Pumpkin Spice Everything

You know Autumn is here when you see Pumpkin Spice everything being sold everywhere. The Pumpkin Spice Latte is Starbucks’ all-time best-selling seasonal beverage, so no wonder other places like Caribou, Dunkin’ Donuts and even McDonald’s have jumped on the bandwagon, offering their own version of a pumpkin spice drink. And, as with many other seasonal products, companies keep pushing up their debut dates (Caribou had their pumpkin spice latte on the menu before the end of August!).

Sure, it’s a tasty drink, but as health enthusiasts we have to think twice before indulging in Starbucks’ seasonal classic. Not only does a Grande contain 50g of sugar – double the recommended daily limit in one drink – but it also has a number of other questionable ingredients, and NO real pumpkin! Vani Hari, AKA The Food Babe, has done a thorough job of pushing Starbucks to be transparent about listing their ingredients in this popular drink (they’ve been resistant, but they’re coming around – see here).

I love pumpkin pie spice as much as the next person; it conjures up warm family kitchens on crisp autumn nights. In fact, I love anything with pumpkin really. That’s why I’ve collected a variety of tasty and healthy pumpkin recipes – so that I can ‘have my cake and eat it too’.

Yes, I said ‘healthy’! Because real pumpkin is good for you. Pumpkin’s top health benefits are:

• Improved eye sight from the rich Vitamin A
• Better heart health, as pumpkin is a good source of fiber
• Cancer-fighting properties from beta-carotene, a potent antioxidant found in orange-colored vegetables
• Pumpkin seeds full of mood enhancing properties from the amino acids tryptophan
• Electrolyte recovery via rich potassium
• Immune support – 1 cup of cooked pumpkin provides 20% of the daily requirement for vitamin C