Pumpkin pie and apple pie are a classic way to end Thanksgiving dinner. Both desserts contain autumn fruits and herbs, a flaky crust and a sweet scent that radiates warmth and coziness.
Americans choose pumpkin as their No. 1 Thanksgiving pie, but 82% also like apple pie in their holiday meal, a YouGov survey found.
Dietitians say it’s okay to enjoy dessert foods in moderation.
“Especially on holiday, enjoy it. Take a moderate portion of it, enjoy other healthy foods throughout the day. I think it’s absolutely fine to include it in a healthy diet,” Patricia Bannan, a registered dietitian in Los Angeles and author of “From Burnout to Balance,” tells TODAY.com.
“Saying, ‘I don’t have any candy’ can cause hardship and then cause people to overdo it.”
If you like pumpkin or apple pie, go ahead and eat some on Thanksgiving, says Beth Czerwony, a registered dietitian with the Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Human Nutrition.
“Take smaller pieces, and have both if you really want to, but just be smart about it. Take your time and sit at the table. Enjoy it,” says Czerwony.
“I never tell people they can’t have things.”
The filling of the pie is important, so dietitians like that both pumpkin and apple pies are fruit-based pies — which provide some of the fiber and nutrients from the fruit — rather than pies filled with sugar, eggs and cream.
So which cake is healthier? Here’s what you need to know about their nutritional differences:
Is pumpkin pie healthy?
Pumpkin contains very high levels of beta-carotene, which is essential for vision, growth and the immune system, says Bannan.
The antioxidant, found in orange-colored foods, is converted in the body to vitamin A and has anti-inflammatory properties that protect cells from damage, notes the National Library of Medicine.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, a slice of pumpkin pie contains:
Pumpkin pie usually has a single crust – a big difference in nutritional value compared to apple pie, which has a double crust and therefore contains more calories and fat.
But the calories also depend on the pumpkin pie recipe.
“Pumpkin pie can contain a lot of sugar. Quite a bit of fat can come out of the condensed milk. There can be a lot of fat from the topping you put on it,” Czerwony warns.
Bannan recommends using regular canned pumpkin puree instead of canned pumpkin pie mix to control the added sugar in the filling.
A cup of cooked canned pumpkin contains 137 calories, or half the calories of a canned pumpkin pie mix.
Is apple pie healthy?
Apples provide fiber, antioxidants and vitamin C, says Bannan.
“They add that natural sugar to the cake. So depending on how you make it, you can use less added sugar. If those apples are particularly sweet,” she notes.
“Apple pie is a great option; it has apples in it,” Czerwony adds. “But it just depends on how you make it.”
A piece of apple pie contains the following:
Bannan recommends adjusting apple pie recipes so that whole-wheat flour is used for the crust and healthy spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg are used in larger quantities to enhance the flavor and provide anti-inflammatory benefits.
Opt for a thinner, lighter crust or even an apple crisp — which uses an oat-based crumb topping instead of a double crust — to reduce calories, she notes.
Eating cake à la mode or with whipped cream will add a lot of calories, sugar and fat, so keep that in mind when choosing your dessert.
What is healthier: Pumpkin Pie or Apple Pie?
Pumpkin pie is generally considered healthier than apple pie, Bannan says. It contains fewer calories, fat and carbohydrates and contains more protein.
But the differences are minor, and ultimately both cakes are sugar-laden dessert foods, says Nancy Mazarin, a registered dietitian in Great Neck, New York.
“Cake is cake is cake,” Mazarin tells TODAY.com. “You can’t put apple pie in the apple category, and you can’t put pumpkin pie in the healthy starch category.”
Have whichever one you like best on Thanksgiving, or if you like both, have a small piece of each, she suggests.
This holiday season, focus on balance and portion control, and savor every morsel mindfully to enjoy the holidays, Bannan advises.
Eat dessert as close to dinner as possible to help avoid highs and lows in blood sugar and feeling sleepy after the Thanksgiving feast, says Czerwony.
Enjoy the cake you really love, Mazarin adds: “If it’s not delicious, why eat it?”
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
