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The worst snack in America?

June 29, 2009   21 Comments

What would it take to be the worst snack in America? There are facts - calories, ingredients, etc. - and then there is the more subjective factor: taste.

Hostess Fruit Pie

Hostess Fruit Pies have a whopping 480 calories. Each single serving pie has 20 grams of fat, including 50% of your daily allowance of saturated fat, and 38 grams of sugar.

There are over 25 ingredients including high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors, and beef fat (also known as lard).

The "real fruit filling" is combined with the chemicals, preservatives, and sugar, the fruit doesn't stand a chance. These things are added so the "pie" can remain on the shelf for weeks without going bad.

What about taste? If you are looking for the taste of a fresh cherry pie, you will be in for a big shock. You can taste the chemicals, the crust is hard, and the fruit is gooey and gluey. This pie does not taste anything like a real homemade pie.

The next time you reach for one of these - try something else. Your best alternative would be to make yourself a pie (not that difficult) or buy a supermarket "fresh" pie with an expiration date in the next week. At least then you have a chance for some real fruit, butter, eggs, and (hopefully) less chemicals.

A supermarket pie will cost you about the same, since most supermarket pies are about $7 for 6 slices and a Hostess Fruit Pie retails for $1. So that is very close in price per slice.

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First 20 Comments: ( See all 21 )

I grew up with the Hostess fruit pie, just had one the other day (cherry), and I have no clue as to the real point of your article; the pie is very similar in taste to a jelly donut. If I'm on a road trip and want a 70 mph sugar rush, I really think your advice about making a pie is equivalent to BS. Again, we are talking about a SNACK on the go - not an entire family-sized pie or something I'm going to be able to bake in my friggin car!! GEEZ

worst snack in America - what's the point? There are 10,000 worst snacks in America! If you don't like these little portable pies don't eat them. I don't think it's fair to compare Hostess "snack" foods on a nutritional or additive basis with anything else, commercially prepared or home cooked. People who aren't aware of the differences in these products probably don't care or don't want to know in the first place. So what if they aren't the best pies on the planet, they are what they are, quick food for someone on the run - adults and kids, it's not marketed as food for infants. And, you're not supposed to keep them stashed in the house for months, preservatives are a necessary "evil", the wonderful world of chemistry is at work in almost everything you eat. Boo on this article.

Potatochipperdude: It's true that there are many bad snacks in America. It is also true that you don't have to eat them. But another thing that is true that you didn't mention is that many times, people don't pay attention to what it is they are eating. That is the entire point of this site: to provide information so people can become aware of what it is they are eating. Even those of us who do know that it's not healthy sometimes need the occasional article to say, "You know what's in this crap!?" to give us the heads up that helps us to pay more attention. Yeah, we have a basic understanding of what is and isn't healthy. But we all need the occasional kick in the ass, which this site and article do a terrific job of doing. With a name like "PotatoChipperDude", sounds like there is a nonzero possibility that you need the reminder yourself! :)

I happen to LOVE fruit pies. Was sitting here twitching at my computer thinking about the lovely "fruit" filling and trying to find a way NOT TO EAT ONE as I know they have enough calories and fat to kill a vegetarian triathlete in a New York minute.

Back when I was in college I typically ate two fruit pies a day and my body could handle it. Now that I'm 46 I still crave them but know that one bite = one pound (with my metabolism, anyway).

Thanks for your article - it helped me avoid that fruit pie in the snack machine that now no longer has my name on it.

Thanks for the info, I was just going to buy them for all of my daughters classmates, now I will get them mini pies from Walmart.

Great article. For the record, lard is pork fat; beef fat is a.k.a. tallow.

David

That's about what I was going to latch onto, David.

I don't think I've ever had one of these, but they honestly don't sound that pleasant.

I love Hostess fruit pies! I haven't had one in a long long time, and now I have a hankering!!!

I grew up with these things too and I love them. Of course I can't really eat them these days, they're just too unhealthy, but I disagree that they're not tasty. Now what would be useful to me is for you to suggest healthier alternatives. How do we satisfy the craving in a healthier way? Even a real cherry or apple pie is pretty high in calories.

I have to sadly agree with you on this one. As far as how bad the fruit goo tastes in each fruit pie. I guess its location, location, location. Insterstate bakeries makes these and ships them locally The one in Thomaston ships to Atlanta where I live. How do you satisfy the craving? OH please allow me to edify you my sisters!!!! Go to store purchase a tube of Pilsbury puff pastry or maker you own- cold butter, flour, sugar, salt, vanilla- oh gosh that's difficult and stores in the freezer for up to 90 days! Now make a circle out of the dough about as big as your hand. A nice rule of thumb is literally to use your thumb and press in the middle then trace around your hand while the dough is folded in half. Now take some fruit. toss it in a saucepan with a simple sugar solution plus your choice of basic seasonig. ( blueberries like nutmeg) Now spoon the reduced sugar-fruit solution by teaspoon-fulls into the dough and pinch the ends together. Bake at 425 for about 17 minutes then brush with butter or spray with a little olive oil and dust with sugar. Let the crust brown for a minute or two. Now dont burn your mouth with fruit lava as you marvel at your tasty treat. :)

There's no doubt that this is one of the MANY worst snacks in America. That said though, I grew up with these things and love them. I would like to find a way to make "on the go" pies as similar to these things as possible in taste and texture, but healthier (and there's no need to have such a long shelf life). So far I haven't found a good crust that is healthy yet similar to the classic version.

The point is just telling people something they love is bad isn't enough. You have to provide alternatives.

Here is a vegan version that Lisa would like. It uses whole wheat and organic soy. Bonus points for whole grains and isoflavonoids! http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2009/08/chocolate-pudding-ha…

I'm eating one right now! Got it from a vending machine for one buck. I used to eat these as a kid. Brings back memories. The problem is that the pie is too big, way too big. Should be more like two serving. To eat the whole thing, that 480 calories is destructive on my belly!

I just ate two of these in a row - impulse buy at the gas station. They are delicious, but I know I'm going to have to run at least 4 miles later to feel I've worked them off. Ugh.

OK; I had to have my last Hostess cherry pie; I also bought 2 at a gas station, and they were 1.49 each. I used to pay .15 when I was a kid. They are still great, I still love them... I have healthier snacks most of the time though. a real tragedy to lose Hostess.

No more Hostess fruit pies! I'm sad.

my mom put this in my lunchbox once ... o my god .. mindblowingly .. knee-bucklingly good

Hostess peach pies are the best tasting peach pie you can get. I hated peach pie till I ate my first Hostess peach pie. Most peach pies taste horrible, because they are made out of green peaches. They taste like the were made from Del Monte canned peaches, which are canned green as a gourd and taste horrible. Hostess peach pies are made from Ripe peach, and that is the main thing that makes them taste so good.

That is not an actual picture of a Hostess fruit pie; that is a picture of a pie that has been put in the freezer to coagulate the filling and make it look gross and unappealing. She was just trying to gross you out with the picture. Here is what one looks like: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_1tfISIMFcQQ/S78xpVnqMJI/AAAAAAAAG…

OMG I almost forgot about these. These things are SO GREAT!

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