Fatty Carbs.

If I took a poll after the opening picture, asking what category you would consider donuts to fall under (protein, carbs, or fats) I’m willing to bet most of you would choose carbs. Understandably so, seeing as you know they’re full of added sugar… I mean, just look at half of the frosting tops going on in that picture.

However, I’ll explain the issue and why unfortunately it’s more prevalent with ultra-processed foods.
So a lot of foods that we typically deem as a carbohydrate source is either equally a fat source, or in a lot of cases should be considered a fat source; this is being judged on where the calories are coming from.

I’ll stay with the donuts and give you an example.
A regular-sized glazed donut on average has about 35 grams of carbs. This equals roughly 140 calories (35 × 4 = 140). For those of you that don’t know, for every one gram of carbohydrate you have four calories; and for every one gram of fat, you have nine calories. Which the average amount of fat in a glazed donut is 15 grams, making it 135 calories from fat (15 × 9 = 135). Making the average glazed donut roughly having a calorie count of ~275 calories.
This meaning that we can’t necessarily consider glazed donuts only a carb source, with the calories on each side basically being equal… so it’s both a fat and carbohydrate source.

And trust me, I’m not trying to completely steer you away from having a donut once in a while. I am trying to show you that most foods (especially ultra-processed) are not as black and white as falling into a single category. Baked goods, pizza, some pasta, and even sugary things like ice cream tend to lean closer to being equally carb/fat, or should actually be considered a fat source.

Remember that fat is not evil and neither are carbs.
It’s the amount you consume that’s potentially making it an issue. If you’re not putting in miles of movement a day, or hours of lifting, there is probably little reason to be scarfing down this stuff daily. Regardless of the “treat yourself” mindset. Just be mindful of what you’re consuming. Match your normal intake to your lifestyle and/or sport/hobby.
Treats are great… but that’s just it, they’re treats. Not to be consumed daily.
Fruit makes a great sweet treat. And I know at first it doesn’t seem to compare, but make it your norm and you’ll adjust.

Big food corporations spends millions of dollars designing products to have just the right amount of sugars and fats to make you crave them, and keep buying. It’s not worth it. Do your mind, body, and performance a favor and make the majority of your consumption from whole foods (follow the 80/20 rule).
Here is an article on setting up your nutrition without having to track everything. I talk about the 80/20 rule in there: Basic Blocks.