Overview
A thick slice of banana cream pie can taste fantastic, but its nutritional information is less than impressive. You might think the pie has some redeeming value because it’s made with bananas, which are a healthy and natural food, filled with potassium and essential nutrients. However, the health benefits that bananas offer don’t make up for the rest of the pie’s unhealthy ingredients.
Nutritional Profile
According to Nutrition Data, one slice of prepared banana cream pie, or one-eighth of a pie, has approximately 400 calories and 20 g of fat, 5 g of which are saturated. A slice also provides 17 g of sugar, 47 g of simple carbohydrates and almost 25 percent of the recommended daily value for cholesterol. The potassium in a pie slice makes up 7 percent of the recommended daily value, while the potassium in one medium banana is 12 percent.
Considerations
The nutritional content of a banana cream pie will differ depending on what recipe you follow or where you get the pie. Some bakeries that focus on light cooking or recipes that are intended to promote heart health may produce a pie that isn’t quite as rich in calories and fat, but because of the creamy ingredients and added sugar, no recipe for banana cream pie is likely to result in a health food.
Modifications
Jefferson Hospital of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, recommends modifying a banana cream pie recipe to fit a heart-healthy diet and be appropriate for diabetics. Among other modifications, the hospital suggests using low-fat milk and a reduced-fat graham cracker crust for the pie to cut extra calories and saturated fat grams. You can also exercise your judgment in regulating your own serving sizes and eating only a small piece of pie.
Substitutes
You can also create a healthier version of banana cream pie with better nutritional information by making up an entirely new recipe. Create individual servings of pie by using a graham cracker sheet made with whole grains as a crust, one whole sliced banana as a filling and a dollop of whipped cream on top. The limited fat from the small serving of cream, coupled with the whole grains in the crust and the banana’s vitamins and potassium, make the modified pie much healthier, with fewer calories and far less sugar.
Warning
Many people love banana cream pie for its rich, creamy taste, but it’s important to remember that because of its high fat, sugar and calorie content, banana cream pie is not a healthy food choice. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disorders recommends limiting your total intake of saturated fat, whole milk, shortening and trans fat, many of which are found in banana cream pie. Though it’s fine to eat a slice as an occasional splurge, it’s not good for your body to eat banana cream pie regularly, especially if you’re trying to lose weight or eat more nutrient-rich foods.
About this Author
Carly Schuna is a Wisconsin-based professional writer, editor and copy editor/proofreader. She has worked with hundreds of pieces of fiction, nonfiction, children’s literature, feature stories, and corporate content. Her expertise on food, cooking, nutrition and fitness information comes from years of in-depth study on those and other health topics.
