011 Diabetes, Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice • Laura Gee

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I crave this season all year! The air is crisp and that festive autumn vibe is in the air. Yesterday morning, I awoke with a tingle in my soul — it’s pumpkin spice season.

What is it about pumpkin? Why is there a lineup at every coffee shop on every corner right now wanting pumpkin spiced lattes? Yesterday, on my page @fitT1Dfoodie I mentioned that I’m not sure if I actually like the TASTE os pumpkin or if it’s the taste of the spices that usually accompany pumpkin. What do you think?

Why is Pumpkin So Great?

In it’s pure form, pumpkin provides a number of essential nutrients such as iron, potassium, copper, manganese, riboflavin, and vitamins A and C.

However, pumpkin isn’t a free food — it does does contain some carbohydrate so it it can raise your blood sugar BUT, but it can pretty great for those of us living with Type 1 diabetes because of the fiber content. Right now I’m holding a can of Libby’s 100% Pure Pumpkin and the label tells me that there are 10 grams of carbohydrate and 3 grams of fiber in half a cup. The soluble fiber found in pumpkin can help to slow down the release of sugars into the bloodstream and that makes it easier to avoid blood sugar spikes – yay!

But, don’t think that you can just start eating all things pumpkin and have great blood sugars. Pumpkin is a sneaky little treat.

Pumpkin Mayhem

I took a walk up to my nearby Dunkin Donuts the other day and I’ve been sad for all us T1Ds ever since. It’s so hard to go anywhere right now without seeing something pumpkin, so when I get into what I found on the Dunkin Donuts menu, by no means is meant to single out Dunkin Donuts. Starbucks, Tim Hortons and pretty much every pumpkin spiced anything you can find in our pumpkin obsessed nation is a little less diabetic friendly than we’d like to imagine.

Pumpkin Pumpkin Everywhere!

Right now, there are pumpkin donuts, pumpkin swirl iced coffees, pumpkin hot coffees… if you can dream it – its available. The other day I even purchased Pumpkin Salsa from Stop n Shop!

The Dunkin Donuts Large Pumpkin Swirl Hot Coffee contains 50 grams of carbohydrate and 220 calories compared with the Large Pumpkin Swirl Frozen Coffee with Cream at 176 carbohydrates and 1050 calories. We’re living in a pumpkin world so be warned. Pumpkin may seem like a harmless little vegetable but it pairs so nicely with added sugar.

Visit DunkinDonuts.com for their full menu and nutrition information.

My Top 10 Deliciously Diabetic Pumpkin Tips:

1. Read nutrition labels

If you aren’t sure how to interpret a nutrition label, heres a link to an article I wrote that covers this. Make sure you’re aware what’s in your food.

2. Don’t get the different types of canned pumpkin mixed up

Use 100% Pure Unsweetened Pumpkin when possible. Canned Pumpkin Pie fillings are usually full of sugar! I made this mistake once when I grabbed the wrong pumpkin and I soon learned that not all canned pumpkins are created equal.

3. Create your own low carb pumpkin spiced latte at home (for a fraction of the cost and calories)

Just heat 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk and 1 tbsp of pure pumpkin in a small pot over medium heat. Stir until it begins to simmer and add in 1 packet of stevia, 1/8 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp pumpkin pie spice. Whisk until frothy. Add 3/4 cup of strong coffee to your mug and top with the frothy milk coffee. Pure Pumpkin YUM! Print Recipe HERE.

Enjoy pumpkin spice with a low carb breakfast

My low carb Pumpkin Pie Chia Seed Pudding is ah-mazing! I made a batch last night. We had it for breakfast today and BOTH Rob and I are enjoying wonderful blood sugars (no crazy spikes!) Print Recipe HERE.

Chew Pumpkin Gum

Frustrated you can’t find any diabetic friendly pumpkin treats? Enjoy a stick of Wrigley’s Extra Pumpkin Spice Sugar Free Gum.

Snack on Pumpkin Seeds

When you’re carving your pumpkin this Halloween, don’t throw out the seeds. You can make a Deliciously Diabetic snack using the seeds from your pumpkin (actually, I do this very same thing with Spaghetti Squash Seeds). Get Recipe HERE.

Pumpkin isn’t just for dessert!

There’s a plethora of hot and simple autumn meals made with pumpkin. Consider one of my favorite autumn treats: Roasted pumpkin with feta!

Get Recipe HERE. Please note that I make mine slightly different as you’ll hear from my podcast!

Out for lunch?

Grab a cup of Panera Bread’s Vegetarian Autumn Squash Soup with Pumpkin Seeds. At 230 calories and 29 g of carb and 3 g of fiber, it’s an option if the alternative is a sugar laden pumpkin mellow cream.

Low Carb Pumpkin Bread

Not in the mood to make pumpkin muffins or bread on your own? Check out the Pumpkin Muffin and Bread Almond Flour Mix by Simple Mills. Its yummy, low carb and made with almond flour, coconut flour & coconut sugar for nutrient value. Even better for those of us that have nutrition sensitivities it’s certified gluten free and free of grains, soy, corn and dairy too. Yay!

Don’t Deprive Yourself

And finally, perhaps my biggest tip this pumpkin season is to treat yourself well. DO NOT deprive yourself. Life is short so you have to be happy — live in moderation and monitor your blood sugars. That’s where the magic lives.