With or without the carved, toothy smile, pumpkins always seem to make October more festive. But did you know that those glowing, orange jack-o-lanterns have many health benefits too?Obviously, it's orange!
Pumpkins are filled with beta-carotene, a nutrient responsible for the orange color (also in carrots and sweet potatoes). When consumed, the body changes the carotene into Vitamin A, which is an antioxidant.
Better than Bananas?
When you say Potassium, most people think of bananas. A medium banana has about 422mg of Potassium; one cup of pumpkin has about 564mg of Potassium. Studies have found that including more Potassium in your diet reduces your risk for hypertension.
Zinc & Fiber
Pumpkins have a little bit of zinc, which helps boost your immune system and improve bone density. Also, they are high in fiber, which helps you to feel full faster, slow the body's consumption of carbohydrates, and absorb cholesterol, keeping you healthy and helping you lose weight. Fiber also helps to clean out your digestive track, especially the intestines, and relieve constipation.
My favorite part of the pumpkin is the seeds!
Pumpkin seeds are rich in vitamins and have many positive effects on overall health. The fibers in the seeds are good for your teeth, gum, nails and hair. Pumpkin seeds also relieve constipation, help dissolve gall stones, and help prevent kidney stones. Currently, we can see more and more commercials for arthritis medication, but they always have a long list of possible side effects. Pumpkin seeds can help to reduce inflammation, but unlike many arthritis meds, do not increase damaged fat levels in the joints.
www.hubpages.com/hub/Health-Benefits-of-Pumpkin
Wow. I remember when I was younger and carved pumpkins with my mother we would take out the seeds and make our own baked seasoned pumpkin seeds to eat. Of course some batches didn't have the desired taste we wanted but it was all good fun.
ReplyDeleteNow I'm more of pumpkin pie man. Do you think it still has the same nutritional aspects to it?
This is very interesting! But I would like to research some other ways to eat pumpkin, all I've eaten is pumpkin pie and pumpkin seeds. I LOVE throwing a little salt and garlic powder on seeds and baking them for a quick snack, yum! However, pumpkin pie is a desert and I'm sure the sugars and the crust of the pie overpower the benefits. I'll definitely be buying some pumpkins this fall, great idea for a blog!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you could find a pumpkin pie recipe that substitutes a few healthier ingredients. But you can also serve pumpkin as a vegetable (like squash), soup, stew, breads and muffins too.
ReplyDeletehttp://allrecipes.com/HowTo/Treats-from-the-Pumpkin-Patch/Detail.aspx
^^^Check out All Recipes .com ...they have tons of recipes and provide nutrition facts, and people can post their own changes/additions below each recipe for you to consider
This is a great post! I love carving pumpkins and seeing them on doorsteps everywhere. However, I am not a huge pumpkin eating fan. My mother has actually told me ever since I was little that they are extremely good for you, therefore I should eat her pumpkin stew and pie. Yuck. I do like the seeds though!
ReplyDelete