Foods for Better Health & Wellness

Kalee Carson

Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater...

It is finally that time of year again, that time for everything Pumpkin! Everywhere you look there is something made with pumpkin or pumpkin flavored. So what did Peter know that we should all be paying closer attention to?

There are really many health benefits in this bright orange fall squash that may help our health in more ways than we know. Pumpkin bread, pumpkin ravioli, pumpkin lattes and those are just the tip of the iceberg.

Pumpkins are rich in carotenoid, which is what gives them their bright orange color. A cup of cooked pumpkin contains more than 200% of the RDA of vitamin A, which helps keep our eyes healthy and helps us to see better in dim light. One of the carotenoids is beta-carotene, which the body changes to vitamin A also giving our eyes even more protection. Beta-Carotene’s antioxidant power can also help prevent cancer; along with sweet potatoes, butternut squash, and carrots.

Those same carotenoids are also good to keep skin healthy and reduce wrinkles. Eaten as a part of a healthy diet and also included in topical facial masks that can help keep skin smooth and supple.

Pumpkin Face Mask Recipe

Ingredients:

2 tsp Sliced pumpkin
1/2 tsp Honey
1/2 tsp Milk
1/4 tsp Cinnamon powder

Mix together ingredients into paste and apply on cleansed skin. Let it dry for 15-20 minutes and rinse with warm water.

More Benefits of Pumpkin

Pumpkin can help with weight loss, if you avoid too much pumpkin pie, since it is a good source of dietary fiber. Fiber keeps us full longer and helps us to eat less. They can also help us to replenish and refuel after a workout. One cup of cooked Pumpkin has 554 mg of Potassium to bananas 422.

Let’s not forget those wonderful pumpkin seeds! When you are carving your jack-o-lantern, don’t throw those seeds away! They are full of all sorts of health benefits just like the pulp of the pumpkin itself. They are a fantastic source of magnesium. A small ¼ cup of seeds provides half the RDA of magnesium that we need for heart health. It benefits blood pressure, prevents sudden heart attacks and strokes as well. An estimated 80% of Americans are deficient in this mineral.

As I mentioned in the previous article “The Shellfish of Love”, they contain zinc. Zinc is another essential nutrient that many are deficient in and it is important for your body in many ways, including immunity, cell growth and division, sleep, mood, your senses of taste and smell, eye and skin health, insulin regulation, and sexual function. For men in particular, research suggests that pumpkin seeds and pumpkin seed oil in combination with saw palmetto may be a good support system for the prostate.

For the ladies, Pumpkin seeds are also beneficial since they are a good source of healthy fats and phytoestrogens which might help increase HDL (good) cholesterol and lower blood pressure, hot flashes, and other menopausal symptoms. Pumpkin seed oil has also been shown to strengthen a weak bladder helping naturally with bladder leakage.
Pumpkin seeds are a rich source of Tryptophan, the sleep hormone. It can also elevate moods and help elevate serotonin production. So you can easily see how this crunchy snack can be beneficial.

The next time you carve a pumpkin, take those seeds out, clean them up and toast them to snacking perfection.

How To Roast Pumpkin Seeds:

Clean the seeds. The annoying-but-necessary task is that you have to meticulously clean the seeds until there are no signs of pumpkin guts. After picking off the strands, give them a GOOD rinse with water in a colander. Boil for 10 minutes in salt water. Drain the seeds in a colander and dry lightly with a paper towel or tea towel. Spread seeds onto a baking sheet and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with fine grain salt. Roast seeds at 325F for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and stir. Roast for another 8-10 minutes 

Eat and enjoy!!!

From now until the end of pumpkin season, happy carving and eating!! Enjoy!!!

Until next time, stay healthy!!

Love,
Kalee Carson

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