Pumpkin Benefits
Plus 10 pumpkin recipes to make this fall.
Fall is officially here, and so is pumpkin everything 🎃
While I'm not into all the pumpkin-spice foods and drinks, I do love to incorporate canned pumpkin into my meals this time of year because it's full of nutrients.
A ½-cup serving of canned pumpkin has only 40 calories and 10 grams carbohydrate (7 grams net carb), while also providing 3 grams of fiber. This makes it a low-glycemic food that won't lead to elevations in blood sugars, which is important for minimizing inflammation.
Pumpkin is also rich in vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta-carotene (provitamin A), which are “principle micronutrient (vitamins) antioxidants” that scavenge free radicals.
Free radicals damage our cells which increases inflammation and accelerates aging and disease. This is why it's so important to incorporate foods containing these antioxidants (like pumpkin!) to protect against the harmful effects of free radicals.
Pumpkin is one of the best known sources of vitamin A, providing 104% the daily value in just ½-cup!
The vitamin A in pumpkin comes from beta-carotene, an antioxidant that gives the bright-orange color to pumpkin and gets converted into vitamin A in the gut.
Vitamin A is essential for eye health and reduces the risk of eye conditions like dry eye, cataracts, macular degeneration, and night-blindness. In fact, vitamin A deficiency is one of the first signs of night blindness according to the World Health Organization.
Research shows that vitamin A can help to prevent and alleviate symptoms of dry eye since it's required for maintaining the the ocular tear film, which protects and lubricates the eye. This was observed after just 3 days in a study where patients with a diagnosis of dry eye supplemented with 1,500 mg of vitamin A.
Pumpkin is also a prebiotic for gut health due to the fiber and polyphenols that it contains, which fuel the beneficial bacteria to support a healthy microbiome.
One study found that pumpkin "reshaped the gut microbiota" by increasing the number of beneficial bacteria, reducing the number of harmful bacteria, and increasing the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA's) which play an important role in reducing inflammation and keeping the gut lining strong (preventing leaky gut).
While canned pumpkin provides some magnesium (about 6% DV in ½-cup), pumpkin seeds are one of the best natural food sources of magnesium!
Pumpkin seeds (or pepitas), provide around 40% the daily value of magnesium in a ¼-cup serving, as well as 2 grams of fiber and 11 grams of protein.
Magnesium is involved in around 80% of bodily functions (over 300 processes) including bone health, nerve function, regulating blood pressure and blood glucose levels, and promoting rest and relaxation.
However, it's also of the common nutrient deficiencies in the US, with around 50% of Americans being deficient in magnesium and up to 75% of Americans not meeting the Recommended Daily Intake of 420 mg.
Since both pumpkin and pumpkin seeds are rich in nutrients that support optimal health, try incorporating more of them into your diet this fall!
My favorite way to use pumpkin is adding ½ cup to my yogurt or smoothies for breakfast (recipe ideas below).
Here are 10 ideas for using pumpkin:
Add ½ cup canned pumpkin into your yogurt with cinnamon and/or pumpkin pie spice like this pumpkin pie yogurt bowl
Make a pumpkin pie smoothie
I love to add pumpkin seeds onto salads, to homemade granola, on top of pumpkin yogurt, and just snack on by the handful for a boost of protein, fiber, and magnesium.
What are your favorite ways to use pumpkin?
-xo Kate
I'll be sending out an email to founding members with the recipes for October's cooking session in the next couple of weeks! We'll be making pumpkin chili and roasted pepitas. If you like to join, you can do so here.