By now, you’ve seen it. Someone in your circle of friends has shared a very scary infographic about Starbuck’s Pumpkin Spice Latte.
“I’ll NEVER drink it again!,” one friend declared.
“Starbucks is trying to kill us!,” shouted another.
“It doesn’t even contain any pumpkin!,” exclaimed one.
And a frequent one was, “Did you see this, Johnna? Aren’t you shocked?!?”
No. I’m not shocked at the ingredients. But there are two things about this that do shock me:
1. Do you think the ingredients labeled so offensive, so unhealthy, are specific to only the Pumpkin Spice Latte? You don’t really, do you? Don’t you think other drinks contain the same artificial ingredients and caramel color? Don’t you think any of their beverages with soy milk will contain carrageenan? That most of the grande sized beverages contain mega-doses of sugar? That there is the potential for any non-organic coffee to contain pesticide residue? Does any of this surprise you? Or were you counting on Starbucks to be your source for all-things-healthy?
I’m wondering if anyone seeing the shocking infographic thought about the timing and how much drama one blogger could create by sharing this. It’s nothing new, nothing has changed at Starbucks. She called out one drink among hundreds at one coffee chain, their most popular drink and a seasonal one at that, right when it returned for the year. She didn’t call out Starbucks on any given Thursday because she is shocked to find out most of their drinks contain artificial flavorings or caramel or are going to give you cancer before you exit the drive-thru line or make you glow because they are loaded with nuclear fall-out. Perhaps the most measurable change in this whole spectacle is the amount of visitors to her website and the amount of money she earns from those visits. It was drama, created with great timing and shock value. Guess who is cashing in?
2. Why are we so quick to criticize Starbucks before looking in our own pantries? The friend who said she would NEVER drink a PSL again regularly drinks almond milk that contains carrageenan. The friend who asserted Starbucks is trying to kill us is a diet soda drinker. Another friend who shared this chews artificially sweetened gum constantly. I’m not condemning any of these foods (you choose your diet, I’ll choose mine, I’ve written about that here and here), I’m just saying that those things also contain very controversial and allegedly unhealthy ingredients. But because they weren’t called out and spread like wildfire on social media, they continue to be ok. How does that make sense?
Here’s what I am encouraging you to do: read the labels on everything you eat and drink. Eat and drink mindfully, figure out what ingredients make you feel awesome and what ingredients don’t. Find balance in your diet. But please, slow down your jumps onto the bandwagon. I’ve jumped onto lots of bandwagons in the past, low-fat/no-fat, high protein/low carb, fad diets and diet drugs that killed folks and resulted in class action lawsuits. Had Facebook been around then, I would have been screaming at the top on my lungs about those things, trying to recruit and inform my friends. I’m no angel when it comes to this behavior. What I have learned is that what I thought was healthy ten years ago I now find to be very unhealthy. And perhaps what I think is healthy today will be considered deadly in another ten years.
Here’s one last thing on my rant: Here, on my blog, in my virtual kitchen, I try not to be shouty about ingredients. I have nutritional credentials, but I’m really just trying to eat in a way that makes my body feel best and share recipes with others who are in a similar spot. I’m not going to shout at you to NEVER eat or drink something. What I am going to do is provide you with recipes that don’t include ingredients I find to be questionable. That list is constantly evolving, but so far hasn’t included a whole lot of caramel coloring, artificial flavors or colors. It has, however, occasionally contained a mega-dose of sugar AND real pumpkin. 😉
There are absolutely ingredients I avoid. That doesn’t mean I don’t occasionally indulge (except for gluten, because Celiac disease). I had a root beer float at an old fashioned soda fountain recently. The root beer contained High Fructose Corn Syrup, something on my personal list of ingredients that I avoid. But I was there with my favorite fella. It was a Friday evening in an historic riverfront town. A torrential rainstorm poured down outside. A couple in their 80’s sat nearby in a booth having “the usual,” as they told the waitress. I enjoyed the moment. I had kale in my tacos for dinner later that night. Balance.
P.S.–Want to make your own PSL at home? I like this recipe from Recipe Girl. It even has real pumpkin in it. I use unsweetened non-dairy milk and substitute maple syrup for the brown sugar. My friend Trudee shared this recipe from According to Elle. It also has real pumpkin in it and Trudee made hers with coconut sugar instead of brown sugar. Lots of DIY options! Find one that works for your list of preferred ingredients…or continue going to the drive-thru. No judgment here.
nice points made. we can kill ourselves with all this worrying about ever little detail or we can, as you suggest, know how to eat, live but understand a little slip now and then can’t hurt.
I will say that recently i’ve added a few pounds to my body because i started messing with a few too many sweets, it seems they are like cocaine in that they grab you and you then want more but i’m aware of that and this week it’s back to my better healthy diet.
