11 Oct When Pumpkin Spice is Not so Nice

Fall is officially here! It’s my favorite time of year! I love the cool, crisp mornings, the trees exploding in color, the bustle and excitement of holiday preparation. Yet amidst the delight of nature walks, romping in fallen leaves, and marveling at God’s handiwork, we are still bombarded with the frenzy of marketing that inevitably comes with this season. I like to think of myself as fairly immune to over-done holiday marketing, but to be completely honest, I am still a sucker for anything holiday-themed.

The Pumpkin Spice Gimmick is my Favorite.

My favorite marketing gimmick (read that dripping in sarcasm) is the pumpkin spice craze. Before the leaves even begin to change color, pumpkin spice everything is splashed all over the grocery store shelves. It is a wildly successful marketing ploy to sell anything from lattes to lip balm, chocolates to chips, cereals to snacks, and bagels to beer.

When Pumpkin Spice is Not so Nice

I enjoy this flavoring as well as the next person. Maybe even more. The combination of fresh baking mixed with the natural spices of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves is truly the taste of fall in my mind. But there are times when pumpkin spice is not so nice. The problem arises when we think we can improve upon nature. You know, like when pumpkin spice lattes don’t contain any pumpkin or any spice?

The words “pumpkin spice” are almost always synonymous with “more sugar,” “more calories” and “artificial flavoring” that is harmful to your health.

Here’s the good news for you holiday flavor fans – there are plenty of ways for us to enjoy this delicious part of fall without the commercial drawbacks! Start by taking a few moments to read the ingredients of the foods you are consuming. If a product requires “flavoring” to give it taste, it is probably completely chemical-based.

My Alternative to Commercial Pumpkin Spice

For the past few years, we’ve been making our own flavoring from a blend of essential oils. What I love about this, is that it is so versatile, and it has incredible health benefits! We diffuse this blend in our essential oil diffuser for a delicious and healthy scent. I also use it in my coffee and baking. I’ve even put it in the kids’ playdough!

Don’t get caught up in a silly marketing gimmick when you have the tools to make something far better! Try our delicious essential oil blend and let us know how you like it!

Commercially, pumpkin spice isn’t just used in our foods. It is added to home décor products, to bath and body products (who wants to smell like pumpkin spice?!), Halloween costumes, and even mobile phone cases. One common product, found in many of our homes, full of artificial pumpkin spice scent, is pumpkin spice candles. To learn more about the effects of scented candles on our health, visit My Joy-Filled Life, where I guest-blogged today. I think you will be surprised.