A Glazed Donut-Bacon-Egg Sandwich Isn't as Bad for You as You Might Think

Is the Glazed Donut Breakfast Sandwich unhealthy? Or rather, just how unhealthy is it? According to a spokeswoman for Dunkin Donuts, the item weighs in at ... 360 calories. Which, considering its ingredients, is actually surprising! For the past two days, the fast-food chain Dunkin' Donuts has been testing a new item in a handful of stores near the company's corporate office in Eastern Massachusetts: the Glazed Donut Breakfast Sandwich (pictured above), consisting of two slices of bacon and a "pepper fried egg" sandwiched between two halves of a sliced glazed donut. It sounds like an novelty food item to be hawked during a county fair on a hot summer day. It also sounds very, very unhealthy? 

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At 360 calories, it's just 60 more than the Egg McMuffin, the staple breakfast sandwich at McDonald's, and 10 calories less than the Sausage McMuffin, both of which are unadulterated by something as indulgent sounding as a glazed donut. It's also no Bacon Sundae, a questionable Burger King dessert that packs 510 calories. More broadly, the Glazed Donut Breakfast Sandwich eats up less than one-fifth of the average adult's daily calorie allotment. So while it sounds bad, it's not as bad as its competition, which is a testament to the state of fast food breakfast fare today. Which means, you're no health nut to eat a Glazed Donut Breakfast Sandwich (obviously) but neither are you putting on a stunt eating competition.

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The G.D.B.S. seems to be doing well for Dunkin' Donuts. When asked to describe the sandwich's popularity, a spokeswoman told the Wire, "We are pleased with the response so far, however, we cannot share any specific sales data. That said, the product has only been in restaurants for two days so we have limited information available." (We were able to corroborate the item's popularity using Twitter, where the sandwich is being met with a mixture of shock and, inevitably, desire.)

Food critics are still recovering from the shock, though. As the foodie website Eater noted on Wednesday afternoon, "Doughnut sandwiches are not new, obviously. Still, Dunkin' Donuts is a huge, national chain." (Previously, the donut-sandwich phenomenon had been limited to stunts or local establishments.)