It’s time to raise the age-old question…just because we CAN eat something, does it mean we SHOULD?
If you have not heard by now, Dunkin’ Donuts is coming out with a gluten-free line of products.
This has gotten so much press that Jimmy Fallon even mentioned it in his monologue last week:
I heard that Dunkin’ Donuts is testing a new line of gluten-free pastries. So if you’re looking to eat healthy…still no.
Look…I’m a skeptical guy by nature. And I’m also pretty sarcastic.
Put those two things together and…well…you get somebody who is full of skeptic sarcasm.
I don’t hide the fact that I think all celiacs need to focus not only on gluten free, but on healthy and natural. That is how our bodies will heal.
Kudos to Dunkin’ Donuts for adding a disclaimer to their new gluten-free muffins (see above picture).
Many people are actually quite excited that Dunkin’ Donuts MAY be offering gluten-free options. I say “may” because currently they are only testing it in a few markets in Florida and Massachusetts.
How has the response been thus far?
A Facebook group called Gluten-Free South Florida had members who tried the new treats and called the gluten-free donuts “dangerously delicious.”
Dangerously Delicious.
I actually like that better as a store name than Dunkin’ Donuts. They could still keep their same DD logo.
I posted the following question on my Facebook page last week regarding the new DD gluten-free muffins: What do you think folks? Would you give it a shot? Would you trust it?
And boy…did I get a nice response. Here’s a sampling.
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I like that they are individually wrapped, that makes me feel a little more confident.
Dude note: I agree.
Don’t you dare.
I’d be worried about their processing equipment. Who am I kidding, I’d probably go for it, maybe just once.
I would try it. Just because we’re gluten free doesn’t mean we can’t indulge every once in a while like everyone else.
Dunkin’ Donuts has never been on my ‘places to shop’ list, so probably not.
I’ll be your guinea pig! Send the muffins!
Gluten free? I would eat the whole display.
I went Paleo and eliminated grains all together. I feel better and don’t miss a thing.
This is crap food; it just happens to be GF (maybe).
What’s the risk of cross contamination on processing, packaging, etc?
Dude note: It seems DD is doing it right when it comes to cross contamination. Good for them.
I’m so sick of people assuming GF is “healthy” for everyone. These prepackaged things aren’t even “good for” celiacs- they’re just “undeadly”. What a great way for the company to give a reality check to the fad dieters out there 🙂
Of course I would try them. Everything in moderation.
It’s still full of carbs and refined sugar. No nutritional value. Would not eat.
I’m not sure what it’s full of so I’d have to seriously look at the label.
Dude note: I tried to find the ingredients list, but could not. Something tells me it doesn’t fall within the “less than five ingredients” healthy rule book.
You bet! It’s got the “correct” seal of approval on it.
I would love to feel “normal” and be able to grab something on the run.
Dude note: I totally get this.
For those of us with kids who are GF, what we wouldn’t give to allow them a “treat” that is similar to what their friends are eating?
I would have to be desperate. It looks like cheap ingredients and I am guessing I would not know how to pronounce any of them.
As far as I’m concerned, crap is crap, gluten free or not. Nobody should be eating this stuff, least of all people with celiac disease and other gut issues.
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So…as you can see, the opinions fall all over the spectrum.
You have those who just want to feel normal again (which I get) and those that wouldn’t put something like this in their bodies (which I get).
My gut feeling (pun intended) is that people with gluten issues shouldn’t be eating this kind of food anyway. As the last quote says, crap is crap, whether it’s gluten free or not.
And while I do applaud Dunkin’ Donuts for, from what I can tell, trying to do it right (from a cross-contamination viewpoint), I’d like to see them set an example and try to do it “healthy” too.
How about they come out with a line of gluten-free products that use all-natural ingredients and are low in fat and sugar?
For many celiacs, simply gluten-free is not enough.
What do you think??
I haven’t seen how they are made yet. If they are made by a gf baking company, packaged and then sold in the package, & they taste good -Great! Dunkin Donuts shouldn’t be an “everyday” food for anyone. Its “party food”.
I work (volunteer) with high school groups. Someone always gets donuts (usually my husband or the teacher) at least once for an early morning event. They would love it if they could get something for me, too. The kids go to Starbucks and get me Kind bars because they say gf on them. “look! I found something for you!”
I totally agree. Crap is crap and we probably shouldn’t be eating this stuff, at least not regularly. I remember the night I actually looked at a bag of french fries and freaked out when I saw they have 12 ingredients. WHAT THE HELL?!?!
That said, I do occasionally indulge in crap. Something like 7 or 8 years ago now I moved from PA to UT not realizing at the time that there are no Dunkin’ Donuts in UT. I may not have moved. If there were one here, I would probably give it a try at least once after checking out manufacturing for myself. Maybe before my next visit home they’ll be rolled out nationally and I’ll give them a go. What is vacation for if not a little indulgence?
