KTK-Nutrition : Pumpkin – a healthy fall food.

Now that Thanksgiving is over, you may be enjoying some leftovers
like pumpkin pie or some sweet potato casserole.  Fall is a great time to enjoy some fall foods
and many of these foods, like pumpkin, are loaded with good nutrition.  

Pumpkin – a very healthy, nutritious food.  So, enjoy that pumpkin pie or pumpkin
pudding.  Pumpkin
is loaded with beta-carotene, a precursor of vitamin A.  The beta-carotene gives pumpkin its orange
coloring. Beta-carotene is super healthy as it helps prevent cancer, protects
against asthma and for older folks helps reduce the risk of getting macular
degeneration.  Additionally, pumpkin adds
fiber to your day and many Americans aren’t getting enough fiber.  Besides pie, there are many other ways to
enjoy pumpkin: pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins, and some even make pumpkin
pancakes.  WebMD has a great article, 6
Surprising Health Benefits of Pumpkin. 
These include:

• Weight loss – because pumpkin provides fiber, it
  helps slow digestion and keeps you filling full longer.  It is also low in calories.  Yes, when you turn pumpkin into pie, pudding,
  etc., you do add sugar but pumpkin itself is a low-calorie food.
• Sharper vision – vitamin A and beta-carotene are good
  for your eyes.  In addition to beta
  carotene, pumpkin has the healthy substances lutein and zeaxanthin.  Both are antioxidants that help prevent
  cataracts and as noted above may reduce the risk of macular degeneration.
• Immunity – lots of people are concerned about
  immunity right now and pumpkin can boost your immunity. How?  Because the beta-carotene turns into vitamin
  A which helps fight infections, fights viruses and fights off infectious
  diseases.  Besides beta-carotene, pumpkin
  has vitamin C which also helps fight infections.
• Healthy skin – who doesn’t want younger, healthier
  looking skin?  Why would pumpkin promote healthy
  skin?  Once again, it is the
  beta-carotene.  I always tell my
  students, if they want healthy skin, eat foods rich in beta-carotene or vitamin
  A. Beta-carotene acts like a sun screen as it helps prevent wrinkles when exposed
  to sunlight.
• Lower your cancer risk – How does beta-carotene lower
  your risk of some cancers?  Because
  pumpkin has both beta-carotene and vitamin C, these “are both antioxidants,
  and they act as shields for your cells against cancer-causing free radicals”.
• Diabetes – what is the good news about pumpkin and
  diabetes?  Some studies have
  found that pumpkin may be beneficial to people with diabetes as pumpkin can
  lower blood sugar levels. Of course, once you turn that pumpkin into pumpkin
  pie or pumpkin pudding, then you have the added sugar.  It would be interesting to learn if pumpkin
  pie is better for diabetics as a treat than other pies like lemon meringue pie.
• Blood pressure
  – who would think that eating pumpkin would have anything to do with blood
  pressure?  But pumpkin is rich in the mineral
  potassium.  A study in 2017 found that
  diets rich in potassium can help reduce blood pressure.  Even pumpkin pie or pudding would be good in
  this regard as both are low in sodium but rich in potassium.  

Libby pumpkin pie.

  

If you have any leftover pumpkin pie or pumpkin pudding, enjoy
it and tell everyone you are eating “healthy” as you enjoy your dessert.  MedicalNewsToday
suggests making a “quick treat of pumpkin chocolate yogurt by combining Greek
yogurt, pumpkin puree or canned pumpkin, honey, cinnamon, and cocoa powder”. 

 

source https://betterweightloss.info/ktk-nutrition-pumpkin-a-healthy-fall-food/