BTW.. my cocaine reference was not from experience.
Didn’t figure it was, I knew what you meant.
What you said about recognizing changes in your diet (sugar) and getting back to a way that is healthier for you–THAT! That’s the kind of information that is helpful for folks to know, that they can have an exception to whatever their version of healthy is (and it can be one piece of pie or a six-month sabbatical) and then get back to it. The fear-mongering of posts like the PSL drama don’t stand to help folks long-term, but what you’ve shared sure could.
And yes to the cocaine-like response to sugar. I eat one bit of sugar and it sets off a reaction in me to crave more. I have to be mindful of it or I’m begging Cheesecake Factory to install a drive-thru. 😉
Great post, Johnna! So many terrific points. I don’t know anyone who is perfect at this and I do many who benefit from hype, drama, etc. Heck, there are even websites that teach bloggers about well-timed negative posts bringing more readers and income. Lots of them in fact. All that aside, as you say, are we slamming one product while consuming the same types of products on a daily basis. Think about your own regular behavior and if a product makes sense for you. Do your research. Don’t rely on drama bloggers for your information. Btw, I did the very same thing with a root beer float recently while on travel. I chose the best root beer option (an “old-fashioned” upscale brand) and it still contained HFCS. I had it with a big Caesar salad (sans croutons, of course), and I felt okay with my choices. I don’t think Starbucks is going to change its PSL due to this outcry and like you said, they’d really have to change their whole product line, and they’re not alone in offering such products, which many folks keep consuming without a second thought. Folks can be naive and quick to join “armies” … the old peer pressure, join the club type thing. I’d also like to add that these types of things make it harder for folks who have real food intolerances/sensitivities (and yes, we both know that carageenan and more can cause issues for folks) to be taken seriously. Thanks for the post! Sharing later! 🙂
Shirley
I agree, Shirley. I think it’s unlikely Starbucks is going to change their PSL. And all of the outrage just made me crave one–and I don’t even think I’ve had one before! Thanks for your comments. I’m adding “drama blogger” to my vocabulary, along with “click bait.”
Amen, Johnna!
Thanks, Linda!
Amen. I am not a fan of outrage or hysteria, about food or anything else.
Both of those words are appropriate, Celeste. Outrage and hysteria. Why, when we could instead encourage and uplift?
Do people not understand that “Pumpkin Spice” anything doesn’t mean pumpkin is in it? That it’s the spices used with baking pumpkin that it refers to? I had to Google the post you were referring to (and I hated giving her one more hit), and I agree. That post was all about sensationalizing. I wish people would be less judgmental and more loving.
RIGHT! Pumpkin SPICE doesn’t mean pumpkin. I hope these folks don’t expect there to be actual pumpkin in the tiny little containers of pumpkin pie spice they buy. Along the same lines, today I saw another post warning of the “8 Beers You Should Stop Drinking NOW!” I’d rather read the “One Beer I AM Drinking Now” post and remove the fear. Couldn’t we all be more helpful to each other by sharing what is working instead of what isn’t anyway?
Great post and great comments.
I live in Wales, UK, and have not seen this blog, nor have I ever had a pumpkin latte – Starbucks don’t make them over here, but that’s not to say I wouldn’t try one! But there’s plenty of other popular foods here that contain some pretty weird sounding ingredients. Some are even labelled as “healthy”! It’s all there on the side of the packaging, and if we care, we are free to read and buy, or not buy.
We have the absolute right to say what we will and will not put in our bodies.
There is far too much guilt surrounding food, weight, health etc. In the UK we are constantly being told what we should and should not eat. Often the information is sensationalist, contradictory and based on “sound bites” rather than fact. This government is still recommending a low fat high carb diet, and pushing low fat “spreads” containing some pretty nasty sounding stuff! And yet “leading dieticians” across the World write articles telling us they’ve changed their positions and no one is giving out that “low fat” advice now. So what was healthy for us yesterday is bad for us today? Who and what do we believe???
There are those “worried well” in society who will try to make good choices based on the best information and instincts. There are those “educated unwell” (with intolerances or allergies) who know what is good and bad for them, and keep themselves healthy. And there are the “unworried well” and “unworried unwell” who don’t.
At 57 discovering that I can’t eat gluten was the best thing that happened. I am even a “star” at my doctors surgery. I no more deserve that than I did the guilt piled on me for years. To be honest, the guilt just made me want to go out and grab a chocolate bar, and that’s why I stopped going unless I was forced. Guilt can do much more harm than good!
I’m sorry this is long and a little off-topic. Websites like this for people like me are a Godsend! Thank you!
Hi Jacqui! Thank you so much for your comment. I agree with all that you have said. Sensationalist, inflammatory, fear-laden stories about food are doing little besides creating more guilt and shame in our relationships with food. We can all work together to change that. 🙂