For many Americans, there's nothing quite like biting into a warm, hot-off-the-grease doughnut. Yet whether they're frosted or sprinkled, sugar-glazed or plain, one truth remains: Doughnuts' lack of nutritional quality makes most nutritionists wince.
What makes doughnuts so damaging to your health? For starters, they're packed with:
. . . all the "goodies" that contribute to a massive, health-harming outcome. (Even the typical glazed blueberry doughnut from Krispy Kreme contains artificial fruit made from sugar, high fructose corn syrup, corn cereal and other assorted chemicals.)
USDA Dietary Contradiction
So, while most dietitians believe people should aim for an ideal diet — eliminating foods that have been stripped of many nutrients, packed with potentially detrimental ingredients like the unhealthy kinds of fats or both — the 2005 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) dietary recommendations veer Americans in a slightly different direction.
In fact, the USDA's new flawed food pyramid gives Americans the perfect excuse to indulge their sweet cravings by allowing for "discretionary calories" obtained from high-fat foods such as doughnuts. However, this junk food allowance is only risk-free if a person is not trying to lose weight and has met all other nutritional requirements according to the guidelines. It also assumes people will have the will-power to eat in moderation.
Doughnuts on the Brain
Tasty, feel-good foods like doughnuts are not only difficult to resist, they can actually lead to addiction for people who have stronger than normal genetic tendencies to enjoy foods that are especially high in fat and sugar.
Moreover, brain scan research found that high-carbohydrate foods like doughnuts — with their appealing texture and high sugar and fat content — artificially raise serotonin (linked to mood) and dopamine (associated with pleasurable sensations) levels in the brain, fueling addiction. 
