Pumpkin Spiced Latte and Pumpkin Spiced Chia Pudding

I was today years old when I googled to find out how much sugar was in a Starbucks Pumpkin Spiced Latte and came up with this answer from The Centre for Science in the Public Interest…

How much sugar is in a pumpkin spice latte?

All told, the grande PSL has 50 grams of sugar. Some of that sugar occurs naturally in the latte's milk. But we estimate that roughly 7½ teaspoons (32 grams) are added sugar, from the PSL's sweet pumpkin sauce and whipped cream. That's more than half the 50-gram Daily Value for added sugar.

The Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew isn't much better. A grande packs 250 calories and 31 grams of sugar—much of it added sugar. (There's not much milk...or protein.) Blame its sugary pumpkin cream cold foam plus vanilla syrup.

I was shocked! Why are we celebrating Pumpkin Spiced Latte season?!?!

Sugar and menopause do not mix and women who reduce their consumption of sugar at midlife find it easier to maintain their ideal weight, report reduced symptoms of menopause such as hot flashes, mood swings and foggy thinking and reduce their long term risk of diabetes, Alzheimers disease and cardiovascular disease.

Why is this?

As levels of the hormone estrogen fall in our bodies we are less able to handle sugar on a cellular level. Estrogen is involved in our insulin response (remember, everything in your beautiful body is interconnected) and we shift at midlife towards insulin resistance as estrogen naturally depletes. Insulin resistance is the measured precursor for diabetes.

The impact of sugar is a cyclical storm in midlife womens bodies.

Because excess sugar is felt by our bodies as a stressor and we respond with the production of cortisol, our stress hormone. Cortisol is a hormone stealer. Due to our survival mechanisms, the body will take the building blocks for hormones and build cortisol before it will build progesterone and estrogen and so stress depletes our juicy hormones faster and leaving us even more prone to insulin resistance.

Think muffin top, vaginal dryness and waking anxious at 3am each night.

Whilst this is not fun!!! It is a call to action to put on our big girl panties, create boundaries around foods that tear down our health and learn how to nourish ourselves responsibly.

I jumped into the kitchen to make my own Pumpkin Spice Latte and ended up with more nutrition for my gorgeous midlife body than I anticipated.

I broke open a can of pumpkin puree and was careful not to choose pumpkin pie mix which is packed with sugar. I know i am boosting my daily intake of vitamin A in the form of betacarotene when I make this Latte rather than buying a Latte with pumped in artificial flavour and flavoured, sweetened milk foam.
I picked out my spices with the knowledge that cinnamon is an awesome spice for supporting the body to manage blood sugar levels. It actually primes the receptors on cell walls to receive sugar so that it is not floating around the bloodstream dangerously.
I picked out a hazelnut milk, both for the Fall flavour and because its ingredient list is two items. Water and Hazelnuts. I am not adding gums, preservatives and other junk to my PSL.
Maple syrup is my sweetener of choice because it is rich in the B group of vitamins and chromium. Both of this nutrients are involved in the bodies healthy handling of sugar. I am supporting my body for the job I am asking it to undertake.
I broke my no caffeine rule and added a great locally roasted coffee.

You can find the recipe for this health building Latte below and notice, each Latte only needs 1 tbsp of pumpkin puree.

This left me with a problem as I opened a whole can of puree to make my Autumnal deliciousness!

I can’t stand food waste. One of my toxic traits is having to eat everything on my plate and my Mother grew up with rationing in the war. Now i am stressed and I KNOW that is not good for my juicy hormones!

I raided my refrigerator and decided to make Pumpkin Spiced Chia Pudding for breakfast and snacks.

Taking two more tablespoons of pumpkin puree out of the can, I refrigerated them in glass wear so i know i can make two more seasonal Lattes as the leaves turn in the next couple of weeks. This feels exciting!

I put the rest of the can in a large bowl and began to add nutrition.

Hemp seeds for protein, Chia seeds for fibre and magnesium, our relaxation mineral and the antidote to cortisol and ground flax, the queen of fibres for midlife women as it is packed with anti-inflammatory omega 3 fatty acids (keep it in the refrigerator to prevent these delicate oils from going rancid) and lignins, a plant fibre that mimics estrogen in the body and drip feeds you a gentle, plant based version of your juicy hormone!

I added more of my spices and 2 tbsps of maple syrup, deciding that I was fully embracing the Pumpkin Spiced lifestyle this Fall and topped up with enough hazelnut milk to cover the seeds and fibre.

I have fully run the gamut of emotions with these two recipes.

I was shocked…ladies, if you want to dry out your skin and vagina, tank your libido and push yourself towards insulin resistance, the PSL is your drink of choice.

