I love pumpkin spice coffee! In fact, I used to pull through the Dunkin’ Donuts drive-through any time I was in the vicinity to get a large pumpkin spice coffee. So you can imagine how hard it was for me to break that habit once I found out how many artificial ingredients, additives and sugar are in this coffee drink, and most coffee drinks for that matter.
Here is the list of ingredients in a Pumpkin Spice Latte, taken from the Dunkin’ Donuts website.
INGREDIENTS: Brewed 100% Arabica Coffee; Pumpkin Spice Flavored Syrup: Condensed Skim Milk, Sugar, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Water, Brown Sugar (Sugar, Molasses), Caramel Color, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Potassium Sorbate (Preservative), Mono and Diglycerides, Disodium Phosphate, Salt; Light Cream: Milk, Cream, Disodium Phosphate (Stabilizer), Sodium Citrate (Stabilizer).
Ok. First of all, notice that there is no actual pumpkin in the drink. Second, why does it need high fructose corn syrup, brown sugar, molasses, and the sugary flavored syrup? That’s four different sweeteners!
And what the heck are “mono and diglycerides”? Well, according to Food Additives: A Shopper’s Guide To What’s Safe & What’s Not! , mono and diglycerides “may be soy, corn, peanut, fat based by-products of fat and oil processing; may be genetically modified; may contain trans fats; not adequately tested.” Yum.
Disodium phosphate, another additive to this drink, is a “mild skin, mucous membrane irritant; ingesting large amounts may cause diarrhea, nausea, vomiting.” (Food Additives, pg 54) Gross!
On a side note, I highly recommend picking up this book on Amazon. It is a great way to quickly reference the many mysterious ingredients that appear on our food labels.
These additives appear in so many processed foods, and that is why it is important to stay vigilant about what we put into our bodies.
Now, before you start thinking I’m a food nazi, and I frown upon your consumption of coffee drinks, please know that no one can be 100% and this is OK! Yet, the less of these additives we consume, the better for our health.
Luckily, there are healthier versions of these recipes.
So back to the pumpkin spiced latte. I have tried every year to create a delicious pumpkin spiced coffee, and I could never get it right. Until now.
Give it a try and let me know what you think in the comments below.
Ingredients
- 2 C organic coffee (whatever roast you like)
- 2 TBSP. grass fed butter
- 2 TBSP organic pumpkin
- 2 tsp cinnamon (more or less to taste)
- 1/2 tsp ginger (more or less to taste)
- 2 TBSP of collagen protein powder (I like Vital Proteins, which is grass-fed)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1-2 TBSP real maple syrup
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a high speed blender.
- Blend on high, until thoroughly mixed.
- The coffee drink will appear frothy on top.
- Pour and enjoy!
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