Watching the Chiefs win the Super Bowl VIII buzzer beater was a real thrill. But the best thing to come out of this year’s substantial game was Ben Affleck’s recent Dunkin’ Donuts “DunKing’s Menu,” which was officially announced on Dunkin’ Super Bowl Ad.
The restricted time menu includes a selection of food, drinks and Goods the name comes from Affleck’s failed attempt at forming a boy band: “The DunKings” (featuring Boston’s top musician Matt Damon as backup and Tom Brady playing keyboards).
The “DunKings Menu” is available now and features five menu items, including Affleck’s favorite iced coffee and the “DunKings Munchkin skewer” — three different doughnut holes on a stick that “like an olive in a martini, provide a fun bite with every sip,” Dunkin said in a statement. press release.
About the expert
Jonathan Valdez RDN, LDN, CCM, CDCES, ACE-CPT is a registered dietitian and certified personal trainer who is passionate about providing evidence-based nutrition advice for a robust lifestyle.
DunKings Iced Coffee
Affleck’s favorite iced coffee features notes of vanilla and cream, topped with a sweet frosty foam and a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar. While DunKings iced coffee is certainly healthier than many Dunkins menu items (for example, a medium Caramel Swirl iced coffee has 860 calories and 122 grams of sugar), it’s still not the healthiest choice.
There’s no official nutrition information for DunKings Iced Coffee yet, but the standard three pumps of French Vanilla Swirl have 31 grams of added sugar, Sweet Chilly Foam has 10 grams of added sugar, and Cinnamon Sugar Topping adds about 3 grams of sugar — a whopping 44 grams of added sugar in total. That’s well over the 36-gram-per-day sugar limit. American Heart Association recommended for men (1).
Valdez advises sticking to black coffee. If you want something sweet, you better choose vanilla flavored shot (which adds only 5 to 10 calories and is unsweetened, with no sugar or artificial sweeteners.) Swap the frosty marshmallows and cinnamon sugar for a sprinkle of ground cinnamon.
DunKings MUNCHKINS® Skewers
Have you ever had a Bloody Mary where the skewer is full of snacks? The DunKings MUNCHKINS® Skewer is a sweet version that you can add to any Dunkin’ drink. While we would never say that donut holes are robust, the skewer is one of the better portions of donuts you’ll find on the menu.
A single DunKings MUNCHKINS® Skewer has 160 to 170 calories (depending on the flavor you choose) and about 9 grams of added sugar. That’s a lot better than an Apple Stick, which has 470 calories — close to the amount of calories most people would eat in an entire meal. Pair your MUNCHKINS® with something low in carbs and high in protein, such as: Egg white and vegetable omelet (180 calories, 13 grams protein) reduces spikes in blood glucose levels.
MORE FAST FOOD
Everything Encore Breakfast Sandwich
Most of Dunkin’s breakfast options are worth skipping if you’re trying to stay on the straight and narrow. For example, every breakfast sandwich on the menu has either bacon or maple dipping sauce, or both — which doesn’t exactly scream “robust.” The Everything Encore Breakfast Sandwich (640 calories) is no exception: It features Sweet Black Pepper bacon, cheddar cheese, an egg, and an Everything bagel.
Processed meats like bacon have been linked to the risk of cancer (2). The fact that bacon is high in saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium probably has something to do with it (3, 4, 5). But in recent years, attention has focused on nitrates, a compound found in processed meats that can produce harmful, cancer-causing nitrosamines in the body (6).
“Skip Affleck’s breakfast sandwich and opt for a meat-free option like the Egg White Bowl (250 calories, 14 grams protein), Veggie Egg White Sandwich (290 calories, 17 grams protein) and Veggie Egg White Wake Up Wrap (150 calories, 15 grams protein),” Valdez says.
Iced coffee with hazelnuts
The healthiest coffee drink on the DunKings Menu is the Hazelnut Heartthrob, a blend of sweet caramel, hazelnut notes, and whole milk. Scorching or iced, a medium-sized Hazelnut Heartthrob has about 200 calories.
Still, the drink is loaded with sugar. The average defaults to three pumps of unsweetened hazelnuts and three pumps of sweetened caramel—that’s 35 grams of added sugar. You’d be better off sticking with a regular hazelnut-flavored coffee. Or personalize the Hazelnut Heartthrob by ordering unsweetened hazelnuts or at least limiting yourself to one pump of sweetened drink.
Mixed Berries Beats Dunkin’ Refresher
It’s basically just Strawberry Dragonfruit Dunkin’ Refresher with three pumps of sugar-free raspberry flavor.
Of the DunKings Menu options, this fruity drink has the least sugar (27 grams of sugar) and calories (130 calories). That said, Unsweetened Iced Berry Hibiscus Sweet Tea or Unsweetened Iced Green Tea are better options without added sugar.