Dude, I am in the group that’s excited for something like this. I *know* nothing from DD is necessarily healthy, but sometimes, you just want a treat. And I think it’s great that they are taking precautions to prevent CC. If they bring this to Chicago, I will be the first one in line:)
“I’m a skeptical girl by nature. And I’m also pretty sarcastic.
Put those two things together and…well…you get somebody who is full of skeptic sarcasm.I don’t hide the fact that I think all celiacs need to focus not only on gluten free, but on healthy and natural. That is how our bodies will heal.”
🙂 I am being lazy this morning and decided to just say what you said, GD …because it applies to me, too.
That said, even I get a squishy warm glazed GF donut occasionally at the GF bakery here. oh baby, Sherry Lynn rocks those things. 🙂
I’m with Lima Bean and Addy.
If they are made in a dedicated facility and packaged there,
why not ?
If they are “good to go” (cc wise) I say: yes.
Life is short.
Indulge!
***(of course I say this with tears in my eyes as I am Whole30 right now to try and knock down inflammation in my bones …and a donut would probably make my mouth very happy, but make me sad later …)
Been working on eating healthier lately and then this happens and I’m only 20 minutes away from the store in MA!!
I will probably get around to trying one eventually…. but driving even 20 mins for a donut sounds shameful sooo I may wait until they become more available or if I’m in Brookline already, or if someone else decides to join me in a GF donut tasting adventure… 🙂
I definitely wouldn’t make it a regular thing, even if they were in every Dunkies on every corner. That’s just not a good life choice.
The whole situation of DD making a GF option does make me happy though. If stranded and starving here in MA, there’s always a DD around and having that GF option available would be nice.
I live about 30 minutes from the closest really great GF bakery. Sometimes I actually drive there just for a cupcake. Yeah, a one hour round trip, in a gas-guzzling Jeep… for a cupcake. Some days it just seems like a good idea at the time. =D I would say I have probably done this 4 or maybe 5 times over the past year, so not particularly often.
30 mins to a GF bakery is TOTALLY acceptable! They need our love.
Also, cupcakes beat doughnuts every time.
The last time I ate a good donut was last year on January 6. The day I went GF shopping so I could actually go GF. Actually, I had two! Some days I would sell my soul for a donut. I tried some GF ones since then, and they weren’t awful but I wouldn’t buy them again. A 30 minute drive for a donut doesn’t sound that outrageous. Neither does the drive to the closest Dunkin’ Donuts in Las Vegas to be honest. Overall I have to agree though, cupcakes in general are better than donuts.
You know…they aren’t even donuts! They are muffins! I feel a bit cheated!
I guess one is a donut upon further inspection!
bean!
put yer cheaters on chickie!
Gonna get you one of those old lady chains and put them on yer specs and put em on yer neck….
🙂
I can’t wait till they make it to NY. When hubby and I are taking a road trip and just want a quick snack. DD Just works. Of course like everything moderation is key.
I totally understand (and appreciate) everybody’s viewpoint so far. I’m just trying to figure out why we “deserve” food that is really unhealthy for us, even in moderation.
Believe me…I’m no saint and am not pretending to be one.
But if the DD muffin is made from 15 ingredients, 12 of which we can’t pronounce, how is that a “treat”?
Anyway…if anybody has the chance to try one, I’d love a review.
“I’m not gonna try, you try it!
I’m not gonna try it…
I know, let’s get Mikey.
….he won’t eat it,
he hates everything..!
rewritten as:
…:he doesn’t eat GF packaged crap foods with more than 5 ingredients…..”
(probably showing my age here…..):)
Didn’t Mikey die eating pop rocks and coke?
It’s amazing how rumors spread back then with no internet.
And yes…I’m showing my age too.
In the end, they’re baked goods. Why should it matter if they have 5 or 10 or 15 ingredients or how difficult it is to pronounce? Baked goods are unhealthy. That simply is how it is.
When I bought my birthday cupcakes I didn’t ask the bakery for an ingredient list. I went to a well respected gluten free bakery and picked out of the case and dove in, eyes closed and in pure ecstasy. I knew full well that they probably had a dozen or more ingredients, local or not, many of which are unpronounceable. (Although without the preservatives.) If someone is going to eat baked goods they simply need to acknowledge that they are eating something that is wholly unhealthy for them. It doesn’t matter how many ingredients, or what they are. Baked goods really aren’t healthy. There are healthy and unhealthy treats, yes we should focus on healthy, but sometimes it just feels good to be bad. And sometimes we just need to feed our soul, not our body.
