A glazed donut is a light pastry that is covered in a sugary glaze. The yeast dough is typically sweetened and then cut into rings before it is deep fried and coated with this glaze to add an additional layer of flavor. Donuts are very high in calories, carbohydrates and fat. While they do contain moderate levels of vitamins and minerals, glazed donuts are not considered a nutritious food. However, you just cannot resist the tempting look and taste of glazed donut. But you don't have to worry about the calories in glazed donut because it can be cooked in a healthier low-calorie fashion.

Calories in Glazed Donut

There are a variety of types of glazed donuts. The flavoring components of each will have an effect on the specific number of calories each type of donut will contain.

Nutritional Facts of Glazed Donut

• Components. A large glazed donut averages around 75g and 4.26 inches in diameter. A donut this size includes 5g of protein, 38g of carbohydrates, 2g of dietary fiber, 14g of fat with around 4g of saturated fat. The remaining weight of the donut includes water and other nutrients.
• Calories. The average large glazed donut contains around 300 calories which includes 129 calories of fat, 19 calories of protein and 152 calories of carbohydrates. One donut contains approximately 15 percent of your daily calorie intake when following a standard 2000 calorie diet.
• Vitamins. A number of essential vitamins can be found in a glazed donut. One donut contains approximately 2mg of niacin or 13 percent of your daily value, .2mg or 16 percent of your daily value of thiamin, 81mcg or 20 percent of your daily value of folate and 9mcg or 9 percent of your daily value of vitamin K. Trace amounts of riboflavin, pantothenic acid, vitamins B6, B12, C and E can also be found in glazed donuts.
• Minerals. Glazed donuts contain some dietary minerals. These include around 12mcg or 21 percent of your daily value of selenium, 3mg or around 30 percent of your daily value of iron, .3mg or around 15 percent of your daily value of manganese, and 108mg or around 15 percent of your daily value of phosphorus. Trace amounts of magnesium, calcium, zinc, copper and potassium are also found in glazed donuts.

Recipes of Low Calorie Donuts

Now that we have know the average calories in glazed donuts, we should seek for low calorie donut recipes for our health's sake.

1. French Breakfast Donuts

• Ingredients: One beaten egg, 5 tablespoons room temperature unsalted butter, ½ cup sugar, 1.5 cups flour, 2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon salt, ½ cup milk. For the Topping: ½ cup sugar, 3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter, one tablespoon cinnamon.
• Directions: Preheat your oven to 350° F and coat your donut pan with nonstick cooking spray. Cream the sugar and butter until it is fluffy then mix in the egg. Sift together your baking powder, flour, salt and nutmeg and combine the dry ingredients with the wet, alternating additions of the dry ingredients and milk. Fill your donut pans with your batter until they are half full. Bake for 15-20 minutes, then immediately cover them with the melted butter, cinnamon and sugar.

2. Baked Cinnamon Donuts

• Ingredients: 2 cups flour, one large beaten egg, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, ½ teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ¼ teaspoon mace, 1.5 cups sugar, 1 ¼ cups milk, 2 teaspoons vanilla, 2 tablespoons melted butter. For the Topping: 1.5 teaspoons cinnamon, ¼ cup melted butter, ¾ cup brown sugar.
• Directions: Combine all dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the egg and combine with the butter, milk and vanilla. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry until just combined without over-mixing. Pour your batter into a greased donut pan until it is ¾ of the way full. Mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon for the topping. Coat the top of each donut with melted butter and apply the sugar mixture. Bake your donuts in a 350° F oven for 17 minutes and consume.

The American Heart Association recommends that people avoid including high amounts of saturated fat in their diets as it increases the risk for cardiovascular diseases. Because except the calories in glazed donuts, One large glazed donut contains as much as 4g of saturated fat, almost 21% of your daily recommended allowance. Glazed donuts can also contain as much as 300mg of sodium, as much as 20% of your daily allowance.