6 Frozen Pies To Leave on Grocery Store Shelves Right Now
It probably comes as no surprise that frozen pies aren't exactly the epitome of nutrition. They're highly processed and totally lacking on the vitamins front. However, there are always some that are worse than others. The holidays are right around the corner, and you may be tempted to rely on these time-saving items to garnish your dinner table or serve as a potluck contribution. And there's nothing wrong with that! As long as you make sure you don't pick the absolute worst pies of the pack.
We consulted registered dietitians Toby Amidor and Amy Shapiro to help us navigate the freezer aisle and identify the pies that should never make their way into your shopping cart.
Marie Callender's Apple Pie
Fall is the season of apples, but you may want to stay away from this pie. This small two-serving pie packs a lot of calories and carbohydrates, which is why Amidor recommends leaving it at the store. The carbs in one serving are about the same as three slices of bread, which is more than you'll want to consume in a sitting, especially on a low-carb diet.
Shapiro shines the light on this pie's ingredients—a list which isn't great either. "This pie has a variety of unhealthy ingredients ranging from gums, carrageenan, which is carcinogenic, and processed forms of soy that are inflammatory. With this ingredient list, you are getting more chemicals than food."
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Banquet Apple Pie
The Banquet Apple Pie is a one-serving pie loaded with some ingredients you should avoid. Amidor notes the saturated fat, which provides 20% your daily recommended intake, while the sodium is close to 21% of what you should be consuming in a day.
Although real apples are used for the filling here, there are a lot of fillers and preservatives which you could avoid if you made your own pie filling (with even a store-bought crust)." Make your own pie crust with this recipe.
"This pie contains 4 grams of trans fats, which is 4 more than the recommended amount per day since trans fats increase cardiovascular health risks," says Amidor. "Additionally, it contains processed ingredients and BHT, a preservative that has been shown to be inflammatory and bad for you."
Your body doesn't need any trans fats, according to MedlinePlus. While your saturated fat max depends on your calorie intake, the American Heart Association recommends a max of 13 grams for someone on a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet. So, one serving of this pie would only leave you with 2 grams of saturated fat for the rest of the day.
Edwards Chocolate Crème Pie
While the layers of cookie crust and chocolate and vanilla cream make it enticing, Edwards Chocolate Crème Pie contains some concerning ingredients.
"With 13 grams of saturated fat and a variety of preservatives, gums, and carrageenan, this pie not only will cause inflammation in the body, but it also increases your risk for heart disease," warns Shapiro. "It also has 25 grams of sugar per slice, which is more than you should have in a day."
The American Heart Association recommends women limit their daily added sugar intake to 25 grams, and that is in just one serving of this pie.
Marie Callender's Southern Pecan Pie
Marie Callender's Southern Pecan Pie, like the others on this list, is missing some nutrients. And while pecans might be good for you, the unhealthy ingredients in this pie make it not worth it.
"The slice is equivalent to 25% of your total daily calorie needs (based on an average 2,000 calorie diet)," says Amidor. "The grams of saturated fat are 30% of your daily recommended amount—which is just too much for any dessert. The ingredients are also far from wholesome and leave much to be desired."
Edwards Key Lime Pie
Key Lime Pie may remind you of the beaches in Florida, but you may be feeling groggy after eating a slice of this pie from Edwards.
"Another slice of pie with a hefty amount of calories. The saturated fat at 17 grams equates to over 80% of your daily recommended amount of artery-clogging saturated fat. That leaves very little room to have anything else in the day with much saturated fat," Amidor points out. "In addition, the 57 grams of carbs is equivalent to the number of carbs in close to four slices of bread—it's just way too much."
Shapiro agrees, saying, "This pie has 17 grams of saturated fat and 45 grams of sugar per slice. These are both more than recommended in a day and can lead to health and heart risks."
Edwards Turtle Crème Pie
Another pie from Edwards, this turtle creme pie leaves much to be desired in the way of nutrients.
"The 380 calories per slice of this crème pie are filled with saturated fat, sodium, and loads of carbs," Amidor warns. "Although the calories aren't the worst of the bunch, one slice provides a whopping 65% of your total daily recommended amount of saturated fat! And if you choose to add a scoop or two of ice cream to this slice, you'll go way over your daily saturated fat recommendations. The sodium per slice is close to 14% (a little high for dessert for this dietitian!), and the carb equivalent of three slices of bread. Just too much,"
"High in saturated fat and sugar and contains a variety of preservatives, chemicals, and inflammatory oils that are poor for health and increase the risk for health and disease," Shapiro agrees.
