Pumpkin spice fans, rejoice! 🎃 Fall drinks are back! The weather in South Texas hasn’t gotten the memo, but your local coffee shops have. Fall flavors have arrived, offering plenty of tasty ways to enjoy the season.
If you look at what’s inside your favorite seasonal drink, you’ll likely find high amounts of sugar and calories. If you love fall drinks but need to cut down on sugar and calories, we’ve got you! Make a few simple, healthier choices, and you can still drink in the flavors of fall.
Pumpkin Spice Drinks Chart
Not all coffee shops or vendors make their pumpkin spice drinks exactly the same, but these are the most popular online recipes.
| DRINK | Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL) | Pumpkin Spice Slushie |
|---|---|---|
| KNOWN FOR | The Original, the O.G., creamy coffee & pumpkin spice concoction | Frozen coffee drink, made in a blender, like a coffee slushie with pumpkin spice flavors |
| INGREDIENTS |
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| NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION |
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| Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL) | Pumpkin Spice Slushie |
|---|---|
| KNOWN FOR: The Original, the O.G., creamy coffee & pumpkin spice concoction | KNOWN FOR: Frozen coffee drink, made in a blender, like a coffee slushie with pumpkin spice flavors |
INGREDIENTS:
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INGREDIENTS:
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NUTRITION INFORMATION
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NUTRITION INFORMATION
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Tips for Ordering Healthier Swaps
These drinks may be delicious and bring cozy thoughts of long autumn walks in the woods, but the ingredients make them risky. Try these changes to help you stick to your nutritional goals:
- Size Down: Choose a smaller size to cut calories and sugar while still enjoying the classic flavor.
- Customize the Sweetness: Ask for fewer syrup pumps or choose sugar-free syrup when available.
- Skip the Whipped Cream: Save on extra calories, sugar, and fat with this one change.
- Choose a Lighter Milk: Try nonfat milk or an unsweetened milk alternative, such as almond milk.
- Add Flavor with Spices: Cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and ginger can add flavor without added sugar!
- Make them at home: Use pumpkin puree for the base (no sugar added, but naturally sweet), and mix in the spices we know and love: cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and ginger (optional: a splash of vanilla or a dash of allspice).
Remember, healthy habits don’t have to be all-or-nothing. This season, try a couple of simple swaps and see what works for you.
Need Extra Support with a Chronic Health Condition?
Community First Members have access to no-cost Health & Wellness education programs and resources to help with healthy eating, chronic disease management, behavioral health, and staying healthy through pregnancy.
Community First Health & Wellness Programs include:*Healthy Living: Lifestyle Management Program – This program focuses on making healthy lifestyle changes for long-term health, with education on healthy eating, exercise, reducing stress, and paying attention to your mental health.
Diabetes in Control: Diabetes Management Program – This program focuses on diabetes education and resources, learning how to better monitor and live with diabetes.
Healthy Heart: Blood Pressure Management Program – Healthy Heart can help you learn how to manage your blood pressure by taking medication and making healthy lifestyle changes.
Healthy Expectations: Maternity Program – This focuses on staying healthy and reducing stress and risk during pregnancy and after your child is born, offering prenatal and postpartum education plus group and social activities, including a Mommy & Me baby shower and a Maternal Community Health Club to meet other moms-to-be.