Ahhhhh.....My good friend Autumn is back! A time when those in the Northern States are beginning to enjoy the fresh, crisp, cool, clean air of a new season. (No crisp cool air for me, I live in hot humid sunny South Florida and loving every minute of it) But I have my Michigan memories of Autumn that always draws a smile to my face as I sit back and reminise of those leaves changing color and pumpkin patches that spread wildly across backyards and farmers fields.
Speaking of color, pumpkins as you know are a beautiful bold orange color that not only looks great in any decor setting but what you may not know is that the color itself is God's way of giving you a hint that this wonderful sphere of eye catching beauty is more than decor.... Its healthy!
Your table decoration/Jack O lantern is loaded with an important antioxidant called beta-carotene. When you eat your pumpkin instead of stabbing it...O, I mean carving it, your body turns this beta carotene into vitamin A. One cup of pure pumpkin puree straight out of the can has an amazing 310% of your RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) of vitamin A and only 80 calories.
Did you know they are 90% water? And that eating this pure pumpkin puree straight out of the can has less than 1 gram of fat, 19 grams of carbs, and 0 Cholesterol? And that you get 20% of the RDA of Vitamin C and for good measure you get a splash of protein weighting in a 2.4 grams!
Remember the 310% of your RDA of Vitamin A I just told you about? Well it gets even better.... That beta carotene in the Vitamin A helps to reduce certain types of cancer, lowers the risk of heart disease, and if you're someone who enjoys eating the pumpkin seeds you get the added benefit of reducing your risk of prostrate cancer, unless you're a women then no worries in that department just eat them because you love them. But whether you're a man or a women, don't forget to look for pumpkin seed butters as another delicious way to integrate pumpkin seeds into your diet.
(Note To Self: In order to get the most nutrition from pumpkin seeds you should eat them raw. Although roasting the seeds does increase the flavor it actually decreases the nutritional benefits somewhat. If you must roast your pumpkin seeds it is best to use as low a heat setting as possible for the least amount of time. If you don't give a rip about the seeds nutrition then do what I do and salt them with extreme joy and crisp them up to an almost burnt crunch and inhale by the hand full..LOL..)
On a more serious note, eating pumpkin also invites our good O friend fiber to enter our system and is responsible for keeping our bowels healthy which no one wants to talk about butt is a necessity. (Butt..LOL...all pun intended) Inside your incredible edible pumpkin you also get some zinc to enhance your immune system and fatty acids which are vital for your over all good health.
Most people probably think of the pumpkin as vegetable? But believe it or not a pumpkin is considered one of the fruits of the gourd family. It's a fruit because it's a fleshy plant that has seeds in it and comes from a flower. I guess this explains why canned pumpkin is found with all the other canned fruit in the grocery store. But an even bigger surprise is that the pumpkin is considered a berry. Whoa! That's one huge freeekin berry.
I have my own homemade recipe to infuse this beautiful orange fruit into my diet. Its called:
POWER PUMPKIN
* There are no exact measurements because I've never been the type of person who likes to be stuck in a box. Relax and add the ingredients, and be sure to do plenty of tasting along the way...Because we all know life is better when when you are free to taste it along the way. :)
1.) 1 can of pure pumpkin puree. (or more if you go crazy like I do when adding these next ingredients)
2.) Seeds, Seeds, Seeds and more Seeds... I always have plenty of Chia, Pumpkin, Sunflower & Ground Flax seed on hand but you can use anything you have in the house. The more the merrier I always say.)
3.) I like to add Walnuts but any nut will do.
4.)Wheat Germ (I used the honey roasted)
5.) Honey (squeeze and drizzle until the pumpkin taste sweet to your liking)
6.) Raisins (A few hand fulls)
7.) 1 or 2 Apples which ever kind you prefer when making an apple pie. (chopped them up small.)
8.) Pumpkin Pie Spice (enough to make your taste buds think they are eating a pumpkin pie.)
A.) Empty pumpkin into a large bowl.
B.) Mix in all the seeds, nuts, wheat germ, raisins & apples.
(*taste bud caution*...the mixture wont taste overly inviting until after you add the honey and spice)
C.) Go as crazy as you like with the honey and pumpkin pie spice. (squeeze, sprinkle, taste & repeat)
D.) Eat and enjoy now or cover and put in fridge.
OOO P.S. Just a little extra fun info for you. Did you know that the Colonists sliced off pumpkin tops, removed seeds and filled the insides with milk, spices and honey? This was baked in hot ashes and is the origin of pumpkin pie. If anyone ever wants to know where you heard that you can tell them you heard it from a health scientist. (wink wink)
