How Unhealthy Is Your Pumpkin Spice Latte?

Other versions are equally, if not more, eye-opening.

• A medium Pumpkin Spice Signature Hot Latte from Dunkin’ Donuts with whole milk has 420 calories, 14 grams of fat and 55 grams of sugar.
• A medium Pumpkin White Mocha with 2 percent milk from Caribou Coffee delivers 730 calories, 32 grams of fat and 95 grams of sugar.
• A medium Tim Hortons Pumpkin Spice Iced Capp has 470 calories, 25 grams of fat and 58 grams of sugar.

Older adults especially should be aware of the beverage’s caloric impact, says Silver, who regularly hosts free cooking webinars in partnership with AARP North Carolina. Since calorie needs gradually decrease with age, “we have to pack more nutrients into fewer calories” over time, she says. Drinks like pumpkin spice lattes, Silver adds, may be “diluting essential nutrition that we all need to feel well and to be healthy today, tomorrow, and next week and next year.”

The hefty amount of sugar in particular can also be a concern, given the link between sugar and conditions like diabetes and heart disease that are common, and potentially life-threatening, in older adults. Plus, Silver says, “the added sugars are harmful to one’s gut bacteria, which are responsible for overall good health, physiologically and mentally.”

And if you’re trying to save money in (or for) retirement, the pumpkin spice craze can be a concern. One medium-sized latte can cost nearly $8 (plus tip). “It’s not going to keep you from paying your rent, but if you do have a lot of these coffees often, that could definitely take a dent out of your budget,” Taub-Dix says.

If, for instance, you have five a week during October and November — high season for pumpkin spice lattes — that’s about $320.

Healthier pumpkin spice lattes

Fear not, pumpkin spice fanatics: You can have your latte and drink it too. “If you really love it, then go for it” — whipped cream and all — just not often, Taub-Dix says. “Don’t kid yourself about it by trying to lighten it up and not liking it, but have that version anyway,” she says. But if you don’t mind an off-brand or customized variety, take her and Silver’s other advice:

1. Ask for less

Swap whole or 2 percent milk for almond or a nonfat variety, ask the barista for fewer “pumps” of the pumpkin spice sauce (a traditional grande includes four), skip the whipped cream, opt for the smallest size — or try any or all of the above. “Let them know you’re looking for delicious plus nutritious,” Silver says.

Going without the whipped cream alone can save close to 100 calories — and you may not even miss it. Silver says her older clients are often surprised how overly sweet desserts they used to enjoy taste now. “You can kind of train your tongue to desire less, and that’s a good thing for certain types of things, like sugar,” she says.

2. Make your own

If you have milk, coffee and pumpkin spice (or any combination of nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon), you can experiment with making your own healthier take on the drink at home, Taub-Dix says. Try mixing in a bit of pumpkin puree or using a pumpkin-flavored brew to enhance the flavor too. “Maybe even add a little bit of maple syrup in there so that you get the sweetness, but certainly not anywhere near the 12.5 teaspoons of sugar,” she says.

Even a regular coffee with a splash of pumpkin spice–flavored creamer might satisfy your fall cravings in a more dietitian-approved way. Just make sure you read the ingredients label and serving size first, Silver recommends.

3. Try an alternative

You can scratch your pumpkin spice itch without a drink altogether. Pumpkin spice muffins, for example, can contain far fewer calories than a store-bought latte, and fill you up more. “A lot of people will consider the calories in food as being more detrimental for them than those that come in beverages, because they’re not chewing. And this is a perfect example of how this is just not the case,” Taub-Dix says.

Pumpkins offer a lot of health benefits. Read more about them, and find a recipe for pumpkin pie oat breakfast muffins (105 calories each, or about 300 fewer than an average pumpkin spice latte), in 7 Surprising Things You Didn’t Know About Pumpkins.

And don’t overlook your other senses when you’re seeking to quench your desire for pumpkin spice. In fact, some marketing research has shown that 66 percent of Americans consider scent — not taste — the best part of the trend. “If you really don’t want any calories at all,” Taub-Dix says, “maybe buy some mulling spices and just heat them up on your stove with a little bit of liquid. Your house will smell amazing.”