Tim Hortons have announced that by April 15, for a limited time, they will have Nutella filled pastries they hope Canadians can’t resist. This article says you should.

For two weeks Tims will be offering a chocolate hazelnut donut filled with Nutella and something they call Pastry Pockets, also filled with Nutella. The company is also offering Nutella spread as an option for their bagels. As part of their advertising campaign, Tims are offering prizes to people if they use #spreadthelove hashtags on twitter and instagram.

“This is a sweet day for Tim Hortons,” says Julie Unsworth, Senior Director, Brand Marketing, Tim Hortons. “We’ve married the irresistible fresh taste of Tim Hortons baked goods with world-renowned Nutella to create a phenomenal flavour pairing that Canadians will fall head over heels for. This is a melt-in-your-mouth, must-try treat.”

It’s also loaded with sugar. How much sugar has not been revealed yet. No nutritional content for the new products have been released and as of publication Tims has not responded to our telephone inquiry. Tim Hortons website says for nutritional information to call a 1-888 number. Doing so refers callers back to the website for nutritional information.

All of the filled donuts at Tims have at least 200 calories, according to Tim Hortons website, while the strawberry vanilla filled donut comes with an eye-popping 31 grams of sugar, nearly eight teaspoons worth. Nutella has been under fire from nutritionists for years. Dr. Yoni Freedhoff, Medical Director of the Bariatric Medical Institute in Ottawa, said “Make no mistake about it, Nutella is spreadable candy”. The weight-loss specialist says there is as much sugar in two tablespoons of Nutella as there is in five Oreo cookies, in a YouTube video he posted in 2013. Two tablespoons represent the amount that normally is spread on a piece of bread, which is probably more than we can expect inside a Tims donut. The CKReview will update this story, if and when that nutritional information becomes available.

Crystal Halls, from Performance Fitness and Training here in Chatham, says to stay away from it. “Healthy eating consists of no added sodium or sugar. If you are serious about losing weight and looking good for the summer, I would stay away from the Nutella snacks”, said Halls. “People are so blinded by the Hazelnuts and think it’s good for you.”

Dr. David Colby, Chatham-Kent’s Medical Officer of Health, said, “There is an opinion out there now that essential oils found in many nuts are healthy, although the nuts themselves are high in calories. That something is a high energy food doesn’t mean you shouldn’t eat it, just not too much of it and Nutella has a huge amount of sugar.” Colby told the CKReview a nutritionist at the hospital today advised him Nutella was basically icing. “Tims already sell sugary iced donuts and I don’t see this as a departure from their current practice”, Colby said.

Tim Hortons say their new donut is almost too pretty to eat. For those who care about their nutritional intake, here is hoping they are.