Tis the season for all things pumpkin! I have already been loving up on some pumpkin this fall and I now have a brand new obsession of this homemade Vanilla Coconut Collagen Pumpkin Spice Latte.
Who needs high caloric, sugar and chemical filled pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks when you can just make your own! Have you ever paid attention to the amount of calories you consume from beverages in a day? I am not a calorie counter and I do not recommend counting calories. However, if you are struggling with weight loss I encourage you to pay attention to what you are drinking throughout the day. Before you grab a soda, fruit juice or mocha ask yourself these few questions:
- will this hydrate me?
- will this give me nutrients?
- will this add value, health and/or recovery
- will this drink make me feel physically good and satisfied after I drink it?
- will this drink make me feel happy and proud about my choice after I drink it?
If your answers is yes to all the above then go for it and enjoy that beverage! If your answers are no then take a second to think about the trade-offs you are willing to make to consume that beverage and ask yourself if there is a better choice available.
To keep in check with what you are actually consuming, check out the labels. Even read the labels of drinks that are “all natural” and claims to be made of real superfoods. Some of the things that you might find is calories per serving. Many times the serving size of those drinks are just half of the bottle. Look out for caffeine, artificial sweeteners, sugar (cane juice, syrup, fructose are all terms for sugar), flavoring, coloring,preservatives, sodium, and other things you’re not sure you should be consuming (like words you can’t pronounce). Even those healthy juices you may be consuming are highly processed which means most of the valuable nutrients are stripped away.
Let’s take a deeper look into how many excess calories a person can consume from beverages throughout the day.
- 8oz glass of OJ = 110 calories
- Medium Mocha = 400 calories
- Regular soda (20oz) = 280 calories
- 16oz fruit drink = 230 calories
- 16oz sweet tea = 200 calories
- 12oz beer = 150 calories
If you were to consume those beverages in a day, you would have consumed a grand total of 1,370 empty calories that you don’t need. Crazy, huh? Now that you have the information, it is up to you on how to use it. Do you think you could go a week or even two weeks without consuming any caloric beverages? If you feel you need help and support getting over these health challenges to reach your weight or body composition goals, I am here for you! Checkout my Nutrition Coaching programs here!
This coffee is a spin on my Vanilla Coconut Collagen Morning Coffee and is perfect for these chilly fall mornings! It isn’t calorie free, but it is loaded with a lot of great health benefits!
- 12 oz fresh brewed coffee
- ½ cup cashew milk or other nut milk
- 2 tbsp pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 scoop Primal Kitchen Vanilla Coconut Collagen
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp pumpkin pie spice
- ⅛ tsp cinnamon
- Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until combined.
- Top with a dash of cinnamon and enjoy!