Pumpkins packed with the stuff of life
Much as I love pumpkins — the word, the colour, the shape, the smell — sometimes I’m a bit pumpkined-out long before Halloween.
That’s because the world turns into an everythingpumpkin feast of foods: pasta, pancake mix, popcorn, oatmeal, chips — and that’s not even counting Ye Olde Pumpkin Spice Latte.
Despite this, despite the orange-coloured tinge in the grocery-store air, I am not giving up on pumpkin.
That’s because, in its purest form, it really is good for you. Such is the word from Sharon Cox, registered dietitian at Parkland Health & Hospital System in Dallas, who shares these six pumpkin pluses: • It’s good for your heart. People with high-fibre diets have lower risk of heart disease than those with low-fibre diets. And pumpkin has fibre. One cup has three grams. Not bad for 50 calories. • It helps you see better. A cup of pumpkin contains almost twice the recommended daily intake of good vision-promoting Vitamin A, which also slows the decline of retinal function. • It boosts weight loss. The fibre mentioned early helps keep you feeling full longer. That goes for the seeds, too — one ounce of those has five grams of dietary fibre, plus five of protein. • It can help you sleep better. Those seeds are rich in tryptophan, an amino acid that may aid relaxation and sleep. An added bonus is that Tryptophan may help your body make serontin, which is a mood-improving neurotransmitter. • It can help fight off certain cancers. Yes, that’s because of those pumpkin seeds again — specifically the plant sterols they contain.
All of which leads to . . . • It helps promote longer life. Thank you, alpha- and betacarotene, nutrients that have been associated with longevity and cancer prevention.
But again a reminder: You won’t get these benefits eating 100 pumpkin pancakes.
Parkland registered dietitian diabetes education co-ordinator Katherine Nashatker says: “I would encourage pumpkin eaters to enjoy pumpkin in lowfat, low-sugar ways like roasting or steaming the vegetable, boiling and mashing it, as opposed to choosing high-calorie, high-sugar processed pumpkin products such as lattes, pies and casseroles.”