Pumpkin is easy to add to a diet, although not everyone can eat it.
Pumpkin is very interesting in the kitchen, versatile, and easy to add to a diet. Due to its sweet taste, it can be part of both sweet and savory ingredients. We can find it in popular dishes such as custards, cakes, and pancakes. It also works in savory dishes like roasted vegetables, soups, and pasta.
Once sliced ​​and sliced, Squash can be quickly roasted, pureed into soup, or baked to make cakes. Its seeds are also edible and very nutritious.
This vegetable is very healthy, and its consumption is considered safe, although not for everyone. In some cases, allergies can be verified when eating pumpkins.
Also, a mild diuretic, meaning that eating a lot of Squash can amount to a “water pill,” increasing the amount of water and salt the body expels through urine.
This can affect causing harm to people who take certain medications with lithium since diuretics can act by preventing the elimination of lithium, causing severe side effects.
Although pumpkin is healthy, it is used to produce unhealthy foods such as candy and cake fillings made with added sugar. Therefore, it is not beneficial to health in this way.
Pumpkin may fill you up, but it’s also a low-calorie superstar. Canned pumpkin is nearly 90 percent water; not only will it help you stay hydrated, but it’s also less than 50 calories per serving.
Pumpkin is rich in carotenes that are transformed into vitamin A in our body. Its properties include preventing and slowing down the development of some cancers, such as prostate cancer. Carotenes protect the eyes’ health from the action of free radicals on the retina and eye diseases such as cataracts or retinal degeneration. In addition to the loss of sight, it protects against hearing loss.
Nutritional properties of pumpkin
Anticancer
Along with carotenes, other antioxidants such as Pliocene stand out, which helps prevent cancer of the prostate, stomach, bladder, uterus, and lung.
cholesterol squash
Cardiovascular
It is one of the foods lowest in fat and sodium, so it is indicated to take care of the heart and arteries. In addition, its vitamin A content keeps the circulatory system in good condition and prevents heart diseases such as angina pectoris or myocardial infarction. Protects the arteries against cholesterol, hypertension, and arteriosclerosis.
cardiovascular Squash
Digestive
Its fiber content helps prevent heartburn and constipation. It helps eliminate toxins from the intestine, which prevents diseases such as chronic gastritis, irritable bowel, or colon cancer. It stimulates the production of the pancreas and, in addition, fiber allows to control blood sugar levels, being very suitable for people with diabetes.
pumpkin
Anti-inflammatory
Vitamin C and copper it has have anti-inflammatory properties, being good in case of arthritis or asthma.
anti-inflammatory pumpkin
Diuretics
Rich in potassium, it acts on the kidney (prevents kidney stones) because it is very diuretic and fights fluid retention.
diuretic squash
Pumpkin seeds are healthy too.
Pumpkin seeds are rich in iron, calcium, copper, magnesium, phosphorus, and vitamins E and B. They protect against prostate and cardiovascular diseases and immunodeficiency problems. In addition, they help strengthen memory and maintain brain health.
Pumpkin, light and nutritious food
It is rich in water and fiber, with a low caloric intake, ideal for overweight people and digestive problems. In addition, pumpkin contains beta-carotene, an antioxidant component. Learn more about its nutritional properties, how to choose the best on the market, and some recipes to prepare it.
Pumpkin is a vegetable that is available throughout the year on market shelves and, due to its price, it is an accessible food for most pockets. Its nutritional properties are also an attraction that makes it essential in a balanced diet: rich in fiber (soluble, which produces a satiating and laxative effect), carbohydrates, and potassium. It also contains calcium, magnesium, vitamin A, C, E, and beta-carotene; the latter is responsible for the orange color of the pumpkin and is an antioxidant that helps eliminate free radicals preventing cell aging and is also very important in the diet because it is a precursor of vitamin A (also provitamin A). According to the Spanish Nutrition Foundation, pumpkin “stands out for its digestible character, since its components are dominated by water and lack fats and carbohydrates.”
Do you know the egir them?
Pumpkins can be found in the market throughout the year. To choose the best ones, we must look at those firm and with intact skin, and if they have their tailor peduncle, much better.
Tips to get the best out of them
When cooking pumpkins, we must take into account a series of recommendations to avoid loss of vitamins and minerals by dissolution and destruction, so our nutritionists recommend:
Please take advantage of the pumpkin cooking liquid in broths or soups, rich in vitamins and minerals.
Add the vegetables when the water is already hot. When doing it in cold water, the losses can be doubled.
Cut the Squash into large chunks when they are going to boil. The subdivision of food favors increased losses.Ideas to bring to the table
Pumpkin is a versatile food: we can well find it in soups, creams, stews, and desserts. Here we highlight a couple of recipes from our nutrition section:
We also share a dessert proposal suggested by Eroski Consumer with this food as the main character: Pumpkin pie with almonds.
Remember that a balanced diet should not be without fruits and vegetables. Consume them every day, exercise, and you will be able to prevent diseases such as diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular diseases.
What nutrients and benefits does it provide?
Castile squash is rich in protein, omega three fatty acids, fiber, vitamin A and C, iron, potassium, magnesium, and zinc. These nutrients are present both in its pulp and in its seeds.
Its significant contribution to vitamin A characterizes the pulp. Its orange color is due to the presence of a phytonutrient known as carotene or beta-carotene, which in our body is converted into vitamin A and helps prevent diseases of the heart and cancer and strengthens the immune system, helping to fight infections.
Pumpkin seeds are a good source of protein, unsaturated fats, vitamins, minerals, and bioactive compounds, which provide various health benefits. For example, pepitas are rich in magnesium and fatty acids, commonly known as omega 3, in addition to having fiber, which benefits cardiovascular health, reducing high blood pressure, among other functions.
How much?
We can find it in anguish and local markets, mainly from October to December.
Its cost per kilo varies between $ 5 and 18 pesos, depending on the place of purchase.
How is it recommended to consume it?
Its flavor combines with sweet preparations, such as cakes, pies, and sweets, although it can also be consumed in savory dishes, such as creams and soups.
One of the most significant advantages of pumpkin squash is that you can take advantage of its pulp and seeds, which are the main ingredient for delicious pipelines.
Avoid waste. If you used a castle pumpkin to decorate your offering, don’t forget to consume its delicious filling. You can prepare it in sweet, or you can also bake a cake or pie. Its peel can also be used to make compost. And if you dare, you can sow its seeds and harvest pumpkins next year.
