A couple of months ago, my sister and I were taking turns driving from Georgia to North Carolina. We were tired and hungry and we had nine more hours to go. My sister decided to stop at a gas station to get snacks. I’m not a coffee fan, but my stomach craved espresso.

I headed to the self-serve coffee station. My nostrils filled with flavors of South America and decadent hazelnut. My mouth watered when I noticed Pumpkin Spice Latte. I threw out my bland coffee to trade for corn mazes, hay rides, and Halloween.

I hurried in the car, to try my latte. It wasn’t Starbucks but I had to have pumpkin flavor. As I sipped, the sweetness of the coffee overwhelmed me. Pumpkin was replaced by spice and sugar. I continued to drink the syrupy liquid, it hit the bottom of my stomach with a thud. I felt terrible. My liver squirmed as it attempted to flush out toxins.

My taste buds were confused; I had the spice and the sugar, but pumpkin where are you? That latte sent me in rumination for 4 hours; when I woke up it was my turn to drive. That day I didn’t eat or drink anything as sweet. The after taste of burnt sugar would last until the next morning.

The obsession with pumpkin spice began when Starbucks introduce the latte in 2003. The latte is Starbucks most popular drink with over 200 million sold since launching. Instead of artificial flavors like before, Starbuck’s Pumpkin spice latte is made with real pumpkin.

Thank youFood Babe. Other coffee shops and food companies have used Starbucks’ seasonal business module by introducing their own flavored pumpkin and pumpkin spice food items. Many of these seasonal foods are loaded in calories and excess sugar adding inches to your waistline. “Pumpkin spice” and “pumpkin flavored” are the avocado of the season.

While pumpkin flavored food sales have risen 79 percent, whole pumpkin sales have drop by 8.6 million since 2011 by Consumer reports. Pumpkin flavored foods are found in coffee creams and syrups, snacks, and package dessert. How did this healthy food become a caloric bomb?

The average pumpkin spice latte contains about 400 calories and 50 grams of sugar; that is 5 Krispy crème donuts, more than double the USDA’s recommendation. To make your fabulous latte healthier, try skipping the whipping cream, change your whole milk to skim or plant based. Ask for only one or two pumps of pumpkin syrup at Starbucks. And at self-service coffee stations pour half latte and half regular coffee together. This will slash calories, fat, and sugar. Now, you can enjoy this seasonal favorite guilt-free.

The humble pumpkin offers amazing health benefit. One serving of pumpkin contains 50 calories, 0 grams of fat, 3 grams of fiber, and 2 grams of sugar. Pumpkin is an excellent source of Vitamin A and a good source of potassium and minerals. Canned pumpkin is good for you too! When consuming fresh pumpkin, don’t throw away the seeds!

Pumpkin seeds are a good source of manganese, phosphorus, magnesium, and zinc. Magnesium in pumpkin seeds contain 592 mg per serving (148 percent of your daily max). According to Rehan Jalali, Certified Sports Nutritionist (C.S.N.) & Fitness Expert, “magnesium is a critical to endurance and strength athletes.”

Magnesium helps prevent muscle cramps and muscle fatigue. If you aren’t an endurance athlete consider this, pumpkin seeds contain 600mg tryptophan and 44 percent of your daily value of zinc. Zinc helps the brain convert tryptophan to serotonin.

Do you suffer from Insomnia? Serotonin helps regulate your sleep and wake cycle. Pumpkin seeds are friendly for everyone including those on strict diets. Toss them in low-cal smoothies or try swapping hearty seeds for meats in salads.

When shopping for “pumpkin” foods, read labels. By reading labels you can determine which foods are hidden with excess sugars, artificial flavors, food coloring, and hydrogenated oils. Look for pumpkin flavored foods that contain real pumpkin, a short list of ingredients, and make sure it is balanced in sugar and protein. Your waist and taste buds will thank you.

As a fitness and nutrition guru, I know that being a health-conscious shopper can be tired some and down right confusing, but it is more beneficial to read labels than not. I have learned that a balanced diet will create a happy relationship with food. You can have your pumpkin and eat it too! Here are some prepackaged snacks and recipes to enjoy this time of year.

Healthy pumpkin flavored inspired snacks:

1. Chobani pumpkin spice blended Greek yogurt

- 130 calories, 3 grams of fat 12 grams of sugar, 12 grams of protein, Vitamin A 40 percent

First four ingredients: nonfat yogurt, evaporated cane juice, water pumpkin puree.

2. Kellogg’s pumpkin spice mini wheats (dry)

- 190 calories, 1 gram of fat, 6 grams of fiber, 5 grams of protein, Iron 90 percent.

First four ingredients: whole grain wheat, brown rice syrup, cinnamon, ginger

3. Kashi pumpkin spice flax crunchy granola bars

-170 calories, 6 grams of fat, 4 grams of fiber, 10 grams of sugar, 300mg ALA Omega 3

First four ingredients: Whole grain oats, dried cane syrup, rolled whole grain blend, expeller pressed canola oil

4. Target’s Pumpkin tortilla chips

-150 calories, 2 grams of fiber, 2 grams of sugar, 2 grams of protein

First four ingredients: ground corn, expeller pressed vegetable oil, pumpkin powder, sugar

5. Thomas pumpkin spice bagels

-270 calories, 11 grams of sugar, 10 grams of protein, 2 grams of fiber

First four ingredients: unbleached enriched wheat flour, water, sugar, pumpkin

6. Blue Diamond pumpkin spice almonds

- 160 calories, 6 grams of protein, 3 grams of sugar, 3 grams of fiber, Magnesium 20 percent

First four ingredients: almonds, pumpkin spice seasoning, pumpkin powder, canola oil

7. Popcornopolis pumpkin spice popcorn

- 140 calories, 7 grams of fat, 15 grams of sugar

First four ingredients: Pure cane sugar, Light corn syrup, popcorn, coconut oil, butter

Recipies

Vegan Pumpkin pie protein smoothie:

-1 scoop of vanilla protein powder

- ½ cup of can pumpkin

- 1 frozen large banana

-a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg

-1 tablespoon of honey.

-1/2 cup of almond milk

Method- put all ingredients in a blender or Nutribullet,

Serves 2. 198 calories 11 grams of protein, and 6 grams of fiber. (per serving)

*Add crush graham crackers to make this smoothie decadent.

Hummus and pumpkin quesadilla:

½ cup 100% Pure Pumpkin Canned

½ cup of finely chopped onions

2 Tablespoons, Classic Hummus

1 teaspoon of garlic powder

1 teaspoon, Crushed Red Chili Pepper Flakes

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Salt and pepper to taste

3.00 teaspoon of olive oil

1 oz. of Pepper Jack Cheese

Method- in a small mixing bowl add garlic powder, salt and pepper, cinnamon, hummus, and pumpkin puree together. Next heat a frying pan with 2 teaspoons of olive oil (more if needed) sauté onions until translucence.

Add cook onions with pumpkin mixture. Using the last teaspoon of oil warm tortilla, spread mixture on top of tortilla then cheese. Let cheese melt. Fold tortilla and then flip until golden brown. Serve with your favorite salsa and Greek yogurt. *this recipe adapted from the gracious pantry with my own twist*