It’s official, doughnuts/donuts won the battle with Cake as the number 1 sweet partner for coffee. Well, okay, a poll on a small IG account’s story isn’t really anything official but whatever.

Worth walking through extreme heat (it was 12:30pm) to get here

I’ve always loved doughnuts. As a kid my parents would randomly bring some home and I would eat all of them up (perks of being an only child), we had a potluck celebration back in high school and everyone brought (I kid you nut) boxes of dunkin’s, and well I like munching on them from time to time when I want something sweet with my coffee. I have no brand of doughnut I like in particular, but I do prefer just the simple glazed doughnut from anywhere that has them.

Funny thing, though, I never found them a breakfast food. Chalk this up to me just skipping breakfast a lot, but I grew up used to eating savory things for breakfast. Coffee and Doughnuts was always an afternoon snack thing for me. But apparently, doughnuts are one of the most usual breakfast foods in the United States, and there are articles that actually have a scientific explanation for this.

Apparently, our brains need sugar to function properly. This sugar, specifically in the form of glucose (www.psychologytoday.com) is the fuel that our brain neurons need to generate energy to “communicate” with other neurons. The lower your blood sugar levels are, the greater your craving for something sweet gets because your brain actually needs it.

By middle of the work day, we have a dearth of donuts already at the office pantry

It’s also used to “produce a very important neurotransmitter chemical called acetylcholine… allows you to learn and remember, to regulate your attention and mood, and to control how well you can move. Your brain makes acetylcholine from choline… obtained from the diet… from acetyl groups that originate from the metabolism of sugar.” (www.psychologytoday.com) A donut, especially ones topped with other sweet things such as chocolate, is exactly what your brain wants during those times. It’s sweet, you can eat it anywhere, and apparently you can get it everywhere.

Go outside your office and do a quick experiment (or you can do it while on your commute or walking a few blocks to the said office in the morning): count the places where you can get donuts and coffee near it. This will include convenience stores, some cafes, and especially the donut shops. (Heck, even in the barren Madrigal Business Park, there’s one Country Style Donut). How many did you get? There’s a reason they’re near any office: people subconsciously buy them.

By the time of this article’s writing, I have only been out of the country once. I went to New  York for a month worth of training at our company’s head office. I stayed in a hotel literally seconds away from Wall Street (I mean it was beside the Museum of American Finance, across the Street from 40 Wall Street that was once owned by Former President Marcos, and a stone’s throw from One Chase Manhattan). What’s the nearest place to get coffee in its immediate area? The Dunkin’ Donuts from across the street in Pine. There’s another one on the other side of the block (in Liberty). To compare, the nearest Starbucks is a 10 minutes’ walk away from all these landmark office buildings. America, at least where the East Coast is concerned, seems to actually run on Dunkin’.

Source: pixabay.com

Where does coffee come in this scenario? I’ve talked about it in length previously, but Adenosine (which makes you sleepy) also plays a factor during your day. According to the same article, Adenosine actually turns off your Acetylcholine. You feel sleepy and your brain cannot get it’s “thinking fuel” to put it lightly. Thus, you need caffeine (ta-dah it’s in coffee!) to keep Adenosine back so that your brain gets it sugar.

Well the article goes on to warn that “Sometimes, what your brain wants is not good for your body” twice (quite cleverly too), which is correct. If you’re not active and always in a sedentary position, then eating sugar every day it not good for you. Also, doughnuts contain a lot of saturated fat. Plus, you don’t always need to eat donuts or sweet things to get your blood sugar levels up to a good state. Rice can also do the trick. Or even cake, fi that’s your thing. Best to check with a doctor for any of these first though.

Not your run of the mill doughnuts, but definitely more expensive.

Also, as I’ve said in my past article, it would be safest to take this in the morning window where coffee and sugar will be more beneficial for your body.

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