Pumpkin is a pretty rare occurrence in your diet. You might make use of the insides of your jack-o-lanterns come Halloween, but the truth is that you should eat much more pumpkin than that. Eating pumpkin is vastly beneficial to your wellness, with the seeds alone providing your wellbeing with a healthy does of protein, iron, zinc and magnesium. However, the benefits of pumpkin are not solely linked to what nutrients are in its seeds. So what health benefits can pumpkin provide?
1. Better vision: According to award-winning wellness writer Hope Gillette, ‘One cup of cooked, mashed pumpkin contains approximately 200% of the recommended daily allotment of vitamin A, a nutrient essential for vision, especially in dim lighting.
2. Efficient Weight Loss: In a cup of pumpkin, you’ll find ‘more than three grams of fibre and only approximately 50 calories,’ says Gillette. ‘This means you stay fuller, longer, and can count pumpkin as a good additive to a weight loss diet. Eating pumpkin before a meal may make you less inclined to over eat higher caloric foods.’
3. Heart Health: Gillette explains, ‘Pumpkin seeds contain chemicals called photosterols which have been linked to an ability to reduce levels of “bad” cholesterol in the body.’
4. Cancer prevention: ‘Pumpkins–like many other orange vegetables–are rich in beta-carotene which has been linked to a decreased risk of cancer,’ Gillette notes. ‘Carotenoids in pumpkin may be beneficial not only for cancer prevention, but for promoting skin health.’
5. Mental Health: Gillette points out, ‘Pumpkin seeds are rich in the amino acid tryptophan which helps promote a positive mood.’
6. Better Workout Performance: ‘Cooked pumpkin can be a great addition to a workout recovery meal,’ Gillette asserts. ‘A cup of cooked pumpkin has more potassium (564 milligrams) than a banana (422 milligrams).’
7. Cold Prevention: Gillette details, ‘A cup of cooked pumpkin contains 20% of the daily recommended intake of vitamin C, a nutrient responsible for immune system health.’
8. Digestive Health: Not only does the fibre content in a cup of pumpkin help stave off feelings of hunger, it encourages your body to digest food more efficiently and helps prevent constipation.
So all that sounds good, but how do you incorporate more pumpkin into your diet? You could do something as simple as incorporate pumpkin into your favourite recipes, such as throwing a cup of it into a bowl of chilli. However, if you’ve got your baking apron on, why not try this recipe for spiced pumpkin biscuits?
Ingredients:
- 9 ounces plain flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 5 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
- 1/3 cup fat-free buttermilk
- 3/4 cup canned pumpkin
- 3 tablespoons honey
Gillette instructs, ‘Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt in a large bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Chill 10 minutes. Combine buttermilk and honey, stirring with a whisk until well blended; add canned pumpkin. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture; stir just until moist. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead lightly four times. Roll dough into a (1/2-inch-thick) nine- by five–inch rectangle; dust top of dough with flour. Fold dough crosswise into thirds (as if folding a piece of paper to fit into an envelope). Re-roll dough into a (1/2-inch-thick) nine- by five–inch rectangle and then dust top of dough with flour. Fold dough crosswise into thirds; gently roll or pat to a 3/4-inch thickness. Cut dough with a one and 3/4-inch biscuit cutter to form 14 dough rounds. Place dough rounds, one inch apart, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 400° for 14 minutes or until golden.’