Pumpkin Spice Latte

As the days get a bit cooler and we get closer and closer to winter, I notice an increase in advertising for the beloved pumpkin spice latte. The latte is available not only at Starbucks now, but at many other cafes such as Second Cup. Today I thought to break things down and let you know what is really in your pumpkin spice latte, and how a few, small, changes could make a big difference!

A grande, 16oz Pumpkin Spice Latte, made with 2% milk and whipped cream contains:

• 380 calories (average person is recommended to have 2000 calories/day)
• 49 grams sugar (more than 12 tsp sugar)
• 220 mg sodium (sodium should be limited to 2300mg/day)
• 50 mg cholesterol (American Heart Association suggests that people with high LDL ("bad" cholesterol) to limit intake to 200mg/day)
• 8 grams saturated fat (recommendations from the American Heart Association are to limit saturated fat to less than 14g/day)
• 14g protein

If we take replace 2% milk with skim milk, remove the whipped cream, and switch to a tall 12oz pumpkin spice latte, the drink contains:

• 200 calories
• 37 grams sugar (more than 9 tsp sugar)
• 170 mg sodium
• 5 mg cholesterol
• 0 grams saturated fat
• 11 grams protein

Approximately 16 grams of the sugar in this 12oz beverage comes from natural lactose in milk while the remainder comes from the pumpkin spice syrup.
Each pump of syrup contains approximately 5 grams of sugar. If you are interested in managing your sugar intake, asking for 1 or 2 less pumps would decrease the sugar content another 5-10 grams.

There are many ways to control what goes into your body. Choosing a smaller beverage size, opting for skim milk, requesting less pumps of syrup, trying a flavorful full leaf tea, having a plain latte with a small amount of honey or adding cinnamon and/or nutmeg for flavor are all steps in direction of making sure your comforting drinks aren't packed with calories, sugar, and fat.
You can even play around with the cafe's websites, searching for nutritional information in order to make more informed choices the next time you're in that cafe!

Nutritional Information for Starbucks beverages and food can be found at:
http://www.starbucks.com/menu/catalog/nutrition?food=all#view_control=nutrition

Nutritional Information for Second Cup Lattes can be found at:
http://www.secondcup.com/best-latte/?nutcat=5

Information Sources:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/heart-healthy-diet/NU00196
http://www.starbucks.com/menu/drinks/espresso/pumpkin-spice-latte