Pumpkin Spiced Sugar!

Starbucks recently announced it has changed the recipe for its Pumpkin Space Latte.  Before the Latte contained caramel coloring, which has been criticized as a potential carcinogen for possibly having trace amounts of a compound called 4-methylimidazole, which at least one study has linked to lung tumors in rats. OK, this is a great move… but it still isn’t healthy – no matter how much you wish- for you. Here’s why;

A Grande Pumpkin Spice Latte made with 2% milk and whipped cream has 380 calories and 50 grams of sugar. Yes, 50!  Now, a traditional slice of pumpkin pie, with whipped cream, only has 323 calories on average with 25 grams of sugar. The pie – in this case- is actually better for you.  25 grams of sugar, for women, is the recommend amount – but that is still too much sugar.

Let’s recap on why sugar is BAD for you;  “There’s an association between added sugar intake and what we call dyslipidemia — higher triglycerides and lower HDL (“good”) cholesterol, says Rachel K. Johnson, RD, MPH, PhD, a professor of nutrition at the University of Vermont and a spokeswoman for the American Heart Association (AHA).  In a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), people who ate the largest amounts of added sugar had the highest bloodtriglyceride levels and the lowest HDL (good) cholesterol levels. That study also showed that eating lots of sugar more than tripled the odds of having low HDL cholesterol levels, a strong risk factor for heart disease.

Sugar shouldn’t be in your coffee – or your diet. And dessert coffee drinks are actually WORSE than having dessert! Remember, sometimes we can get caught up in the food marketing hype. Before you order the next “trending” coffee or food item- ask yourself why you want it and what is in it!