It’s pumpkin season. They’re big and bright and have this magnificent orange color to them and there is much more to pumpkins other than using them for your home décor or carving them for your Halloween Jack O’ Lantern.

Pumpkins are also a nutritious super food and there are so many great and wonderful ways to enjoy pumpkin, whether you eat them mashed, use them for soup, roast them, puree them, and the list goes on and on.

As I mentioned in my Frozen Pumpkin Puree article the other week, Pumpkins are high in fiber, are a great source of beta carotene, and according to Michael T. Murray, author of “The Condensed Encyclopedia of Healing Foods,” they are great for disease prevention.  A 2010 article published in “Nutrition Research Reviews” notes that pumpkin reduces inflammation. Inflammation can lead to many chronic health conditions, including cancer and heart disease, as well as Type 2 diabetes and arthritis.

Pumpkin is great for your heart, your vision and provided you don’t go too over board on the pie, your waist line.

Pumpkin is an excellent source of Beta-Carotene, Fiber and the seeds are such a great source of several essential minerals and essential healthy fat.

Pumpkin for Eye Health
Did you know that pumpkin is rich in Beta-Carotene?  This vital nutrient is great for your vision and eye health as your body converts Beta-Carotene into Vitamin A.

Beta-Carotene is also an anti-oxidant that may possibly reduce your risk of cancer which adds a beneficial boost to this powerful super food.

Fiber for Fat Loss
Pumpkin is low in calories and is an excellent source of fiber which is great for helping to keep you slim and trim.  Eating low calorie, fiber rich foods such as pumpkin fills you up and helps to keep you satiated longer.
Power to the Pumpkin Seed
Pumpkin seeds are a nutritional powerhouse in their own right.  They are loaded with essential minerals and healthy fat.  Here are a few highlights of some of the nutritional benefits from pumpkin seeds:

• High in heart healthy magnesium
• High in tryptophan which helps your body produce serotonin which helps to keep you in a good mood.
• High in Zinc which can help boost your immune systems, particularly during the cold, winter months.
• Great source of Omega 3 Healthy Fat

If you’ve never eaten pumpkin before, you really should try out some of the great pumpkin recipes I have on the blog or in my recipe book, Metabolic Cooking.  I promise you will absolutely love pumpkin as much as I do.

Hope you enjoyed learning about the incredibly powerful health benefits of pumpkin.  Let me know what your biggest take aways from the blog are and as always, your comments are always welcome 🙂