How to Make a Healthy Pumpkin Spice Latte | #PSPfit Recipe

I always feel so bad starting Fall bootcamp because a #PSPfit commitment means no Halloween candy and no Pumpkin Spiced Lattes… or does it? Today our #PSPfit Nutrition coach, Abra is going to teach us how to make a healthy version of the (in)famous PSL.

p.s. if you want to work with Abra for 30 days, you have 3 days left to register for our online bootcamp (click here to join).

Take it away Abra!

Okay, CeCe!! When eating for PCOS I have a few hard and fast rules:

#1 Consume absolutely no foods that contain High Fructose Corn Syrup. HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) is metabolized to fat in your body far more rapidly than any other sugar and is a highly contributing factor to developing insulin resistance.

#2 Stay far far away from chemically laden foods. There is no reason (in my humble opinion) to consume carcinogenic ingredients. I have seen amazing results with my PCOS clients that make a strong commitment to only consume whole, real food as close to it’s natural state as possible. Steer clear of chemicals and preservatives. They do not do your body good!

Flavored coffee drinks are often the source of large amounts of hidden sugars and unsupportive ingredients. It seems more obvious, however, when you are ordering a mocha – chocka – full a sugar – blend it up – top with whip cream – frappuciono – kind of drink, rather than a seemingly innocent pumpkin drink. I mean pumpkin is healthy, isn’t it?

Nope. There’s not even real pumpkin in a pumpkin spice latte!

Food Babe, a blogger who is committed to investigate what’s really in our food, came out with a very controversial PSL report this year. When she approached Starbucks to get a more detailed ingredient list, she was met with much resistance, but luckily she was not deterred and after much prodding was able to get us the full scoop. I mean we should be allowed to know exactly what’s in the food we are eating, shouldn’t we?

In her final report she was able to determine, among other things, that there is HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) within the sweetened condensed milk, and that Starbucks also uses a highly carcinogenic coloring agent, class IV carmel coloring in the PSL.

Of course, I will never present a problem without a solution! Best news ever is that a pumpkin spice latte is the easiest thing to make at home. You will save calories, sugar, yucky franken-food ingredients, AND save yourself a pretty penny! Also, you can add REAL PUMPKIN!

I opted to make this version vegan for our dairy free friends (I must point out, I was completely unaware that Starbucks Pumpkin syrup was made with milk, this now explains my belly ache after consuming one.)

Making a homemade pumpkin spice latte is as simple as:

*Brewing delicious strong coffee, (bonus: if you really, really love pumpkin flavor this Pumpkin Spice Coffee is quite delicious)

*Making a “pumpkin milk” (full recipe below)

*Blending and/ or whisking your milk until frothy

*Voila! Pumpkin heaven.

The benefits of adding real pumpkin are many. Pumpkin is a rich source of beta carotene, potassium and zinc. Pumpkin has anti-inflammatory benefits which is a HUGE bonus for our healthy curves journey. So ditch that store bought latte. Whip one of these up. You will never go back. I promise…

Healthy Pumpkin Spice Latte:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of strong coffee

1 cup of unsweetened almond milk

1/4 cup of pumpkin puree

3/4 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice

stevia (to taste – or you can use 1 tbsp maple syrup)

dark chocolate shaving (optional)

Click Here for step-by-step directions… cheers!

Abra Pappa, owner of NutritiousAmerica.com and the nutrition coach for #PSPfit, has over 10 years experience as a holistic nutrition practitioner. Ultimately her work is about helping women fall in love with glorious wholesome food and adopting mindful, loving, eating practices to achieve optimal health. Follow Abra’s blog here, Follow Abra on Facebook here