The best part of October is Pumpkin Spiced Everything! From lattes to chili and margaritas, everyone craves this very addicting flavor.
We have so many questions, like why do we like it so much? What is it that gets us excited for October when we are still in the middle of summer? But mostly, what is pumpkin spice anyways?
The answer, if you can believe it, is not pumpkin! In fact, what we know as "pumpkin spice" is actually a blend of very common spices you have in your pantry, including cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. And the reason we crave it is not chemical, but psychological. The combination of these spices often takes us back to a happy family gathering or our grandmother's home cooking. It is a nostalgic trigger, which is often why real estate agents will ask you to light a cinnamon-scented candle or Scentsy warmer before an open house. Therefore, when you catch a scent of pumpkin spice you might find yourself suddenly craving a cookie or pie.
The good news - pumpkin spice is good for you! Ok, let's not get too excited and eat the entire box of pumpkin-flavored donuts. But in moderation, and depending on what food product you are spicing with this blend, the ingredients in the pumpkin spice can have some significant health benefits. Cinnamon, being the main ingredient, has antioxidant properties, and ginger has been shown to benefit the digestive system.
Let's not forget about the cloves in pumpkin spice blends. Cloves have a very unique ability to sooth tooth aches due to the fact that it contains Eugenol, a natural anesthetic.
Unfortunetely, it's not all health benefits and rainbows. If we take a closer look at that Grande Pumpkin Spiced Latte of yours, according to Shelke's Pumpkin Spice 101, pumpkin pie spice contains at least 340 flavor compounds, of which only between 5 and 10 can be found in your typical PSL. This means that there are quite a few unknown ingredients in that cup. Shelke's also reports that the compounds used in flavoring the PSL are all tested and have been proven to be safe for consumption at extremely high concentrations of 20-50 times. This means that even if you have the world record of PSL addictions you could never consume enough to be negatively affected by the chemical compounds added (we won't mention the effects of the sugar though).
So go ahead, enjoy that pumpkin spiced latte from Starbucks or the pumpkin spiced Mini Wheats your kids convinced you to buy. Tis' the Season!
What is your favorite pumpkin-flavoured food? Share below with recipes if you have them!
wwwnortherncheminc.com
Northernchem Inc
Comments
Post a Comment