Nutrition Tip: Pumpkin Spice Edition

        We’re 16 days away from the official start of Fall, or as I like to call it: Pumpkin Spice season. Just about every food brand out there is releasing a Limited Edition Pumpkin Spice something or the other. I love pumpkin flavor as much as the next girl (or guy) but it’s important to always be mindful of how much sugar we eat, and also how much sugar we are feeding our kids. Let’s consider this scenario: you stock your pantry with a few of the new pumpkin flavored products. You’re in a hurry in the morning and grab a pack of Pumpkin Pie Pop-Tarts for your child to eat in the car on the way to school. If he eats both pastries, he just started his day out with 28 grams of sugar, which equals 7 teaspoons. Liver and onions are on the school lunch menu for today so you packed your child’s lunch the night before. You made him a turkey sandwich, added some pretzel sticks, a juice box, and a Little Debbie Pumpkin Spice roll for dessert. The snack cake alone contains 6 ½ teaspoons of sugar. By lunchtime, your child has consumed a minimum of 13 ½ teaspoons of added sugar. The American Heart Association suggests that adult men and women should limit added sugars to 9 teaspoons and 6 teaspoons, respectively, in one day. Those guidelines are for adults, so children should consume even less. 


           It’s also important to take care of yourself and be aware of what you’re putting into your body. Here’s another scenario: You’re grocery shopping and you walk past the cooler case at Wal-Mart and spot the recently released Pillsbury Grands Cinnabon Pumpkin Spice Rolls with Icing. They look so plump and delicious with their gooey icing in the picture on the packaging; they’re pretty hard to pass up. You buy them and bake them for breakfast the next morning. So you wake up and have one, 5 ½ teaspoons of sugar, and then swing through McDonald’s on your way to work for a Pumpkin Spice Latte. The lady at the window asks you what size. A small seems like it won’t be enough so you say medium; adding an additional 12 (12!) teaspoons of sugar. Had you downsized with a small, you still would have gotten 9 ¾ teaspoons, while opting for a large would’ve scored you a whopping 14 ¾ teaspoons! That’s more than two days’ worth of maximum added sugar allowances, according to the AHA!

             Now, I’m not telling you this to rain on your pumpkin spice parade. The occasional treat is fine and should be had! However, if these scenarios sound like your daily routines, it might be time to make a change. Incidentally, this doesn’t only apply to pumpkin spice season. Every other flavor of Pop-Tart, and Little Debbie cakes, and cinnamon rolls, and everything sweet at McDonald’s, and hundreds of other products also contain massive amounts of sugar. Consuming too much sugar, whether you eat it or drink it, contributes to many different health conditions. Weight gain is one of the leading side effects of eating too much sugar. If we start being vigilant about our sugar intake now, we may not need to have a weight loss resolution come January! ;)
Happy Pumpkin Spice Season!