There is much more to pumpkins than pie fillings and Halloween decorations. The orange gourds are very low in calories while very high in nutrients. Pumpkin seed also brings about a lot of benefits for health.
Nutritional And Health Benefits Of Pumpkin – The Best Advantages
Pumpkin contains B-complex, vitamins A, vitamin C and vitamin E, carotenoids, folate, manganese, calcium, magnesium, potassium, copper, phosphorus, zinc, iron, and other antioxidants. They are specially favored for their rich content of beta-carotene, a precursor to vitamin A.
Although there is also beta-carotene supplement, it would be best to get it through foods by adding to your daily meals as the supplement is associated with higher risks of cancers.
You can add pumpkin into your daily diet with ease in several different ways, such as adding it puree to stews, soups, hummus, and pasta sauce. In addition, you can try adding pumpkin into your bowls of baked goods, smoothies, yogurt, and oatmeal. It could also be used as a replacement for oil and butter.
1. Improves Eye Health
This is the very first one out on the list of the best health and nutritional benefits of pumpkin that we would like to reveal in the entire article today and want to encourage readers to make use for good!
As everyone know, pumpkin is very good for the overall health of human beings as just 1 cup of cooked canned pumpkin offers over 100% of your daily vitamin A requirements. Vitamin A is responsible for supporting vision, particularly in dim light, and can help a lot in protecting the corneas (eye surface). It is also very helpful for boosting skin health, the overall health of tissues, as well as the strength and duration of mucus membranes.
Besides, pumpkin is jam-packed with carotenoids like alpha-carotene and beta-carotene that can help to prevent cataracts and lower the risks of the macular degeneration related to natural aging. The powerful antioxidant content of this natural veggie can also aid in protecting the retina cells from being attacked by the free radical damages by neutralizing those free radicals.
Learn More: Top 13 Health And Nutritional Benefits Of Squash
2. Boosts Immunity
Pumpkins is a storehouse of nutrients such as vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin E, magnesium,iron, carotenoids, and many other healthy substances. Vitamin A can aid the cellular communication, which is indespensable for the tissues protecting against pathogens. Beta-carotene contained in pumpkin also offer the immune-boosting effects.
Vitamin C can also work well as an immune-booster because it can help to fight against infections effectively. Besides, many minerals can help to make sure proper immune functioning for the body. Pumpkin seeds contains great levels of zinc, and it is also very good for the human’s immunity. Zinc can help to protect our body from oxidative damage.
Read More: 26 Recommended Soft Foods For Sore Throat
3. Supports Digestion
Another one out of the best health and nutritional benefits of pumpkin that you should never look down at all costs is that pumpkin can aid digestion effectively!
Being a good source of fiber, pumpkin is a supportive agent for our digestion. Fiber can aid our body in digesting the foods we ate efficiently while absorbing all nutrients well. It can help a lot in moving foods through the digestive tract, preventing constipation, absorbing water, as well as adding bulk to the stool, thereby helping to control diarrhea. Avoid eating overripe and unripe pumpkins.
4. Aids Weight Loss
Pumpkin is very high in fiber and low in calories. Fiber is well-known to keep our stomach full for long, thereby helping to control our appetite positively. The high content of potassium contained in pumpkin can help a lot in flushing out excessive water and salt, thereby can help to reduce water weight.
In addition, pumpkin has a low glycemic load (GL 3) but high glycemic index (GI 75). A low glycemic load diet is considered more satiating than a high load one. Low glycemic load can restore our balance of energy through reduced food intake and increased satiety.
Learn More: 36 Best Foods To Lose Weight On The Planet
5. Promotes Younger – Looking Skin
This is also among the best benefits of pumpkin that people should never look down yet try to make use as soon as possible for good!
The high content of vitamin A in pumpkins offers anti-aging properties and can help to promote younger-looking and healthy skin. Besides, high levels of beta-carotene of pumpkin can aid a lot in reducing skin damage due to the sunlight.
The contents of vitamin E and vitamin C in these orange gourds can also aid in improving the overall health of our skin at the same time. They encourage the production of collagen and can bring about a glowing complexion.
6. Relieves Inflammation
Another one among the best health and nutritional benefits of pumpkin you should definitely not skip at all costs is the ability to reduce inflammation of this simple yet strong agent.
