These salted caramel apple donuts are a higher protein sweet treat, with reduced fat and sugar. 150 Calories and 20 g of protein per donut!
After many experiments, I finally created a baked donut recipe that balances the moist fluffy texture of a cake donut without the need for adding in a heap of butter and/or oil, and sugar. I used the oven to bake them, but suspect the air fryer would also work well.
The primary base of these salted caramel apple donuts is Salted Caramel flavor protein powder and unsweetened applesauce. Thy type of protein powder used is important for the texture. Whey makes too runny a batter, whereas casein does not heat well. Trutein (blend of whey, egg, and casein protein) always seems to work the best for any recipe requiring baking.
The donuts are sweet on their own and very tasty right out of the oven without any toppings. If you do ice these donuts, be sure to allow them to cool completely first!
Let me know if you enjoyed this recipe and what other donut flavors you are into!
Low-fat vs. low-carb diets….is one better than the other? You’ve likely come across stories about going low-carb or keto for more effective weight loss. These stories create confusion more than they help, so let’s clear the air by reviewing a few concepts.
1. Eating carbohydrates does not make you inherently gain fat.
Carbohydrates raise blood glucose (and therefore insulin) which suppresses burning fat for energy, but this is not the same thing as fat gain.Burning fat (the breakdown of fat for energy) is NOT the same thing as body fat loss. The fuel that your body burns day to day for energy is a matter of what fuel you are giving it:
If you eat a higher fat diet, you burn more fat AND store excess fat if you are in calorie surplus
If you eat a diet higher in carbohydrates, you burn more carbohydrates AND store more carbohydrates as glycogen, and then surplus converted and stored as fat
2. “Calories in < calories out” is an oversimplification of how weight loss works. Equally incorrect is “calories don’t matter, hormones control weight loss”.
Both matter to varying degrees. Food quantity and composition influences our hunger and satiety hormones (among others), and vice versa. These hormones are released from different locations in our bodies and send signals to our brains which in turn drive feeding cues, energy expenditure, and release of other hormones.
While a net calorie deficit is required, calorie intake and expenditure influence your particular hormone levels to a different degree than someone else, and likewise your hormone levels have a varying degree of influence over your calorie intake and expenditure. This recognizes that it can be more challenging for some than others to create a calorie deficit.
Type of calories have implications on your energy balance, body weight, and body composition. The way intake calories are partitioned between protein, carbohydrates, and fats AND specific foods selected within those categories have different capabilities to impact hunger and fullness. They also have different energy costs to digest, absorb, and metabolize. For example, appropriate protein intake supports lean mass retention and a small degree of additional spontaneous energy expenditure (energy cost of protein digestion).
3. Effective weight loss can be achieved with a higher carb, lower fat diet or a lower carb, higher fat diet.
Some people find that they are less hungry and it’s easier to stick to a lower carb diet, while others feel more satisfied eating more carbohydrates. If you are training hard and trying to lose fat at the same time, you may want to consider keeping your carbs relatively high at the expense of dietary fats to to fuel your performance.
The Carbohydrate Insulin Model posits that diets heavier in high glycemic load carbohydrates shift body homeostatic mechanisms towards fat gain and therefore a lower carbohydrate diet is more effective for weight loss. Specifically, a higher carbohydrate diet increases insulin levels to promote energy storage in fat cells. Increased adiposity creates hormone dysregulation leading to increased hunger and reduction in metabolic rate.[1] This model is not supported by well-conducted studies. In reality, effective weight loss can be achieved with a higher carbohydrate, lower fat diet OR lower carbohydrate, higher fat diet. A meta-analysis of controlled feeding trials (calories and protein held constant) indicates that differences in weight loss between a low-carb and low-fat diets are not statistically significant [2] or in one example may lean slightly in favor of low-fat diets as it specifically relates to fat loss.[3] In a population with abdominal obesity and metabolic syndrome risk, a one-year study indicated that a low-fat isocaloric diet is equally as effective as a very low-carb diet for weight loss.[4] Further, a 12-week crossover study[5] with overweight, postmenopausal women also concluded the same, in addition to no significant lipid, insulin, or glucose differences between the two diets.
4. Tracking food intake and calories is not a requirement for weight loss, but it can be a helpful tool for some.
For weight loss you must consume less calories than you expend, but you do not need to quantify it by measuring food and logging calories. Tracking is helpful for some, but a possible detriment to others. Consider your dieting history and potential for disordered eating behavior. Consistent and frequent self-monitoring has some association with weight loss and improved weight maintenance after weight loss.[6] Tracking food intake may improve awareness about what you’re eating.
As you consider the right diet plan, decision factors should include practical ability to adhere and satisfaction, activity level, and health considerations.
Elimination of specific foods or food groups can be challenging to stick with, and at worse could lead to all out binges on foods self-deemed as “bad”. Labeling foods as “allowed” and “not allowed” creates unnecessary rigidity and more likely a negative outcome in long-term weight management. While it may be easier to think of food in good/bad terms, it’s better to instead regard all foods on a spectrum from being “less aligned with my goals and health” to “more aligned with my goals and health”. Seek professional advice if you have concerns and specific circumstances that need attention.
[1 Ludwig, D.S., Ebbeling, C.B., “The Carbohydrate-Insulin Model of Obesity: Beyond Calories In, Calories Out., JAMA Intern Med. (2018), 178(8), 1098.
[2] Hall, K.D., Guo, J., Obesity Energetics: Body Weight Regulation and the Effects of Diet Composition” Gastroenterology (2017), 152(7), 1718.
[3] Schick, A.; Boring, J., et al., “Effects of Ad Libitum Low Carbohydrate Versus Low Fat Diets on Body Weight and Fat Mass”. Current Developments in Nutrition(2020), 4(2),658.
[4] Brinkworth, G.D.; Noakes, M., et al., “Long-term Effects of a Very-low-Carbohydrate Weight Loss Diet Compared with an isocaloric low-fat diet after 12 months”. Am J Clin Nutr. (2009), 90, 23.
[5] Segal-Isaacson, C.J.; Johnson, S., “A Randomized Trial Comparing Low-Fat and Low-Carbohydrate Diets Matched for Energy and Protein”, Obesity Research, (2004), 12 130S.
[6] Peterson, N.D.; Middleton, K.R.; et al., “Dietary self‐monitoring and long‐term success with weight management”, Obesity, (2014), 22, 1962.
