The Nutritional Benefits of Pumpkin

Autumn is here, the weather is getting cooler, and stores are filling up with pumpkins—a favorite of the season. You might be wondering: does pumpkin have a place in a well-rounded diet? Let’s take a look at what pumpkin can do for your body.

Key Nutrients and Calories

You can eat many parts of a pumpkin in different recipes. The inside (called the flesh), the seeds, and the skin all have different healthy nutrients and amounts of calories.

• Flesh (the inside part) – low in calories, has lots of water, and gives you carbohydrates, fiber, and protein
• Seeds – more nutrient-dense and full of protein and fiber
• Pumpkin seed oil – has healthy fats that are good for your heart
• Skin – has fiber and other natural substances that help keep your gut healthy (1)

Carotenoids, Vitamins, & Minerals

Pumpkin has lots of special nutrients called carotenoids that help your eyes stay healthy. It also provides many important vitamins, including vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin A, vitamin K, and B vitamins. The inside and outside (peel) of pumpkin have important minerals, such as potassium, phosphorus, calcium, and magnesium. The seeds have even more minerals, like zinc, iron, manganese, copper, and selenium. These nutrients work together to help your body stay strong and healthy, especially during the colder months of fall and winter (1).

Bioactive Phytochemicals

Pumpkin has natural plant chemicals that help protect your body’s cells and lower swelling or inflammation. It also has nutrients that help your body make serotonin, which helps you feel happy and calm (1).

Health & Therapeutic Benefits 

Adding pumpkin to your diet can provide many health and wellness benefits. 

• Helps control blood sugar – pumpkin may help lower blood sugar levels due to it’s high-fiber content.
• Good for your heart – pumpkin’s healthy fats, fiber, and other nutrients can help lower bad cholesterol and raise good cholesterol.
• Protects your liver – pumpkin seeds and pumpkin oil may help keep the liver healthy.
• Helps with urinary health – pumpkin seed oil can help with urinary problems.
• Supports mood – proteins in pumpkin seeds can help lower feelings of anxiety and depression (1).

How to Add Pumpkin to Your Diet

After hearing about the benefits of pumpkin, you might be wondering: How can I add more pumpkin into my diet? There are many ways to add pumpkin to the foods you already eat, or you can add new pumpkin favorites to your kitchen’s fall menu!

Pureed pumpkin can be added to oatmeal, smoothies, pasta sauce, and baked goods. It can also be used to make tasty soups and chilis.

Pumpkin seeds can be toasted and added to salads, granola, baked goods, oatmeal, soups, or smoothies. They’re also great to snack on raw, toasted, or with your favorite seasoning. Don’t be afraid to get creative and experiment with pumpkin seeds in your favorite foods.

Pumpkin seed oil can be added to smoothies, sauces, salad dressing, or as a topping for roasted vegetables and soups.

Pumpkin skin is often best roasted with seasoning or blended into soups.

Overall, pumpkin is a delicious and nutritious food that you can enjoy in lots of different ways. Next time you see pumpkins at the store, think about picking one up to use in a tasty new recipe for you and your family.

References

(1) Batool, M., Ranjha, M. M. A. N., Roobab, U., Manzoor, M. F., Farooq, U., Nadeem, H. R., Nadeem, M., Kanwal, R., AbdElgawad, H., Jaouni, S. K. A., Selim, S., & Ibrahim, S. A. (2022). Nutritional value, phytochemical potential, and therapeutic benefits of pumpkin (Cucurbita sp.). Plants, 11(11), 1394. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11111394