National Pumpkin Day!

Halloween is just around the corner. And lucky for all of us, today is National Pumpkin Day. For us adults, it’s also the glorious Pumpkin Spice Latte season whether its in the form of your favorite drink from Starbucks or other coffee chain to all those glorious sweet pumpkin treats. For your kids, it’s pumpkin carving time (click on the photo above for some awesome Halloween pumpkin stencils and activity sheets from ADA’s Mouth Healthy).

For us Californian’s, right now we are slowly surviving that crazy heat wave. So while it is Pumpkin Spice season, most cannot actually appreciate the warm, delicious drink and instead are hopefully staying hydrated with a nice glass of ice-cold water. Right?? Who are we kidding; you’re still finding a way to sneak that wonderful pumpkin spice drink anyways.

As many of you probably are aware, pumpkin provides plentiful health benefits. It is a great vitamin-packed meal, which aids to protecting not only your dental health but your overall health as well! So for those who don’t know, you’re probably wondering what vitamins pumpkins actually provide. Pumpkin is full of zinc, vitamin A, Vitamin C, magnesium and fiber!

Now, what do we do about our favorite Pumpkin Spice Latte’s being full of sugar? We look for some great pumpkin alternatives to help us get through not only the Halloween season but also Thanksgiving!

1. Pumpkin Seeds: Pumpkin seeds are a great snacking alternative for both you and your kid! And, you can use the pumpkin seeds straight from the pumpkin you carve this season!
2. Pumpkin Smoothies: simply add some canned pumpkin to your smoothie to add those extra vitamins into your morning smoothie
3. Pumpkin soup or even baked pumpkin: this can be a great addition to your meal; whether its an appetizer or even your “veggie” for the night!

Happy Halloween!

– Your Marina Tooth Fairies –