about donut benefits and side effects. This will include donut benefits for your health and potential risks, donut water footprint and carbon footprint, sustainability, if donuts are vegan or impact animals in other ways, and much more.
After learning if donuts are good or bad for you, the environment, animals and human rights, you will be able to make the best choices you can the next time you buy food.
This post is all about donut benefits and side effects that every ethical consumer should know.
Top Donut Side Effects
HEALTH
Donut side effects may include:
- weight gain
- blood sugar spikes
- diabetes
- heart disease
- insulin resistance
- metabolic problems
Additionally, donuts are…
- Acidic pH once digested
- Not Gluten Free
- Common Food Allergen: WHEAT, MILK, EGGS
ENVIRONMENT
Water footprint: unknown
Carbon footprint: unknown
Destruction: unknown
Donuts are…
- Unsustainable
ANIMALS
Kills: possibly insects, donut glaze, food dye and food coloring used in donut decorations may consist of ingredients derived from insects
Harmed: cows, chickens, egg, milk and butter are ingredients typically used in donuts that require animals to be used, therefore making most donuts not vegan friendly
Indirectly killed or harmed: wildlife and ecosystems
Donuts are…
- Typically Not Vegan
LABORERS
Health and safety: varies, overall, agriculture continues to be one of the most dangerous industries, farmworkers may be subject to dehydration, heat stroke, unprotected exposure to harmful, toxic chemicals and pesticides, unsafe machinery and clean drinking water may not always accessible
Living conditions: varies, laborers are often exploited, they may face tough working conditions including long hours in the sun and heat performing physically exhausting tasks, labor laws and rights may or may not be in place, even if worker protection exists, employer violations may go unreported, refugees and migrant workers are especially vulnerable to abuse and mistreatment, fearing consequences of job loss or deportation
Wages: varies, generally farmworkers earn meager wages, there are many cases of underpaid agricultural workers, wage theft and no overtime payment or benefits
Donuts…
- May have laborer issues
How many calories in donuts?
Donuts are estimated to contain between 962 and 1506 calories each! –Dunkin Donuts Nutrition Facts
donuts are acidic.
Are donuts alkaline or acidic? Donuts are acidic. Sweets and processed foods have acidic pH levels.
When you eat food, it is broken down to an ash residue that can be neutral, acidic or alkaline. Minerals such as potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, zinc, silver, copper and iron produce an alkaline ash; whereas sulfur, phosphorus, chlorine and iodine, which are found in meat, coffee, dairy and alcohol, leave an acid ash.
Going alkaline easier than ever with this: Acidic and Alkaline Foods List
donuts are not gluten free.
Are donuts gluten free? No, donuts are not gluten free. Donuts contain gluten since they are made with flour.
While celiac disease may not be as rampant as many marketing trends lead us to believe, you may have a gluten sensitivity…
Celiac and gluten sensitivity symptoms are similar and may include: recurring abdominal pain, chronic diarrhea, constipation, tingling, numbness in hands and feet, chronic fatigue, joint pain, unexplained infertility and low bone density (osteopenia or osteoporosis).
There are hundreds of potential symptoms, many of which are also symptoms of other conditions.
Going gluten free easier than ever with this: Gluten and Gluten Free Foods List
donuts contain common food allergens: wheat, egg, milk.
Are donuts a common food allergen? Yes, donuts contain common food allergens: milk, egg, wheat. Many people experience allergic reactions to donuts.
A group of the eight major allergenic foods is often referred to as the Big-8 and includes milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat and soybeans.
These foods account for about 90% of all food allergies in the United States.
Severe food allergies can be life threatening. Following ingestion of a food allergen, a person with food allergies can experience a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction called anaphylaxis.
Persons may still be allergic to and have serious reactions to foods other than the eight foods identified by the law.
Be aware of common dietary restrictions and food allergens with this: The Big 8 Most Common Food Allergens List
donuts are sustainable.
Overall, are donuts eco friendly? Are donuts sustainable?
Donut production is relatively unsustainable due to its ingredients.
A 2018 Oxford University study – which is the most comprehensive analysis to date of the damage farming does to the planet – found that ‘avoiding meat and dairy is the single biggest way to reduce your impact on Earth’ as animal farming provides just 18% of calories but takes up 83% of our farmland.
Consuming animal products and byproducts is not environmentally friendly and is one of the worst things for the Earth. Not only is meat production wasteful, it causes enormous amounts of pollution. The industry is one of the biggest causes of climate change.
A 2010 United Nations report said that a global shift towards a vegan diet is vital to save the world the worst impacts of climate change.
Read more about ‘What Makes Food Sustainable Or Unsustainable?’
donuts are not vegan.
Are donuts vegan? No, donuts are not vegan. Donuts are a sweet, dessert food containing milk and eggs, animal byproducts.
According to Sentient Media, “more than 200 million land animals are killed for food around the world every day. Including wild-caught and farmed fishes, we get a total closer to 3 billion animals killed daily.”
Animals of factory farms and the livestock industry are suffering. They live in horrific conditions that often include confinement, physical abuse and unnatural environments…so much so that they need to receive antibiotics to keep from getting ill or spreading disease. They’re also injected with growth hormones to become fatter faster and live short lives, being slaughtered as soon as they finish growing and are killed prematurely, well before their natural lifespan.
Because we cannot see for ourselves how these animals live and what they endure does not mean it isn’t happening. The meat, poultry and dairy industries do everything they can to distance us from knowing how our food comes to be in order to keep us in the dark about what we support each time we buy animal derived products and byproducts.
Go vegan for animals!
It’s the best way to help animals and it’s not as difficult as you may think. Speak for animals with your actions, for they cannot speak at all.
Going vegan is easier than ever, at a glance with this: Vegan and Non Vegan Foods List
donuts have labor issues.
Are donuts a product that has known labor issues? At this time, there reports of worker mistreatment regarding egg and dairy farming.
Did you know the single largest employer in the world is agriculture? The labor involved behind each and every product cannot go unrecognized.
Sadly, many labor concerns exist around the world in both developed and developing countries. We must be vigilant to ensure what we buy is not contributing to industries that are unfair to their valuable workers. Some known problems include workplace health and safety, child labor, gender inequality, inadequate pay, wage theft and exploitation. Workers can even experience harassment, humiliation and violence and unfair employers often fail to provide laborers with access to shade, drinking water, restrooms and breaks. Consequently, laborers can face nausea, dizziness, heat exhaustion, dehydration and heat stroke -the leading cause of farmworker death!
Such mistreatment is like modern day slavery. Workers are often afraid to report issues because they fear it will result in losing their jobs or deportation.
Fair trade organizations fight to ensure better social, environmental and economic standards.
We can improve people’s lives with foods we eat every day simply by buying products that are certified fair trade.
Be sure to read up on this list of ‘Foods You Should Always Buy Fair Trade‘
This post was all about donut side effects.
Sources:
original glazed doughnuts – FoodData Central
