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How can you tell when fall first arrives? Is it a slight chill in the air? Those first leaves turning to orange? The official date of Autumn Equinox? Or perhaps, if you’re like me, you know fall is upon us when the onslaught of pumpkin spice flavored everything hits the shelves.

We saw our first pumpkin spice product emerge on the market over ten years ago, in a certain very popular coffee shop.

Today, the ubiquitous pumpkin spice flavor is everywhere. From the pioneering latte to pumpkin spice M&Ms, from pumpkin-flavored pancake and waffle mix to ice cream and yogurt, the options are almost literally endless.

Unfortunately few of these are healthy choices, and many are loaded with added sugars.

For example:

A typical medium-sized pumpkin spice latte will set you back a whopping 50 grams of sugar! and a 2/3 cup serving of pumpkin spice yogurt could contain as much as 12 grams of sugar. The good news is you can enjoy the flavor of pumpkin spice in many nutritious ways! The pumpkin spice flavor we all know and love comes from the combination of cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg spices. You can easily utilize these good-for-you spices to make tasty and healthy treats without all of the added sugar.

Try out a pumpkin spice smoothie, made from actual pumpkin with a good dose of Greek yogurt and your choice of milk or milk alternative.  It makes a great healthy and seasonal breakfast to satisfy your fall cravings. Happy pumpkin spice season!

Pumpkin Spice Smoothie (adapted from Eating Bird Food)

Ingredients:

• ½ cup canned or cooked pumpkin
• ¾ cup almond milk (or other milk/milk alternative of choice)
• ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
• ½ frozen banana
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• ½ tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• pinch of ground ginger

Directions:

• Blend all ingredients and enjoy!