Blueberries are rich in natural antioxidants, and a hearty slice of blueberry pie certainly provides an ample serving of the vitamin-rich fruit. Yet the dessert can also pile of the calories unless you opt for a more modest serving and healthier baking methods.
Official Calorie Count
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the typical home-baked blueberry pie contains 245 calories per slice. Store-bought pies average 232 calories per slice.
Portion Size and Calories
Definitions of "a slice of pie" vary. The USDA's serving sizes are listed as 1 oz., while CalorieKing.com's serving sizes are based on 1/8 of a pie, and range from 4.6 to 5.2 oz. It lists the average homemade pie as 360 calories per slice and the average store-bought pie as 271 calories per slice.
Healthy Baking Tips
To make a dessert that is in lower in calories and sugar, consider recipes such as the one developed for diabetic patients by the University of Illinois Extension program. Prepare a pie crust from flour and cottage cheese, and use artificial sweetener in place of sugar in the pie filling. The per-serving calorie content is 168 calories for a slice equaling 1/8 of the pie, or 135 calories for 1/10 of the pie.
References
- University of Illinois Extension: Diabetes Life Lines
- Medical News Today: Which Foods Provide the Most Antioxidants?
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: Recipe Tips: Pie, Blueberry, Prepared from Recipe
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: Recipe Tips: Pie, Blueberry, Commercially Prepared
- CalorieKing: Calories in Blueberry Pie
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