Hold that PSL...(Pumpkin Spice Latte)

I recently heard a joke that went something like this. "How can you tell it's fall in Southern California?" Punchline? "By the appearance of pumpkin spice lattes."

Wherever you happen to live, a sweetened spiced drink with pumpkin pie spices has become a harbinger of autumn, along with sweaters, football games, and turning leaves. (Those of us in L.A. can stick with two of the three.)

But is that pumpkin spice latte healthier than a hefty slice of pumpkin pie? What about if you order it "skinny" with nonfat or skimmed milk?

What's really in that pumpkin spiced drink, hot or iced?

Starbuck's Grande Pumpkin Spice Latte with Nonfat Milk, No Whip has 260 calories and 48 g of sugar. Add whipped cream for a total of 330 calories, 50 g sugar. Two percent milk with whipped cream brings the drink to 380 calories, 49 grams sugar, a pretty caloric snack.

And let's talk sugar. The American Heart Association recommends added sugar consumption be limited to no more than 25 g per day for women, 37.5 g per day for men. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) concluded the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease was 38% higher in people who consumed 17-21 percent of their calories in sugar. For those who typically consume over 21% of their daily calories in sugar, the risk doubles.

Excess sugar consumption is also indicated in increased risk for diabetes, metabolic syndrome, various cancers, and obesity, along with a host of other medical issues.

As I've cited in previous posts, hidden sugar in processed foods such as marinara sauce, salad dressings, and condiments can easily add up to that 25 grams. Add in those 48 grams from your afternoon drink and your sugar count has doubled and then some.

Sugar is not the only red flag in Starbucks and other coffee shops' spiced or caramel flavored coffee drinks. Starbucks flavored syrup ingredient list includes "Caramel Coloring" and the preservative "Sodium Benzoate."

Caramel coloring is added to Coca Cola, Pepsi, processed foods and drinks, soley to add color to a food or drink. The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has appealed to the FDA to ban the use of caramel coloring in food and beverage products because caramel coloring contains two cancer-causing chemicals, one of which is 4-MI.

For a quick chemistry lesson without the Bunsen burners, caramel coloring is manufactured by applying very high heat to food grade sweeteners, including dextrose, invert sugar, lactose, malt syrup, starch hydrolysate, and sucrose. This processing method results in carcinogens.

Remember in Chemistry 101 when you learned about the possible combustible interactions between different forms of matter or chemicals? Caramel coloring when paired with Sodium Benzoate, as in most colas and yes, Starbucks Syrup, is bad news.

The dynamic duo may increase hyperactivity in children. And when Sodium Benzoate is heated, like in your afternoon flavored latte, the chemical is converted to benzene, a particularly toxic chemical well-cited to cause damage to DNA and a well-documented carcinogen.

So, instead of indulging in that cozy autumnal drink, maybe whip up a smoothie with canned pumpin, some cinnamon and nutmeg. You'll get Vitamin A and the anti-inflammatory properties of cinnamon without the excess sugar or carcinogen super-pack.