PSL has become the highlight of autumn. It has even arrived
at our local fast food chains earlier than years past. However, we wanted to
know the nutritional value of pumpkin spice lattes and how you can still enjoy a
seasonal beverage without costing your Girl Fight Fitness lifestyle plan.
While Starbucks and Dunkin’ have the standard pumpkin spice
latte and pumpkin swirl latte (respectively), McDonalds is making its
differentiating plunge into the 2019 pumpkin spice season by adding caramel as its
standard fall beverage. We will break down the nutritional value of each of
these medium-sized hot fall beverages:
Beverage
|
Cals
|
Fat
|
Carbs
|
Sodium
|
Sugar
|
Starbucks
PSL (2%Milk)
|
380
|
14g
|
52g
|
240mg
|
50g
|
Dunkin’
Pumpkin Swirl Latte
|
340
|
9g
|
53g
|
210mg
|
52g
|
McDonalds
Caramel PSL
|
290
|
7g
|
41g
|
190mg
|
40g
|
Keep in mind, Girl Fighters, these nutritional facts are
based on a 2000 Calorie daily diet. This is the standard caloric capacity to
maintain weight. Therefore, if your fitness goal is to lose weight, some of
these beverages may negatively affect your goal depending on other daily meal
choices. We are not saying to not participate in the fall indulgences, but we
want you to be mindful of how drinks can impact fitness progress.
For example, if you are looking to eat only 1500 calories a
day to lose one pound each week*, one fall drink ranges from 20%-25% of your diet
for one day. You may say, “Well it doesn’t sound that bad because I’ll be
working out later”. While that may be true, still consider that one PSL is generally
equivalent to one Girl Fight Fitness class.
So, what can we do to still enjoy the pumpkin spice season
and still hit our fitness goals!? Well if you’re a coffee lover, a Pumpkin
Spice Coffee may just do the trick for your taste buds and cozy autumn spirit.
A medium size coffee at any of these three aforementioned
chains range from 4-5 Calories, 0g Fat, 0g Carbs, 10mg Sodium, and 0g Sugar
(unless you add cream and sugar to your order). So, by getting a regular coffee
and adding the pumpkin spices to it, you can still participate in the craze
with less impact to your fitness goals**.
*Varies per person
**This information is based on nutritional facts obtained
from chain websites as of 9/6/2019 and may change at any time. Please use the
customizable nutrition facts on each site depending on where you obtain your
coffee from to find the nutritional value for your chosen drink and additions
like cream, sugar and pumpkin spices. This post is merely a demonstration of
how pumpkin spice can be a part of your lifestyle while still achieving
personal fitness goals.
