AICR
How a pie is made has a bigger influence on its calorie content than what kind it is. The one exception is that an equal sized portion of pecan pie almost always provides 100 or 200 calories beyond fruit and pumpkin pie.
However, if pecan pie is your favorite and its super-sweet taste leaves you satisfied after a smaller slice, enjoy a thin slice of what you like best.
• Apple pie may contain from 300 to just over 400 calories per slice, depending on how much fat and sugar are added.
• A slice of pumpkin pie traditionally contains about 320 calories, but recipe adaptations like using evaporated skim milk can reduce fat from the usual 14 or 15 grams per slice, consequently reducing calories, too.
• If the pie filling is what you love, leave the crust behind and save 125 to 150 calories per slice.
• If you’re the one cooking the pie, you can even bake the filling without a crust, more like a custard or fruit cobbler. If the crust is part of what you love about pie, you can reduce the crust’s calories somewhat and make it healthier by limiting added fat, using a mixture of canola oil and butter, and making half the flour whole wheat.
The biggest calorie savings comes from sticking to only one piece of pie, eating it slowly and savoring every bite.
Karen Collins, MS, RDN, is AICR’s Nutrition Advisor.
