Pumpkin Spice Latte

We are well into fall and and the ever popular Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks is many people's favorite fall drink. I used to love these until I found out the real ingredients. My main gripe is the amount of sugar in one drink. 

There are 48 grams of sugar in a Starbucks Grande Pumpkin Spice Latte (2% milk without whipped cream). This is the equivalent of consuming 9.6 teaspoons of sugar.
 To get a better idea of the sugar content check out the comparisons below:

Pumpkin Spice Latte = 48 grams of sugar
King size Snickers Bar = 54 grams of sugar
Bag of Skittles = 47 grams of Sugar
Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll = 55 grams of sugar

Most of us wouldn't consider starting each day with a King Size Snickers bar, but that is what many people are inadvertently doing when stopping at the coffee shop each morning. 

I'm not trying to bash Starbucks, but this is not a safe amount of sugar to consume daily. Especially starting each morning with an intense blood sugar spike.  The morning is when many important hormones are secreted. Sugar disrupts hormone production, thus affecting your moods, weight and health. Persistent spikes in blood sugar have been shown to increase your risk of diabetes, heart disease, weight gain resulting in obesity, infertility and colon cancer. [1] 

The good news is, it's really simple to make your own pumpkin spice latte at home that tastes like fall without harming your health. 

PUMPKIN SPICE LATTE

Ingredients: 

- 1 1/2 Cup brewed coffee (about one large mug)
- 2 Tbsp full fat coconut milk
- 1 tsp grass-fed butter
- 1/4 tsp pumpkin spice 
- 1 tsp honey or maple syrup (optional) 

Directions: 

Add all ingredients in blender or bowl to use an immersion blender ( I use a stick immersion blender). Blend all ingredients together until frothy. 

 [1] Harvard School of Public Health