It’s Pumpkin Spiced everything season. You might enjoy this fun fall flavor, but it’s important to know what you are consuming.

For example, your Pumpkin Spiced Latte probably contains Caramel Coloring. That’s a possible cancer-causing ingredient. There are also excess amounts of sugar, especially if we add whipped cream. A 16 ounce pumpkin spiced latte contains about 50 grams of sugar.

There are healthy alternatives, like with these recipes.

Pumpkin Spiced Latte

1 C of coffee or espresso

½ C of your milk choice

1/3 C Pumpkin Puree

1 Tbsp. honey or stevia

Heat the pumpkin puree in a saucepan and add the stevia or honey. Once warm, combine in a blender the puree, coffee or espresso and milk option. Blend

for a few seconds. Add pumpkin spice.

Pumpkin Spiced Smoothie

½ C of Pumpkin Puree, (not pie filling)

½ C of Plain Greek unflavored yogurt

½ C your milk choice

½ C of ice

Dash of pumpkin spice

Toss all items in your blender. If you would like to sweeten it, add either 1 Tbsp. of honey or some stevia. Blend again and add some pumpkin spice.

If eating pumpkin treats are more your style, there are some great alternatives there too. A traditional slice of pumpkin bread contains over 400

calories. The swaps below are great waist savers

• Cut your sugar: Most recipes call for too much sugar. Try removing 1/5th of what the recipe calls for. Better yet, swap it out with honey or stevia.

• Swap the fat: Plain Greek yogurt is an excellent swap for butter and oil. Try a recipe with half the butter or oil and use yogurt for the other half. Try swapping in healthier oils such as olive or coconut in place of canola or vegetable oil.

• Pack the protein: Add a scoop or two of protein powder into your recipes. Many options come in chocolate and vanilla, which works well with many recipes.

Emily Countryman is a board-certified health coach and owner of Ideal Wellness. Her column runs monthly.