What is it?
Everyone knows what a pumpkin is. It is the fruit that decks the porch of every house during Halloween. It is carved to make jack-o’-lanterns and scary decors.
Although they seem to be everywhere, pumpkins have their origins in Mexico dating back 7,000 BC and it was the Native Americans who first enjoyed it. Pumpkins, a member of the Cucurbitaceae gourd family same as watermelon and cucumber, and looks like a squash. It was grown as a field vegetable crop. Inside its hollow belly are edible seeds—pumpkin seeds or “pepita” as they are sometimes called—which are used as food, oil and medicine.
One pumpkin contains around 500 seeds. Pumpkin seed has an ovoid shape, semi-flat with a conical tip and the color of the husks is creamy white. Inside though, the color turns to olive green. Organic pumpkin seeds have a nutty flavor and a buttery texture which can be enjoyed in so many ways.
The ancients knew this. Native American tribes added it in stews, beans and other dishes and used it to treat kidney, urinary and gastric problems. Today, it is used to alleviate many other diseases. Some of the largest producers of pumpkin seeds include the United States, India and Mexico.
Small as they are, pumpkin seeds are a source of concentrated nutrients, anti-oxidants, amino acids and other vitamins and minerals that help the body in so many ways:
It reduces anxiety and nervousness. The amino acids in pumpkin seeds called tryptophan is converted by the body to produce serotonin, a neuro-chemical that promotes sleep and reduce anxiety. The seeds also contain niacin which boost GABA (gamma-amino butyric acis) activity in the brain, thus reducing stress, nervousness and irritability.
It fights heart disease. Pumpkin seeds have phytosterols and mono-unsaturated fats that lower bad cholesterol in the blood and prevent stroke and coronary disease.
Pumpkin seeds contain significant amounts of essential amino acids (tryptophan and glutamate), zinc (10mg of zinc per 3.5oz), protein (100g provide 54% of RDA for protein), magnesium, niacin, mono-unsaturated fats and other nutrients that help prevent and even alleviate a number of diseases: osteoporosis, arthritis, bladder problems, benign porostatic hyperplasia and diabetes.
What makes our pumpkin seeds different?
Impact Foods can provide a consistent supply of organic pumpkin seeds in bulk, private label and white label. We can also deliver to any place in the UK and all throughout Europe.