There is nothing more American than apple pie! And while this sweet treat may give you all the fall feels, that slice isn’t doing anything to help you meet your nutritional goals.
There are apples in apple pie, but the peels are usually removed, taking with them valuable fiber, vitamins, and minerals. A medium apple with the skin removed has just 2.1 grams (g) of fiber, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), while one with the skin on has 4.37 g, says the USDA. Similarly, when you peel an apple, you stand to lose 41 percent of the vitamin A, 23 percent of the vitamin C, and a whopping 76 percent of the vitamin K per medium apple.
At the same time, the apples are usually mixed with copious amounts of sugar and wrapped in a rich, fatty crust. In a typical serving of this dessert, says the USDA, the crust alone packs 80 calories and 4 g of total fat, with 1.5 of those grams coming from saturated fat. All in all, a typical slice of old-fashioned apple pie has 340 calories, 17 g total fat, 7 g saturated fat, 3 g protein, 43 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, and 18 g sugar, according to the USDA.
Unfortunately, as most registered dietitians would agree, traditional apple pie is a perfect storm of unhealthy ingredients.
Enter the apple crisp, a dessert of baked apples covered in a crumble topping (usually made of oats, sugar, and butter) rather than a flaky pastry crust. Both recipes are traditionally high in sugar and calories, but no longer!
