First off, I need to apologize for my inconsistency with preparing my blog over the last couple of weeks.  I have not been writing and the result, no blog.  I have been recipe experimenting, but most of the recipes aren’t quite ready for you, my readers.  Okay, with that said, I will attempt to do better and bring nutrition information and recipes weekly in one or two blogs.  Look for nutritional information on Tuesdays and recipes or other feature on Thursday or Friday.  That is my goal anyways.

Now for today’s feature, pumpkins at the market.  

Do you remember Linus from Charles Schultz’s comic strip and his wait in the pumpkin patch for the Great Pumpkin?  If I remember correctly, the animated movie was called, “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.”  

When you see a pumpkin in the fall, do you think of Halloween jack’O lanterns or pumpkin pie or perhaps pumpkin spice lattes.  Me, I truly enjoy pumpkin anytime of the year, but come fall I use pumpkin in muffins, lattes, puddings, cheesecake or in whatever.  How about you?  Do you enjoy pumpkin year round? In the fall?

5 Benefits of Pumpkin

1. Excellent Source of vitamin A/beta-carotene – the vibrant orange colour of the flesh of pumpkin is a dead give away that it is loaded with beta-carotene, which converts to vitamin A in your body.  Beta-carotene boosts your immune health.  Vitamin A aids in eye health.  Vitamin A is also an antioxidant that scavenges free radicals and aids in reducing inflammation.  In fact, one cup of pumpkin puree has 245% of your recommended daily need for vitamin A. [1]
2. Good Source of Fibre – cooked or mashed pumpkin offers almost 3 grams of fibre per cup, a good source of fibre.  Fibre and low calories (49 calories/cup) make pumpkin an excellent choice for curtailing cravings and aiding in weight control. According to the Institute of Medicine, women need a minimum of 25 grams/day and men should aim for 38 grams. [2]
3. Excellent Source of Potassium – one cup of cooked pumpkin contains 564 mg of potassium, which is more than an average-sized banana (420 mg).  You may recall that potassium is needed by your body for electrolyte balance, as well, it is critical for helping your heart beat.  Potassium helps your muscles move, your nerves to fire and your kidneys to filter.
4. Excellent Source of Zinc and Iron – Indulging in 100 g of pumpkin seeds provides 100% of your recommended daily allowance (RDA) of iron and 71% of the RDA of Zinc.  Zinc is an important mineral for immune health and reducing inflammation.  Looking beyond the deep orange flesh of pumpkin, you find pumpkin seeds.  Pumpkin seeds are loaded with zinc.  In addition, pumpkin seeds and pumpkin seed oil can be beneficial for men’s health.  With more than 2 mg in one ounce of pumpkin seeds, these little mineral gems support prostrate health. 
5. Excellent Source of Amino Acid, Tryptophan – Okay, you have heard that the Thanksgiving turkey provides tryptophan, which makes you sleepy.  But I bet you never thought about pumpkin seeds providing a significant contribution of tryptophan too.  Tryptophan is used by your body to produce the hormone, serotonin.  Serotonin is your happy hormone, so it is often linked to mood boosting.  However, serotonin also produces melatonin, your sleep hormone.  Melatonin is needed for healthy sleep cycles.  Dr. Mercola suggests that eating a handful of pumpkin seeds a few hours before you plan to go to bed is a natural way to help you fall asleep and stay asleep.  Both activities that are needed to rejuvenate and heal your cells and hormone production. [3]

Are you feeling overloaded with information?  

Just remember all parts of the pumpkin from its fibre-rich flesh to its green seeds are all healthy choices for your body’s wellbeing.

What is your favourite way to use pumpkin?  

Check in on Thursday for a couple of recipes to enjoy this Thanksgiving weekend. 

Resources

[1] Cooked pumpkin nutritional facts –http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2601/2

[2] Kathleen Zelman, “Fiber: How Much Do You Need?” WebMD, August 20, 2014. http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/fiber-how-much-do-you-need

[3] Joseph Mercola, MD, “9 Health Benefits of Pumpkin Seeds,” Mercola.com, Sept 30, 2013.  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/09/30/pumpkin-seed-benefits.aspx