ith Fall comes a variety of nourishing hearty fruits and vegetables including the great pumpkin. This is the best time to find fresh pumpkin; so take advantage of it! Pumpkin provides important nutrients and natural enzymes that the body can use more readily. Nutritional Benefits of Pumpkins:
1. Vitamins: Pumpkin and its seeds contain nutrients such as vitamin C, E, iron, zinc, magnesium, potassium, both beta & alpha carotenoids (anti-oxidants which help prevent cell damage), and lutein (support healthy eyes).
2. Organ Health: The nutrients in pumpkin and its seeds help support the health of your kidney, bladder and prostate.
3. Sickness Prevention: Helps with minimizing osteoporosis, increases digestive health by helping with parasites & tapeworms, and lowering cholesterol.
4. Protein: Pumpkin seeds are high in protein.
5. General Benefits: Pumpkin seeds help the body get rid of parasites and other unwelcomed digestive inhabitants, and they contain healthy essential fatty acid oils.
6. Important Fact: Organic, raw pumpkin seeds will provide you with the most nutrients and enzymes.
Easy ways to incorporate pumpkin into your diet:
1. A handful of raw pumpkin seeds as a snack or mixed with trail mix, on top of cereal
2. Pumpkin seed butter spread on toast
3. Pumpkin pie/desserts/pancakes/waffles
4. Pumpkin baked or browned with spices in risotto, chili, rice, spaghetti
By Kyle Washburn
Note: Kyle Washburn is the National Health and Fitness Editor at Edge Publications, Inc. He earned a BS in Physiology, M.Ed in Sport Psychology and Counseling and an MBA. He is a certified personal trainer through NASM and ACE and has been training for over ten years. He is an avid triathlete, softball and tennis player, runner, hiker and enjoys the outdoors.
