:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/VWH-Pumpkin-Spice-vs-Apple-Cider-template-9f83af4e303445c9b048790688e7fdfc.jpg?w=780&resize=780,470&ssl=1 "Which fall drink is healthiest?")
Pumpkin spice and apple cider drinks are popular fall drinks that can be enjoyed hot or cold. They vary in calories, added ingredients, nutritional content, and risk of spoilage and contamination.
What is pumpkin spice?
Pumpkin spice is a mixture of ingredients and may include:
- Dried pumpkin
- Cinnamon
- Ginger
- Nutmeg
- Allspice
- cloves
- Artificial pumpkin flavor
- Food coloring
- Natural or artificial sweeteners
Different combinations of these spices are often described as pumpkin spice and are used in pumpkin spice drinks, pumpkin pie, and foods labeled as pumpkin spice (such as cookies or cream cheese dip).
What is apple cider?
Apple cider is made from juice obtained from ground or crushed apples. In the United States, apple cider generally refers to an unfermented beverage, also called “sweet cider”, while fermented cider is called “hard cider”.
Apple cider may or may not be filtered or pasteurized:
- Pasteurization involves heating the liquid to destroy microorganisms.
- Filtration removes solid particles.
- Unpasteurized cider is usually refrigerated.
- Unfiltered apple cider is cloudy, orange-brown in color, and has a strong flavor.
- Spices, sweeteners and other ingredients can be added to apple cider.
1. Calories
Calories in apple cider or pumpkin spice drinks vary depending on what’s added.
Apple cider drinks contain calories from apples and may also contain calories from other ingredients, such as sweeteners, other juices, or alcohol. In one example, 8 ounces (oz) of an apple cider drink contains 114.4 calories.
One teaspoon of pumpkin spice, before added to a drink, contains only 6 calories. But the other ingredients in the drink will add more calories. A pumpkin spice latte made with sugar and skim milk can contain 149 calories in 8 ounces.
Calories in pumpkin spice drinks can come from:
- Tea
- Coffee
- Fruit juice
- Dairy milk
- Vegetable milk
- Sugar
- Artificial sweeteners
- Alcohol
2. Antioxidants, vitamins and minerals
Both pumpkin spice and apple cider can provide your body with healthy nutrients and contain antioxidants. Antioxidants are natural chemicals that can benefit your health by neutralizing harmful biochemical compounds called free radicals.
Your body produces free radicals as part of your regular physical functions. Illness, stress, and toxins (which can include smoking, alcohol consumption, artificial ingredients, and exposure to environmental pollutants) increase free radical damage in your body.
The vitamins and minerals in apple cider come from apples and possibly other fruits that may be added to it.
The minerals in 8 ounces of apple cider and 1 teaspoon of pumpkin spice (before adding to a drink) are as follows.
| Nutrient | Apple cider | Pumpkin spice |
|---|---|---|
| Calcium | 19 milligrams (mg) | 11.6 mg |
| Magnesium | 12.4 mg | 2.3mg |
| Potassium | 250.4 mg | 11.3 mg |
| Phosphorus | 17.36 mg | 2.01mg |
The components of pumpkin spice drinks vary widely, so you should check them individually for their vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients.
Check the label
Since the composition varies, you can find out the calorie and nutrient content of your apple cider or pumpkin spice drink by checking the nutrition label.
3. Health Benefits
Both apple cider and pumpkin spice have health benefits.
Examples:
- Pumpkin spice may have beneficial effects on your blood sugar and insulin levels.
- Ginger, a common ingredient in pumpkin spice, may help reduce nausea and motion sickness.
- Cinnamon, a common ingredient in pumpkin spice, has anti-inflammatory effects
- Cloves, a common ingredient in pumpkin spice, have anticancer, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory properties.
- Apple cider can reduce inflammation.
- Apple cider may help improve heart health and prevent blood clots.
4. Alteration and contamination
Spoilage and contamination are both possible with apple cider and pumpkin spice drinks.
Spoilage means that a food or drink is rotting, usually due to aging or unsafe storage. Eating bacteria or fungi from spoiled food can make you sick. Pasteurization of milk used for pumpkin spice drinks or apple cider reduces bacteria and can delay spoilage.
Contamination means that something harmful, such as lead, plastic, bacteria or fungus, is present in a certain food or drink when it was prepared or packaged, even if it is not old or improperly stored. Sometimes contamination can increase the risk of spoilage.
There have been recalls and reports of spoilage and contamination from pumpkin spice drinks and apple cider.
It is important to store these items according to directions, only consume them when they are still considered safe and not expired, and throw away expired items.
5. Artificial Ingredients
Pumpkin spice drinks and apple cider can both contain artificial ingredients, depending on the recipe. Sometimes artificial ingredients are used to give drinks an attractive appearance, texture or color, or added for flavoring, or as a preservative to prevent spoilage.
The only way to know if your pumpkin spice or apple cider drink contains artificial ingredients is to look at the package label.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Heidi-Moawad-MD-1000-2792fc644ba54e05a6e82c8a25ae988f.jpg)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/GettyImages-2218448548-d650a015514941a7aec9e65dc32b3eda.jpg?w=390&resize=390,220&ssl=1 "What happens to your blood pressure when you drink green tea")