The carotenoids that give pumpkins their bright orange color also have powerful anti-inflammatory properties. They aid a lot in reducing inflammation that can cause several chronic health problems, such as heart disease, cancer, arthritis, and Type 2 diabetes.
Alpha-carotene contained in pumpkin can help to slow down the natural aging process and prevent the tumors’ development. The beta-carotene of pumpkin can also help in preventing the cholesterol buildup in arterial walls. The antioxidant vitamin E can help to protect against certain cancers and lowers the risks of Alzheimer’s as well.
Just 1/2 cup of pumpkin contains more than 100% of your body’s need for dietary allowance (RDA) of alpha-and beta-carotene.
7. Prenatal Power Food
Pumpkin and roasted pumpkin seed are very beneficial for women during pregnancy thanks to their several nutrients for the development of fetal. In addition, they bring about many digestive advantages and can also helop to reduce pregnant abdominal cramps at the same time.
Pumpkin contains high levels of iron that ca help to prevent anemia, carry oxygen to the babies, as well as decrease the risk of a premature childbirth. Remember not to consume this superfood excessively as it might lead to some abdominal discomforts. In fact, this is also among the most amazing health benefits of pumpkin that we all can make use by adding this food to daily diet right from today.
8. Post-Workout Food
Pumpkins, squash, and sweet potatoes are wonderful food choices for people after workouts. These nutrient-dense and starchy food items offer carbohydrates and, not similar to fruits, can help in replenishing muscle glycogen instead of liver glycogen at first. This is especialy good as you are striving to increase muscle or gain weight. It is also very good for people who are undergoing athletic training.
A cup of pumpkin smoothie or cooked pumpkin will also aid in refueling our potassium levels for restoring the electrolytes balance inside our body after a harsh workout.
9. Supports Heart Health
Nuts and seeds, such as pumpkin seeds, are very abundant in certain plant-based chemicals known as phytosterols – those substance proven to be good for reducing LDL or “bad” cholesterol. Keep reading to learn more nutritional and health benefits of pumpkin and how you can make use of this food at the comfort of your own home for good!
10. Reduces The Risks Of Cancers
Like their orange comrades, such as the sweet potato, the butternut squash, and the carrots, according to the National Cancer Institute, pumpkins are very high in beta-carotene – a powerful antioxidant that plays a key role in preventing cancers. In fact, this is also a good thing among health and nutritional benefits of pumpkin for life that we cannot forget to mention in this article and encourage you to make use as soon as possible for good!
11. Reduces High Blood Pressure
The high content of potassium in pumpkins can help a lot in controlling high blood pressure levels. The vitamin C contained in this orange gourd can also help to reduce blood pressure effectively. Just one cup of cooked canned pumpkin can satisfy up to 20 % of our daily requirement for vitamin C.
Besides, the high content of vitamin A in pumpkin can help to promote proper heart, lung, and kidney functions. Its abundant content of fiber can also help to keep the cholesterol levels in check, thereby can help to decrease the risks of stroke and heart disease.
12. Promotes Fertility
This is also a good one on the list of the best nutritional and health benefits of pumpkin that we want to reveal in the entire article today and you should make use right from now!
The B-complex vitamins that pumpkin seeds and pumpkins contain can support fertility effectvely as well. The high content of vitamin E in this orange gourd can also help to increase the fertility in both women and men.
It can help to increase the endometrial thickness in women having thin uterine linings, protect cell membranes from toxic compounds, as well as improve sperm motility and health.
Pumpkin seeds are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids as well so that they can boost fertility very well. They also aid in regulating reproductive hormones, reducing stress, and increasing blood flow to the reproductive organs.
13. Improves Mood
This is the last one yet a very important thing to know among health and nutritional benefits of pumpkin that we would like to introduce!
Pumpkin seeds are very abundant in tryptophan – an amino acid. While professional discovered that it is likely the overeating rather than the tryptophan lulling people to sleep, tryptophan is essential for the serotonin production, one of the main factor that affects our moods. Opt for some roasted pumpkin seeds on a regular basis to stay healthy without stress and mood swing.
In summary, pumpkin is very good for health as it brings about several nutritional and health benefits and is very easy to be added to various dishes. Make use of the advantages mentioned in the article above and enjoy! Have you experienced with any of these benefits? Remember to share with us in the feedback section below. Besides, if you have any question to ask about the content of this article, feel free to leave them below and wait for soon replication from us!