Enjoying pumpkin spice drinks without packing on the pounds

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- It's officially pumpkin spice season. The fall flavored drinks are everywhere, but keep in mind - too many will start to add up on your waistline.

Some diet experts have tips to help you enjoy the seasonal drinks without regretting it throughout the winter.

Store-bought pumpkin coffees are often packed with extra calories and sugar, but if you get an unsweetened one, you can control how much sweetener goes in. You can also choose a lower-calorie dairy alternative, such as almond milk, or get a smaller size.

If you do go for a richer coffee, it's best to skip a sugary treat to go along with it.

"If you're going to over-indulge in something that's going to a little bit sweeter of a beverage, then you make a good choice to have with that, maybe a couple hard-boiled eggs or a cup of oatmeal or something like that, in place of another sweetened food," said Ariana Cucuzza, a registered dietitian with the Cleveland Clinic.

You can also make your own pumpkin coffee drink at home using canned pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla.

Just to give you a little more perspective, a 16-ounce full-fat cup of pumpkin spice latte can have 380 calories, 14 grams of fat and 50 grams of sugar.

You would have to do 35 minutes of burpees to work that off!

So you definitely want to look for some healthier options or at least don't make this an everyday habit.