The Truth About Pumpkin Spice Season and How to Keep It Balanced

Tasha Rosales Wellness Homemade
Oct 14
6 min read

Pumpkin spice is everywhere right now. Lattes, granola bars, protein powders, even tortilla chips. The cozy fall vibes are great, but brands know how to use this season to sell you more sugar and processed ingredients than you might expect. Before you toss every orange and brown package into your cart, let’s look at what you’re really buying and how to enjoy pumpkin spice without feeling sluggish later.

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Pumpkin Spice Does Not Mean Pumpkin

A lot of pumpkin spice products do not contain any actual pumpkin. The flavor comes from a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and sometimes natural flavors (U.S. Food & Drug Administration, 2020). That is not bad on its own, but most of these products are built on sugar, refined flours, and processed oils.

When you see “pumpkin spice,” flip the package over and check:

Does pumpkin appear on the ingredient list at all?
Are you mostly getting sugar, vegetable oils, and preservatives?

A Closer Look at “Natural Flavors”

One of the biggest marketing tricks in fall products is the phrase natural flavors. It sounds clean and simple, but it is really an umbrella term. Each company can build a “flavor base” from dozens of ingredients as long as the starting point came from something found in nature, but the end result is often far from simple (FDA, 2020; Environmental Working Group, 2023).

Companies choose different ingredients depending on the flavor profile they want to create. For pumpkin spice, that could mean:

Essential oils and extracts from spices
Solvents or alcohol bases to help the flavor blend into drinks
Fillers or carriers like propylene glycol, glycerin, or maltodextrin
Preservatives to keep the flavor shelf-stable

The FDA does not require brands to list what is inside “natural flavors,” so you do not know if yours includes extra sweeteners, emulsifiers, or even allergen triggers.

What to do: If a product’s flavor is a big selling point but the ingredient list just says “natural flavors,” know that you are buying a mystery blend. When possible, look for brands that spell out their flavor sources (like “vanilla extract, cinnamon oil”) or keep your seasonal flavors simple and add your own spice blend at home.

Watch the Sugar Bombs

Pumpkin spice drinks and snacks are not just cozy treats. They are often sugar bombs dressed up in a fall sweater. That medium PSL from a popular coffee chain has around 50 grams of sugar. That is more than most people aim to have in an entire day (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 2023).

Here is why it matters: A huge hit of sugar first thing in the morning spikes your blood sugar fast. That spike feels amazing for about 30 minutes. Then comes the crash. You feel tired, hungrier than before, and probably craving more sweets to get your energy back up. It is a cycle that can make the rest of your day harder to manage and can leave you snacking nonstop (CDC, 2023).

Sugar also hides in places you would not expect. Pumpkin spice granola bars, coffee creamers, protein powders, and even “healthy” pumpkin muffins at your local bakery can carry 20 to 40 grams per serving. And let’s be real, most people eat more than one serving.

What you can do:

If you are grabbing a latte, ask for fewer pumps or go half sweet. Most drinks are made with 4 to 6 pumps of syrup, and each one adds about 5 grams of sugar. Dropping even one or two pumps makes a big difference.
Consider unsweetened milk options (like whole milk or unsweetened almond milk) to cut the sugar load.
Skip the whipped cream if you are looking to keep calories and fat lower. It does not add much flavor but adds plenty of sugar and fat.
If you are pairing a sweet drink or treat with breakfast, add protein or fat (think eggs, Greek yogurt, or a small handful of nuts). This slows down how quickly sugar hits your bloodstream and keeps you full longer.

The goal is not to avoid sugar forever. It is about knowing how much you are getting and being intentional so one seasonal treat does not derail your energy for the whole day. Eating a lot of added sugar also affects your immune system. Viruses thrive in a sugar-rich environment, and excess sugar can disrupt your gut microbiome, making it harder for your body to fight off seasonal illnesses (Palacios et al., 2020).