I know…and I’m honestly not preaching. Just wondering. I’m a curious guy 😉
Although I totally agree with the ingredient list and healthy eating, sometimes just going with “it tastes good” should be ok
I can’t imagine that these taste that good. Before I was diagnosed I did not eat Twinkies, bear claws, or any other prepackaged baked goods. They always looked old and stale to me. NOW, if Dunkin Donuts had a designated GF area and they were producing these fresh and warm then I would probably have to at least taste one.
I also wonder about the shelf life of these donuts. If they don’t go bad in 4 to 5 days then I don’t want them. I have a great GF bakery in Dallas and the cupcakes are always fresh but they are only good for one to two days.
With all that being said, I still eat an occasional Snickers bar and I love it so who am I to talk at all? Perhaps packaged donuts aren’t my temptation. 🙂 Goodness knows I have enough others to contend with… LOL
Fun post and for anyone with small kids I hope it is GF because I can completely see where it would be nice to have donuts with the other kids. 🙂
I enjoy the novelty of being able to go somewhere and order something that I haven’t had in decades, like a donuts and pizza. I was maniacally happy and weird acting the first time I went somewhere and ordered a GF pizza, wondering why the rest of the people weren’t break dancing and drooling all over the floor like I was. But soon enough the novelty wears off, I get 10lbs fatter, 20 bucks broker and go back to be being sensible, However, I sort of remember what a donut tastes like… though it’s been over thirty years….Damn them to hell. What’s this world coming to? First it’s GF pizza, then beer, now donuts- What’s next:? Doctors who’ve heard of this silly-ass disease and glue free diet?
I’ve always tried to avoid eating stuff at DD. Their stuff is tasty, it’s just caloric junk. But *if* DD is doing a proper job with their GF line and not having issues with cross-contamination, then I do applaud them. I’m so sick of all these companies jumping on the gluten-free bandwagon and doing a half-assed job (such as Dominos, Olive Garden, Chevy’s, to name a few). If DD is doing it right, then that is good. But, yes, it would be nice to have some *healthy* gluten-free food, not just GF junk.
I love donuts. I miss donuts. And I’m always happy to hear about GF options that are out there that people can pick up in a pinch, if they have to. But those donuts in the plastic packaging look gross…and damp. The plastic wrap encourages me that they might actually be free of CC, but yuck. No one wants a wet, soggy donut. So I would probably pass on these for that reason -not worth it. I’d probably rather just buy one of my other quick snacks from the health food store than eat one of these donuts. And here’s another thing (and maybe this is just me): When I’ve been out and people have said, “Oh, let’s go here because they have GF options for you”, I am always disappointed. My “option” is never a mouth-watering GF version of what my cohorts are getting. It’s usually just an overpriced, poorly thought-out bland food item or meal. And that makes me feel worse than just going home and eating my boring food in private. And these donuts kind of make me feel like that. Sure, you can go in and buy a *donut*, but is that soggy sad donut going to be able to compete with all the fresh, fluffy beautiful donuts around it? I guess for me, I’d rather just skip the disappointment and keep eating the stuff that doesn’t let me down. 😉 But yeah, I’d love to hear a review of them, when someone gets a chance. Ha ha…
Somebody on Twitter said they looked “sweaty”. How’s that for a visual??
Seems like we’re stranded on the Island of Misfit Food.
geesh, guys…..maybe they are just “moist”? 🙂
all this “hatin on the donuts”.
poor donuts!!
…. all sad and sitting there hoping some celiac will come and eat them and proclaim them “a little bit o’GF heaven”
🙂 🙂
Make someone mail me one. I’ll be a guinea pig. I’m already feeling all fat from my cupcakes, I may as well pile it on!
Honestly, I call this one a total fail because that doughnut isn’t CHOCOLATE. Duh..
I have not personally tried either of these items even though I’m just down the street, I have though spent hours considering it. 🙂 I once loved their donuts, at least the first couple of bites before the sugar overload hit, but I hadn’t even been excited for them before kicking the gluten. In my quest to decide whether I would make my way over I found this positive donut review… If it weren’t for the ingredient list and nutritional facts I may have run down as fast as my little legs could take me… now? I’ll stick with my whole foods and dream of healthy donuts that don’t make me want to cry out in pain, a girl can dream 😉
http://glutenfreeandmeinboston.blogspot.com/2013/01/product-review-dunkin-donuts-gluten.html
Sure it’s junk but I have a six year old daughter with celiac disease who has been GF for 4.5 yrs and sometimes just wants to eat what her friends are eating. Thanks DD and here’s to other companies jumping on the bandwagon:)
I would like something like this if your on the go like an airport or turnpike road trip stop. Those are the times it is almost impossible to find something safe. I traveled cross country last week and had to pack so much food for the flight as I was literally flying all day with connection and layover. I couldn’t take the chance I would be able to find safe food. Major pain.
Starbucks used to have brownies that were tasty and gluten free, induvudualy wrapped, and we didn’t get sick from them, but they discontinued them.