By Marina Guacci

Most people love the fall season because it brings beautiful foliage, football Sundays, and of course some of the best holidays – you’re lying if you aren’t excited for Halloween. However for us coffee enthusiasts, Fall means Starbucks specialty drinks are back!

That’s right, the Pumpkin Spice Latte is finally back to make the Fall season that much sweeter. The only problem is that sweetness isn’t always a good thing. A grande PS with whipped cream has almost 50 grams of sugar. That’s double the grams of sugar that an average adult should consume in one day- in only one 16oz latte! Now I’m not saying you should cut PSL’s or any other starbucks fall fav’s out of your diet (because that’s just cruel). However, there is a way to satisfy your craving by cutting down the calories, making a drink like the pumpkin spice much more nice.

One simple way to cut calories without compromising taste is to substitute the whole milk in your drink with a healthier option. Starbucks offers a substitution of either non-fat, coconut, or almond milk respectively cutting down the calories by 50, 60, or even 70 calories. In a grande PSL, by replacing whole milk with almond milk, you’re decreasing the calories in your drink from 390 calories to 320 calories, grams of sugar in your drink from 46 to 39, and decreasing grams of fat in your drink from 18 grams to 15 grams. A drastic change in calories, with no change in taste.

If you thought saving 70 calories was a lot, there’s another way to shave off another whopping 120 calories. Whipped Cream. I feel you – how can you go wrong with cream that’s whipped?! Well, it all comes down to the nutrition facts. You completely eradicate almost 12 grams of fat, 3 grams of sugar, and not to mention a superfluous 120 calories.  Let’s be real, you only get whipped cream for your Snapchat story anyway. 

We’ve taken a grande PSL from 390 calories to only 200 calories – and no, I’m not stopping there. That’s right, we’re making it skinny. Okay, so ordering a skinny PSL may not sound as nice at first, but trust me your body will thank you later. We’re saying goodbye to another 80 calories, 26 grams of sugar, and about 3 grams of fat. Crazy, I know. You’ve successfully lowered you favorite fall drink from 390 calories to only 120 calories and virtually no grams of fat, and the best part is – IT TASTES THE SAME.

Now that we’ve finally gone through the process of changing our order from a grande Pumpkin Spice Latte, to a grande skinny Pumpkin Spice Latte with almond milk and no whipped cream, we can see what a difference it can make. We shaved off 270 calories, 36 grams of sugar, and 18 grams of fat making your PSL order only 120 calories.

It may not be bikini season, but it’s never too early to start making healthier choices, especially when eating out. By making the right choices when ordering your next PSL, you can ensure a delicious latte along with an even better bod.