Real-Life Label Examples: Popular Pumpkin Snacks

Let’s look at two seasonal favorites that many people grab without thinking twice:

If you eat two bars, everything doubles. That is 24 g of added sugar and 54 g of carbs in what feels like a light snack. With very little fiber and protein, this sugar hits your system quickly, causing a spike and crash.

Many people eat two of these bars, which means 32 g of added sugar in a single snack. The fiber and protein are still too low to slow sugar absorption, so you end up with a fast rise in blood sugar and an inevitable crash.

Why this matters for your health: A sudden surge of sugar followed by a crash can leave you tired, craving more sweets, and less able to make balanced food choices later in the day. Repeated blood sugar spikes can also affect your gut health and immune system (Palacios et al., 2020). During cold and flu season, keeping blood sugar stable and supporting your gut microbiome helps your body fight off illness more effectively. This is why understanding the label, especially serving size and added sugar, is one of the simplest ways to stay well while still enjoying seasonal treats.

Check the Oils and Fillers

Many pumpkin-flavored snacks use cheap seed oils (soybean, corn, or non–high oleic sunflower) and stabilizers. These can contribute to the depletion of your gut microbiome, and we know a strong, diverse microbiome is essential during cold and flu months. They also will not keep you full (Deehan & Walter, 2016; Zinöcker & Lindseth, 2018).

Look for products that use butter, coconut oil, or olive oil when possible, or at least high oleic sunflower or safflower.

Make Pumpkin Spice Work for You

You can absolutely enjoy the flavor while keeping your meals balanced:

Add pumpkin pie spice to plain Greek yogurt with a drizzle of maple syrup.
Stir it into protein pancakes or oatmeal for a seasonal upgrade.
Make a homemade latte: coffee, frothed milk, a little pumpkin puree, real spices, and just enough sweetener for your taste.
Make your own pumpkin spice coffee creamer: Combine 1 cup unsweetened milk (or milk of choice), 1/3 cup real pumpkin puree, 2–3 tablespoons maple syrup or honey, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Warm in a small pot until just steaming, whisk until smooth, then store in the fridge for up to a week. Shake before using.
Try adding a scoop of pumpkin-flavored collagen (this is my favorite use code wellnesshomemade) to your coffee for a light, protein-boosted pumpkin spice drink that feels indulgent without overloading on sugar.

Creating your own creamer or spice mix lets you control the sugar, avoid unnecessary fillers, and enjoy that cozy flavor with better ingredients.

A Balanced Fall Mindset

The goal is not to skip seasonal treats. It is to be aware of what you are eating so you stay energized, avoid sugar crashes, and keep your gut and immune system strong as we move into the colder months. Reading labels, pairing sweets with protein, and choosing better oils can make a big difference.

If you want more guidance on reading labels and spotting better-for-you options quickly, join my 27-Day Label Reading Challenge starting this month. It is simple, practical, and helps you navigate marketing tricks year-round, including every cozy season.

If you are ready to stock your kitchen with better-for-you options before the holidays hit, grab my Fall Pantry Swap Guide inside the Digital Swap List. It is a quick, done-for-you cheat sheet that shows you which seasonal products are worth buying and which ones to skip so you can feel good about what is on your shelves all season long.

References

U.S. Food & Drug Administration. (2020). Overview of food ingredients, additives & colors: Natural flavoring substances. FDA.gov
Environmental Working Group. (2023). Natural flavors: What’s really in them? EWG.org
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. (2023). Added sugar and health. Harvard.edu
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023). Added sugars and chronic disease risk. CDC.gov
Palacios, T. et al. (2020). Impact of high sugar intake on gut microbiota composition and immune response. Frontiers in Immunology, 11, 290. Frontiersin.org
Deehan, E.C. & Walter, J. (2016). The role of diet in shaping human gut microbiota. Current Opinion in Gastroenterology, 32(1), 22–29.
Zinöcker, M.K. & Lindseth, I.A. (2018). The Western diet–microbiome-host interaction and its role in metabolic disease. Nutrients, 10(3), 365.

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