I enjoy fall as much as the next New Englander, but I’ve yet to find a pumpkin spice latte that’s worth the blood sugar bounce. When it comes to my carbs, I avoid drinking them unless I’m low, so bolusing for my beverages is not an option. Which removes the standard, sugar-filled pumpkin spice latte (or PSL, for the fall aficionado) from my list of drinkables.
Being a person with diabetes doesn’t mean I have to forgo all things pumpkin; I just need to get a little creative. Here’s a great recipe for a low carb pumpkin spice frappuccino, followed by a few pumpkin goodies that give you that fall olfactory fix and leaf your blood sugars alone.
- Tazo Chai Pumpkin Spice tea – A tea that tastes like all the flavors of fall crammed into in a cup? Yes, please. This tea doesn’t require shots of sugar-saturated syrup to give it that delicious taste. It’s simply fall, steeping in your favorite mug.
- Yankee Spiced Pumpkin candle – The Yankee site lists this one as, “Pumpkins baked in simmering spices of clove, nutmeg and cinnamon, and sweetened with brown sugar.” I had to go to one of the stores to sniff this candle to confirm their claim. Yes across the board; this candle is perfect for fall.
- Plantlife Aromatherapy Herbal soap – This bar of soap brings your hand washing experience from “just clean” to “FALLing in love with clean hands.” (Why aren’t these people contacting me to write their marketing copy?) Bottom line: the soap smells good and requires zero bolus to enjoy, and is a good way to scrub your hands before checking your blood sugar.
- Wrigley’s Extra Pumpkin Spice Sugar-Free Gum – I will admit that eventually, even the most pumpkin-addicted of us would get a little grossed out by chewing pumpkin-flavored gum, but at first chomp, this sounds tasty. And blowing pumpkin bubbles sounds kind of awesome. And sugar-free!
- Lip Smacker Pumpkin Spice Lip Gloss– YES! My favorite lip gloss with a fall twist. This is the ultimate in having your pumpkin spice and eating it too, only there’s no carb chaos. Enjoy the limited edition version of this low-cost brand of lip gloss and put the taste of fall on your face.
- Native Deoderant Pumpkin Spice Latte – Pumpkin scented armpits weren’t on my original “fall goal” list, but have since been added after discovering that pumpkin deodorant exists. Natural ingredients, free shipping, and bragging rights that your pits are pumpkin fresh is a fall win.
- Pumpkin Hat from Etsy – And lastly, you can top your melon with some pumpkin, spinning yarns of fall festivities with this crafty creation from Etsy. Zero blood sugar bounce and you’ll be warm, as a bonus. (Or, if you’re feeling ambitious, you can knit up your own creation.)
But not all pumpkin spice items need to be scented candles or lip gloss. Actually, there are a lot of low carb, pumpkin influenced recipes here that you can check out and actually eat (without carving into your blood sugar control).
Thanks for carving out some time to explore these pumpkin goodies. And please don’t leaf before sharing your own favorite pumpkin treat, be it a recipe or some gourd-eously scented item. (And bonus thanks for not being a jerk o’lantern about my puns.)
