Pumpkins Are A Superfood!

First and foremost, today is Veteran’s Day, a day to honor the brave men and women who have fought in all wars.

And also, even though Halloween has passed, we are still deep into pumpkin season! Did you know that pumpkins are a type of winter squash loaded with health benefits?

According to Healthline, pumpkin is “a highly nutrient-dense food, rich in vitamins and minerals but low in calories. Pumpkins have antioxidants, such as beta carotene in them, (which can reduce the risk of cancer and chronic diseases,) as well as potassium which helps regulate blood pressure.” Beta-carotene, is a carotenoid that your body converts into Vitamin A, which is wonderful for boosting immunity, fighting infections, and protecting your eyesight. Pumpkin contains heart-friendly fiber and Vitamin C, as well as Copper, Manganese, Vitamin B2, Vitamin E, Iron, and in smaller amounts, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, folate and several of the B vitamins.

Pumpkins are versatile, and can be eaten in sweet or savory dishes such as pancakes, pie, as a roasted vegetable, in soups or pasta and even the seeds are yummy when scooped out and roasted. Pumpkin lattes are not a superfood if you add lots of sugar and unhealthy ingredients but smoothies with pumpkin, spinach (which you don’t taste) a bit of banana with cinnamon and a few drops of chocolate Stevia, it’s delicious and healthy. When you’re buying pumpkin canned, it’s best to buy organic and be sure to look for 100% pumpkin and not pumpkin pie flavor.

I MUST share a hack that my youngest daughter showed me last week. I’m not a fan of digging my hands into the squishy carved pumpkin to get the seeds out. She astounded me by cutting the top of the pumpkin off and putting her handheld mixer inside of the pumpkin. After several revolutions around the inside, she turned the pumpkin upside down and out fell all of the seeds to be spread onto a cookie sheet! It cuts through all of the fibrous strings and releases the seeds easily. The seeds then get sprinkled lightly with Kosher salt or cinnamon, and baked off in the oven!

Give it a try this weekend, thank Veterans for their service, and stay enchanted.