Paczki Passion: What You Need To Know Before Taking That First Bite

By Kris Kelly, CBS 62/CW50

Jelly-filled or custard? Chocolate icing or powdered sugar?  What's your favorite paczki poison?  Personally, I'm a chocolate-covered, custard-filled girl.  And, yes, I can be tempted to eat more than one.

For those of you know don't know, paczki are donuts on steroids.  They were created by the Polish to help get rid of extra sugar, flour and lard before fasting began for the Lenten season. The sweet treat is a staple on Fat Tuesday, better known as Paczki Day around metro-Detroit, and will be tempting the weak on Tuesday, February 13.

But should I really indulge my passion for paczkis?  Inquiring minds want to know!  And  Grace Derocha, a registered dietitian at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, has the answers.

The first bit of bad news is these delicious treats range from 500-1,000 calories each. That's bad enough, but it may be the fat content that really shocks you. Here are a few examples:

• One paczek can contain up to 80 grams of fat, which is the same as:  
• • 24 slices of bacon
  • 20 pats of butter
  • 5 cheeseburgers
  • 5 medium servings of fries
  • 17 slices of mozzarella cheese

• To burn off a paczek you would need to:  

• • Ice skate for an hour and a half around the Campus Martius ice rink
  • Briskly walk or run 7 miles of the Clinton River trail
  • Walk the Renaissance Center indoor walking track 49 times
  • Do jumping jacks for two hours
  • Do 7,000 sit-ups
  • Do two hours of Zumba

Thanks, Grace, for ruining my Paczki Day.  I will now look at paczki and think push-ups or some equally awful way to get off the extra weight.  Or maybe I will smell the delicious-ness of Paczki Day and indulge anyway.  I'm just not telling.