FOMO (Fear of missing out) and self-pity! Why can’t I have an Autumnal treat too?!?!? whah!

Empowered…where is my can opener because i am putting pumpkin in something today!
Guilt…Am I really going to waste this whole can of gorgeous orange nutrition on a Latte

And…Smug and Abundant…. Look at me now with my delicious, healthy breakfasts stacked up in my refrigerator for next week. I am winning at life!

Scroll down to the recipes, treat yourself and join me on this journey!

Pumpkin Spiced Latte Ingredients

1 tbsp Pumpkin Puree (not pie mix)

1 cup Hazelnut milk or other milk alternative

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 pinch nutmeg

Good coffee to taste

1 tbsp Maple syrup
I would consider adding collagen powder for protein with the spices and stirring in coconut butter with the maple syrup to further boost the nutrition and flavour in this beverage.

Instructions

Make your coffee in the usual way
Heat 1 cup milk and pumpkin puree together in a large mug on the stove top or in a microwave
Add spices to the heated milk and whisk
Add coffee to taste
Sweeten with Maple syrup

Pumpkin Spiced Chia Pudding Ingredients

3/4 can of pumpkin puree
6 tbsp chia seeds
2 tbsp ground flax
2 tbsp hemp seeds
3 cups hazelnut milk
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 tbsp maple syrup

Instructions

Add the pumpkin puree, spices, seeds and ground flax to a large bowl.
stir in the milk so that all of the ingredients are evenly distributed
Add the maple syrup to sweeten
Store in portioned containers in the refrigerator to enjoy for breakfast and snacks.

Mama Bears Breakfast

At midlife, when we nourish our bodies with dense nutrition using whole foods, we have the power to reduce and sometimes eradicate uncomfortable symptoms.

We truly are what we eat and when we shift from an inflammatory Standard American Diet, full of processed foods and empty of nutrition, our body stops sending us the messages that it is struggling and starts to do its job.

Menopause is a process of natural hormonal change. It requires us to pull on our big girl panties to start fuelling our bodies right, take rest and prioritize pleasure! This is how we support our bodies to stay symptom free as we shift from fertility to a new chapter with the choice of a different kind of creativity.

I decided to experiment with my food and build a breakfast bowl with ALL of the foods that have the most impact on our beautiful midlife body with their dense hormone balancing nutrition.

Let’s look at what we have got!

Raspberries (fresh or frozen) - Rich in phytoestrogen to top up your depleting juicy hormone and packed with fibre to support your liver health and help your body to detox symptom inducing excess hormones. Anti-oxidant rich and cancer preventative…also juicy and delicious!

Ground Flax - The queen of fibres for midlife women because of its high phytoestrogen content, because it is rich in anti-inflammatory omega 3 fatty acids and because it is just the right balance of soluble and insoluble fibre to help you with your daily detox (read poop!) You need to be pooping daily in perimenopause to excrete excess hormone from the body. You cannot sweat or pee out hormones and circulation of excess hormone in your body is going to drive your uncomfortable symptoms. Constipation is going to increase hot flashes. Let’s keep all our detox pathways open at midlife!

Hemp seeds - packed with omega 3 fatty acids and antioxidants this fibre rich (think daily poop plus) , this plant based protein helps you to boost your protein intake to support your ideal weight and prevent muscle loss at midlife. We need to be taking action and eating to prevent bingo wings and increasing our protein intake in a healthy way is a part of that process.

Pumpkin seeds - Fibre rich (POOP) and packed with minerals such as thyroid supporting zinc and magnesium our relaxation mineral, pumpkin seeds provide us with the micronutrients we need for hormonal change. (More coming on the thyroid gland in a minute)

Walnuts - FIBRE! Full of healthy fats to balance blood sugar levels and curb appetite, walnuts are brain and heart supportive as they are rich in vitamin E. Vitamin E has been shown in clinical trials to reduce hot flashes in menopausal women. Your food IS your medicine at this point and there is a clinical trial backing up the science.

Brazil nuts - Listen, as you move through perimenopause, your thyroid gland is going to need the utmost TLC. Responsible for your metabolism, menstrual cycle, circadian rhythm and bone health, our thyroid gland STRUGGLES when everything starts changing with our hormones. Why do you think so many of us midlife women take thyroid medication? We need to be reducing our stress, finding our voice and eating anti-inflammatory foods at midlife to protect this master gland during the rough seas of perimenopause. The thyroid gland also loves minerals and needs sufficient zinc, iron, magnesium and selenium to effectively convert our thyroid hormone T4 into active T3. It is a process and we need to support our beautiful bodies in that process with nutrition you do not find in processed foods. Brazil nuts are the highest source of selenium, (a mineral depleted from our soils by chelating chemicals such as Round-Up, but don’t get me started!) so we only need 3-4 a day to support our best thyroid health. Let’s eat that at breakfast!

