Health Benefits of Pumpkin and Its Nutrition

For sure, we use pumpkins for a thanksgiving pie filling or Halloween decorations. However, other than its use in festive decorations, pumpkin provides various health benefits.

Pumpkins are said to be vegetables. However, they come as the product of a flowering plant that bears seeds. A portion of delicious orange-colored food that is dense in nutrients and is a type of winter squash.

Here we will examine the health benefits of pumpkins, breakdown down their nutritional facts, and will look into ways to include them in your diet.

Nutritional Facts of Pumpkin

Nutritional facts of pumpkins will further let you know how nutrient-dense this orange-colored vegetable is!

Studies have shown that one cup of boiled, cooked, or drained pumpkin having no added salts contains:

Carbs

A cup of pumpkin contains 12g of carbohydrates in which 2.7g of carb is fiber, and some of it is presented as naturally occurring sugar, i-e 5.1 grams. Carbs present in pumpkins have a minimal impact on blood sugar levels.

The glycemic index indicates the pace at which the blood glucose levels rise in your body after consuming a food item. The glycemic index of pumpkin is found to be as high as 74, whereas its glycemic load is almost 6.4, which makes pumpkin a healthy option for diabetic patients. So if you are a diabetic patient, add a cup of boiled pumpkin to your diet plan to control your blood sugar level.

Protein

A cup of pumpkin provides only 1.76g of protein which is why it is not considered as a portion of protein-rich food. However, they come as important macronutrients. Pumpkin is a delicious, fiber-rich carbohydrate you may wish to add in protein-rich meals to balance out a high protein menu.

Fats

Pumpkins barely have fat in them. A single serving of pumpkin contains only 0.2 grams of fat. However, canned pumpkins or pumpkin spiced coffee may contain some fat from the dairy used in its making. So be chill when eating boiled or cooked pumpkin but careful when mixed with any fat-containing food.

Vitamins and Minerals

Pumpkins are a great source of vitamin C, beta carotene, and potassium. They are considered to be rich in beta carotene (5140mcg) that gets converted into vitamin A that supports the immune system, vision, and reproductive system.

Pumpkins also contain vitamin C, which decreases the overall severity and duration of the common cold and improves dermatological health. Potassium found in pumpkins is helpful in controlling blood pressure, making the heart function properly, and monitoring nerve response.

Vitamin E, riboflavin, manganese, and copper are also present in pumpkins. Vitamin E helps in protecting the body against any antioxidant damage. Riboflavin is important for converting food into usable energy and helps carry out different metabolic functions.

Calories

Pumpkin is considered to be fairly low in calories; although 1 cup contains 49 calories, it is still a low-calorie food. Pumpkins can help shed some pounds as it is less dense in calories and high in fiber. You can feel full for a long time without the need to eat and overload your body with extra calories.

What are you waiting for? Go grab a bowl of boiled or cooked pumpkins to fill your body with essential nutrients with no fear of calories?

Fiber

As quite evident, pumpkins are a fantastic source of dietary fiber. A single cup contains 2.7g of fiber that covers almost 10 percent of the daily value of fiber required for the human body.

The fiber content helps drive a multitude of functions in your body. It slows down the absorption of sugar in the blood and smooths the digestion process hence regulating the bowel movement. Similarly, the short-chain fatty acids that the bacteria in your gut produce by consuming the fiber helps in improving body immunity, cognitive function, and a lot of other things.

Health Benefits of Pumpkins

Pumpkins are highly nutritious food, and it has been shown to potentially provide the following benefit:

1) Strong Antioxidant

Pumpkins are one of the best sources of beta carotene. Apart from giving it the orange color, beta carotene makes it a powerful antioxidant that helps to protect human cells and boost the immune system. Our body converts this beta carotene into vitamin-A. This helps to reduce the chances of cell damage and neutralize the free radicals produced by our metabolic process and stop them from causing any harm to your cells.

