Pumpkin by the United States and some other countries is often used as one of the attributes of Halloween. In Indonesia, many hunted pumpkin season of Ramadan came to be made into a compote or fresh fruit mixed drinks. Pumpkin flour can be used in a series of food products, for example in noodles, bread, ice cream, biscuits, cake, and others. Pumpkin pulp can be used directly through several stages of processing into chips and pumpkin stick.
Nutrition and Benefits of Pumpkin
Heavy yellow pumpkins can reach 3-5 kg. Usually this fruit has green and pale yellow. Pumpkin fruit or the color orange has a very high carotenoid. Carotenoids in pumpkins mostly have beta-carotene which is a source of antioxidants, which can prevent premature aging and cancer.
Pumpkin also contains Vitamin C which serves as an immune function for the formation of iron-rich blood, potassium is useful for maintaining water and electrolyte balance in the body and pumpkins also contain fibers that serve to the body's digestive
Pumpkin is also known to contain quite a lot of potassium, a mineral that is said can reduce the risk of developing hypertension.
Other minerals contained in the pumpkin are zinc, which can improve the immune system (defense) body. Not to mention the ability to reduce the risk of osteoporosis, because zinc plays a role in supporting bone density.
Fiber content in high enough pumpkin is useful in digestive health to reduce the risk of constipation. In addition, according to research, that fiber can also reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease.
Pumpkin juice is useful as an antidote to poison animals and seeds can be a tapeworm medication. The juice of the fruit can also be used as natural dyes in traditional food processing because it has a yellow color due to the content of beta-carotene.
In addition to meat, pumpkin seeds also have the benefit, which is to relieve the symptoms of arthritis, because it contains anti-inflammatory substances.
A simple way to eat fruit that is mixed with yellow squash cut, peeled, roasted and spiked olive oil, salt, and pepper as a simple dish that was delicious. Pumpkin seeds or commonly called pepitas, can be found at the nearest supermarket. Usually the pumpkin seeds are available in the form of an instant that could be eaten.