Why You Should Avoid Gas Station Doughnuts

If you've entered a gas station for food, you might have already embraced the idea of grabbing some chips and an energy drink and calling it a meal. Then again, you might be looking for a healthy way to get the most bang for your buck in a place with few options. Either way, friends, gas station donuts are not the answer. Whether they're delivered each day from a local donut chain or bundled up in the cutest sleeve of mini-pastries you've ever seen, opt for something else.

If you're going to have a doughnut — and you should, as one of the great joys of being alive — try your local donut place first if you're near one instead of a gas station. You'll be supporting a local small business instead of a chain and — who knows? Their donuts might taste better. If you have a donut chain near you, know that Krispy Kreme makes their donuts twice a day — once around opening time, and once later in the day at a manager's discretion (via Readers' Digest). The chain even has an app to let you know when a location turns on the "hot lights" outside their store for maximum freshness (via Huffington Post). Allegedly, Dunkin's Donuts are only made once a day, but they're still better than a batch that's been transported who knows how far and set out in a box at a gas station.

The problem with gas station doughnuts — the kind that's brought in from another shop — is that you just can't know when they were made. One Reddit user who said they worked at a gas station wrote that donuts were delivered before they opened. Another wrote, "The gas station ones are a few hours old by the time they get there." And even if you ask the gas station employee when they were delivered, it might not guarantee their freshness. The bottom line is: get a donut early from a gas station if you must: it's safe to assume donuts are made in the morning (via PopSugar).

Then we come to another species of doughnut all together — the packet of mini-donuts. You know the ones: tiny, totally unassuming, and pretty devastating for your diet. They're this writer's gas station kryptonite. Take the Mrs. Freshley's powdered variety, for example. Those little suckers pack in 16 grams of fat and 360 calories if you eat the whole packet (via Instacart). No one's saying they're good for you, but a glazed donut from Krispy Kreme? That's 190 calories and 11 grams of fat. Understandably, you might one day need gas and crave a donut at the same time. In that case, there are also ... yes! The typical (and declining) Dunkin'/Speedway mashup, but also a few trip-worthy donut shops attached to gas stations (via Gas Buddy). You can thank me later.