In This ArticleView AllIn This ArticleApple PiePumpkin PieWhich Is Healthier?The Bottom Line
In This ArticleView All
View All
In This Article
Apple Pie
Pumpkin Pie
Which Is Healthier?
The Bottom Line
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Thanksgiving pie is arguably most people’s favorite part of the meal: If it’s Thanksgiving, there must be pie. And let’s be clear: There is no need to skip your favorite dessert in the name of “eating healthy” on a holiday. Enjoy your pie, pumpkin or apple, and know that one day a year is not going to make or break a healthy eating pattern. All foods fit in moderation.
Pictured Recipe:Cinnamon Swirl Apple Pie
Let’s start with apple pie. It’s made from fruit, so it must be good for you…right? Whileapples are healthy—they’re loaded with fiber (about 4 grams in one medium apple, per theUSDA), vitamin C and antioxidants—coating them with sugar and dumping them in a buttery crust does change things a bit. Plus, apple pies normally come with double crusts, which means more calories.
Pictured Recipe:Light and Luscious Pumpkin Pie
As for pumpkin pie, here we start with a vegetable. Thepumpkinis loaded with fiber—7 g in 1 cup, per theUSDA. And like all orange foods, pumpkins are packed with carotenoids, which can help tackle free radicals and decrease inflammation. Of course, to turn that vegetable into a pie, we add sugar and a crust, so the pumpkin’s not quite as pure as it was in its original vegetable state.
Pictured Recipe:Butter Pastry Dough
The nutrition will vary depending on which pie you make, but here’s the breakdown comparing ourDeep-Dish Apple Pieand ourBest Easy Pumpkin Pie:
One serving of ourDeep-Dish Apple Piehas the following nutrition:
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One serving of ourBest Easy Pumpkin Piehas the following nutrition:
In the pumpkin pie, calories, carbs and sodium are lower, while protein is higher. But the apple pie takes the cake when it comes to fiber and potassium, and it has less added sugar. So what’s a pie aficionado to do? Well, if you want to consume fewer calories, go for the pumpkin—it almost always has fewer because of the single crust. You could also take a sliver of both pies.
The holidays often feature foods we might not get at other times of the year. So enjoy your favorites, including pie. Remember the big picture. A holiday is one day out of the year and won’t make or break a healthy eating pattern, so go for whatever pie you like best—even if it’s both.
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