2) Promotes Heart Health

Adding pumpkin to your diet can help you to have a healthy heart. Enrich in fiber helps to reduce the risk of heart diseases. Pumpkin is also helpful in stimulating the good cholesterol or the HDL cholesterol in the body as well. So those who desire to eat heart-healthy, then pumpkin is the right choice for all of you!

3) Immunity Booster

Pumpkin is an enriched source of multiple vitamins and minerals and is loaded with nutrients that act as immunity boosters. Pumpkin is a good source of vitamin A which helps strengthen your immune system and protect you from chronic diseases.

The presence of vitamin C is another factor that helps the immune cells work effectively by increasing the white blood cells in your body. White blood cells production is effective in making wounds heal faster. 

Apart from vitamins A and C, pumpkins also contain vitamin E and folate, which play an essential role in boosting the immune system.

4) May Help Protect Eye-Sight

Due to excessive exposure to screens, poor eyesight is common among the young generation as well as in old fellows due to the age factor.

Studies have shown that one of the reasons behind eyesight loss is vitamin A deficiency. Beta-carotene in pumpkin is transformed to vitamin A which is utilized to create the light-detecting receptors in your eyes. So to have better vision, protect your eyesight from diminishing and lower the risks of cataracts, eat beta carotene-rich food like pumpkin.

Make pumpkins part of your diet as it contains lutein and zeaxanthin, components that are well-known for their role in lowering age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The antioxidants found in the pumpkin helps in protecting the eye cells from overall damage, which may improve vision.

5) Promotes Healthy Skin

Collagen is the main protein for glowing, healthy-looking skin. Vitamin C promotes the production of collagen, hence making pumpkins effective for healthy skin. Apart from that, its antioxidants also protect skin from damage caused by the sun’s UV rays. So if you desire to have healthy skin, make pumpkins a part of your daily diet.

6) Regulates Blood Pressure

We know now that pumpkins are for those who want to eat heart-healthy food. Various contents in pumpkin, including vitamin C, fiber, and potassium, potentially support the immune system and regulate blood pressure.

Consumption of potassium is as important for the treatment of a high BP patient as decreasing the amount of sodium is. According to the studies of NIH, consumption of potassium plays a vital role in regulating BP and hence reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases. It won’t be wrong to say that pumpkin is effective in regulating your blood pressure and reducing CVD risks. Try to incorporate pumpkin into your diet to enjoy all its benefits.

7) Lower the Risk of Cancer

Cancer is a disease in which our cells multiply abnormally. Cancer cells are responsible for producing free radicals in the human body that multiply the growth of cancer cells.

Carotenoids that are responsible for the antioxidant properties of pumpkin help neutralize the free radicals and protect cells from further damage. Scientific studies suggest that the potent antioxidants found in pumpkins might reduce your overall risk of developing certain types of cancers.

For example, patients who consumed more beta-carotene were less prone to stomach cancer. Similarly, carotenoids help in lowering the risk of throat, breast, and pancreas cancer.

Ways to Add Pumpkin to Diet

Pumpkins are a nutrient-dense superfood that is easy to add to your diet. You can make pumpkins a part of your diet plan in many creative ways! Boiled, cooked, or puree, pumpkins are versatile and delicious. Pumpkin puree can be used as a substitute for oil, butter, and even eggs in baking.

You can add pumpkin as an autumnal spin in the morning oatmeal bowl. Pumpkin spice granolas are the best way to entertain your craving for pumpkin spice without any addition of refined sugar in your body.

Last but not least, don’t forget to use pumpkin seeds. Wash them and roast them and enjoy a healthy cup of roasted seeds.

The Bottom Line

Considering its above-mentioned nutritional facts, you can see how incredibly healthy the pumpkin is. Low-calorie content makes it ideal for those who want to lose. Try to incorporate pumpkin and its seed in your daily eating habit to reap its health benefits!