I topped this nutrient dense mix of nuts, berries and seeds with goat milk kefir, a fermented milk product similar to yoghurt, because I am wanting to support my microbiome.

Your microbiome is your unique constellation of gut bacteria that support your gut health , positive mood (these friendly bacteria are busy making your serotonin sister so help them out!) and immunity. During perimenopause, our gut bacteria changes and it has implications for our metabolic and heart health. Eating fermented foods is another nutritional baby step to reducing your perimenopausal symptoms and creating your most vibrant midlife health. Hello kefiir, sauerkraut, kimchee, kombucha and naturally fermented pickles! You can read more in this clinical trial here.

Look at all of this beauty and deliciousness.

I talk often about nutritional switches for midlife women and here is one right here.

Switch your muffin, toast, box cereal and skipped breakfast for this bowl of dense nutrition to feed your body the nutrients it needs for it to pass through hormonal change with minimum symptoms and zero medication and in the process, know that you are building your best vibrant health for MORE active yers in the next chapter.

Ingredients

1 cup fresh or frozen berries

2 tbsp hemp seeds

1 tbsp ground flax

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

1/4 cup walnuts

3-4 Brazil nuts

1/4 cup yoghurt or kefir

Instructions

Pile all of this goodness into a bowl and enjoy! Expect to feel full until lunchtime with no carb cravings because you gave your body the nutrition it needs!

Eggs in Purgatory

One of the important ways we can support our brains to be free of overwhelm and anxiety, even in challenging times is by eating the dense nutrition our brains and nervous system need to thrive.
Nutrition and healthy food is the first line of self-care for midlife women.
All of our neurotransmitters use the building blocks of amino acids in their formation, so a diet rich in protein supports our best mental health and helps to prevent anxiety and depression.
Eggs are a wonderful and cost effect way of bringing protein into your diet. Always buy the best quality you can afford. When cooked gently to reveal a soft yolk, they remain rich in the nutrient choline. Choline is then used to build the neurotransmitter acetylcholine which help with our thinking skills or cognitive function. Choline is also hugely supportive of liver health if you have symptoms of fatty liver disease from excess alcohol or sugar in the diet or are experiencing severe peri-menopausal symptoms.

The hellish purgatory that will cook these eggs is a highly flavoured and spicy tomato sauce. Chopped olives, garlic, anchovy, parsley and capers give this dish a fabulous flavour boost that also provides dense nutrition for your brain.
Capers are a high source of quercetin which helps to bring down inflammation across the body. This is important as new research is showing us that there is a link between depression and inflammation from alcohol or excess sugar in the brain.
Olive oil and olives alongside anchovy provide mono saturated fats and omega 3 fatty acids respectively. Both help to fight inflammation and research gives us plenty of evidence that omega 3 fatty acids help to reduce the symptoms of depression.
Parsley adds vitamin C, a well known anti-oxidant to this dish and the tomatoes contain lycopene another well researched anti-oxidant. The volatile oils found in the herb oregano have been shown to both modulate our mood and memory. Oregano oil actually slows the re-uptake of happy and motivational neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine. Isn’t there a medication for that? With food and a healthy diet there are no side effects on the packet.

Served for breakfast, lunch or dinner this is an easy to prepare, family-friendly dish that delivers a powerful nutritional punch for brain health. Eggs in purgatory tastes delicious served on a good sourdough toast or with a side of winter slaw.

Ingredients

1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1-2 cloves fresh garlic
1 big handful fresh parsley
1/4 cup pitted black olives
1 tbsp capers
1-2 (or go with your heart) anchovies
1 tsp dried oregano
1/8th tsp dried chilli flakes
1 14oz can chopped tomatoes
1 - 4 eggs
1/4 cup parmesan or pecorino cheese
Toast

Instructions

On a clean chopping board place your garlic clove, parsley, black olives, capers and anchovies (I used half of a small can of anchovies)
This is where you get to vent your frustration by chopping all of the ingredients together small enough that it begins to form a paste on the board. Go crazy and think of everything that is stealing your equilibrium as you wield the knife!
Heat the olive oil in a pan and scrap the chopped ingredients into the heated oil to give them a sizzle.
Add the oregano and chilli flakes to taste.
Once the garlic is softened add the can of chopped tomatoes and simmer on a low heat for two minutes.
Form one to four dimples in your tomato sauce and break a fresh egg into each dimple.
Keep simmering the sauce and place a lid over the pan.
Cook until the eggs are just solid with some jamminess to the yolks.
This recipe needs no further salt due to the anchovy but pepper would add a further kick.