Pumpkins aren’t only great for carving, seeds, and front porch decor. Pumpkins—a cultivar of a squash plant—are packed with amazing nutrients and vitamins making them a wonderful addition to your diet this season.
Curious to know more?Here are a few health benefits of pumpkins:
Pumpkins are rich in fiber. 1 cup of canned pumpkin contains about 7 grams. Fiber not only helps move things along in your digestive system but it has been shown to prevent intestinal conditions and reduce heart disease.
Pumpkin benefits your skin. The beta-carotene in pumpkin assists in protecting you from the sun’s UV rays (which cause wrinkles). And pumpkin pulp, when used as a face mask, exfoliates and soothes skin.
Pumpkins improve your eye-sight. Thanks again to beta-carotene (beta-carotene is converted to Vitamin A when ingested), eating pumpkin can improve your eye-sight and strengthen your retinas. One cup of pumpkin alone has 200 percent of your recommended daily intake of Vitamin A, so eat up!
Pumpkins are rich in potassium. Take a step back, bananas. Pumpkin is the go-to post-workout food this fall. One cup of pumpkin has—wait for it—565 mg of potassium! That’s almost 100 mg more than an 8-inch banana. Potassium also lowers the risk of heart disease and strokes.
So whether you boil it, bake it, roast it, or eat it straight from the can, don’t just buy pumpkins for decoration this fall. Eat up and enjoy the health benefits!