Apple or pumpkin pie? It’s an impossible choice every Thanksgiving - and the right answer is probably both.
But if you’re looking for the healthiest pie, one is far better than the other, according to experts. Pumpkin pie has fewer calories, and a lower amount of cholesterol-raising saturated fat.
A slice of apple pie has up to 400 calories, but the same-sized slice of pumpkin pie only has around 320, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research.
And though a slice of apple pie has around 13 grams of fat, a slice of pumpkin pie has about 10 grams.
“Pumpkin pie is healthier than apple pie,” gastroenterologist Dr. Carey Strom told Redditors. “And, traditionally, using whipped cream is way healthier than ice cream!”
A dollop of whipped cream - equivalent of about a tablespoon - adds between 13 and 35 calories. A scoop of vanilla ice cream, often served alongside piping hot apple pie, may range from 100 to 150 calories.
It’s what’s on the inside that counts
Pumpkins have more fiber than apples, which we need to maintain good gut health and reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease. A pumpkin has seven grams of fiber per cup, but an apple only has three grams.
A slice of pumpkin pie has slightly more fiber than a slice of apple pie, at 2.94 grams to 1.84 grams, respectively.
Pumpkins also have more blood pressure-regulating essential mineral, potassium, with 564 milligrams compared to an apple’s 195 milligrams, and more than 55 milligrams of bone-strengthening calcium.
Both apples and pumpkins are sources of critical vitamins, including immune health-guarding vitamin C, eye health-protecting vitamins A and E, and brain-regulating vitamin B.
Both also contain plant compounds known as phytochemicals that have been shown to hinder cancer development and support brain and heart health, according to UCLA Health.
Best in show
Does this mean pumpkin pie bests apple for the festive season? At the end of the day, you’re eating pie and the nutritional differences are small, registered dietitian Nancy Mazarin told TODAY.com.
“Pie is pie is pie,” she said. “You can’t put any apple pie in a category of apples, and you can't put a pumpkin pie in the category of a healthy starch.”
Adding skim milk to the pumpkin pie could help reduce both fat and calories. Most recipes call for a 12-fluid-ounce can of evaporated milk, which can contain more than 300 calories. The same amount of skim milk has around half as many calories.
While you can always serve both this Thanksgiving, in terms of popularity, pumpkin pie takes the cake. A recent YouGov poll of 7,259 American adults found that 30 percent favored pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving, followed by apple, which was the pick for 20 percent of respondents.
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