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Health Benefits of Pumpkin

by | Dec 16, 2023 | Dr. Alyssa DeSena, Gut Health, Naturopathic Medicine, Recipe

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Pumpkin not only tastes good, but has many health benefits which I am going to share with you in this blog post.

In this blog post we’ll cover:

  • nutrition content of pumpkin and pumpkin seeds

  • health benefits from pumpkin

  • how to incorporate more pumpkin in your diet

The meat of a pumpkin is very nutritious and contain many vitamins and minerals like vitamins C and B1, folic acid, pantothenic acid, potassium, beta carotene and dietary fiber.

In my house, we always used to carve pumpkins for Halloween. One of my favorite parts of that was roasting the seeds and getting to eat them afterwards. What I didn’t realize back then is all the health benefits to them. The seeds contain many minerals including zinc, phosphorous, magnesium, potassium, and selenium.

Health benefits of pumpkin include improving spermatogenesis, wound healing, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, anti-ulcerative properties, and treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

Pumpkins have really strong antioxidant properties with all of the nutrients found inside. The carotenoids found in pumpkin help to fight the oxidative stress in the body and protect your cells from destruction.

Not sure what oxidative stress is? This is when there are a ton of free radicals in the body. Free radicals are molecules that are very unstable and damaging. When a ton of free radicals are present, this causes oxidative stress. The oxidative stress impacts the structure of the cells and damaging DNA inside the cells. Oxidative stress can come from a poor diet, chemicals, pollutants and pesticides, cigarettes, alcohol, exposures to radiation.

Higher oxidative stress = aging more quickly

There are many nutrients in pumpkin that make it a great food for eye health. The carotenoids found in pumpkin that are great for oxidative stress are also great for eye health. These carotenoids include beta carotenoid, zeaxanthin, and lutein. What are carotenoids? They are pigments found in plants that are related to vitamin A.

Once these nutrients are absorbed in the digestive tract, the zeaxanthin and lutein get transported to the eye where they provide oxidative protection.

Pumpkin for Skin Health

The antioxidant effects of carotenoids have the ability to protect the skin against UV damage, basically having the ability to help prevent sunburn.

Pumpkin can be amazing for the skin. Fighting the free radicals not only protects your cells all over the body, but in your skin too. Less oxidative damage to the skin means less wrinkles.

One thing I commonly recommend with patients who are dealing with acne is zinc. A lack of zinc in the body will enhance the effect that testosterone has on the skin. When we have more testosterone, our skin will be oilier and makes more keratin, making it the perfect ground for acne to form. Zinc is also a great way to support the healing of acne breakouts. Sprouted pumpkin seeds can be an amazing source of zinc.

The high vitamin C content in pumpkin helps to boost up your collagen. Collagen makes up your joints and skin. By boosting your vitamin C intake, your body will be able to produce collagen that will reduce wrinkles, create more elasticity, and hydrate your skin, giving you a more youthful appearance. We love that around here. (do you want to put a plug for extra anti-aging skin care for red light or PRP/micro needling?)

Pumpkin & Your Digestion

The nutrients in pumpkin, specifically carotenoids, is that like vitamin A, they are fat soluble. If your digestion is out of whack and you’re not digesting fats, you won’t be able to absorb many fat-soluble nutrients like the ones we’ve talked about so far.

If you’re dealing with digestive issues, now is the time to get those addressed! You no longer need to deal with symptoms that make you feel like you are dragging with zero energy throughout the day, getting stomach pains from everything you eat, or feeling like a balloon is in your belly by the end of the day. I work with women daily on helping to improve their digestive health to help kick gas and bloating to the curb, and improve their energy. Does this sound like something you’re interested in? Book your visit through this link here.

Different ways to consume pumpkin:

  • pumpkin seeds

  • pumpkin puree

  • pumpkin oil

Pumpkin Recipes I’m Loving

Pumpkin Smoothie

  • ¼ cup of pumpkin

  • 1 green banana

  • ½ cup of plant based milk

  • 3tbs of chia seeds

  • ¼ cup of yogurt

  • A dash of cinnamon

Blend until all ingredients are incorporated and enjoy!

Pumpkin can be a really great food to incorporate into your diet this fall, but keep in mind all those sugary pumpkin drinks can wreck havoc on your gut and hormone health, so be mindful and enjoy some pumpkin recipes that have minimal, clean ingredients!

Pumpkin smoothie

  • ¼ cup of pumpkin

  • 1 green banana

  • ½ cup of plant based milk

  • 3tbs of chia seeds

  • ¼ cup of yogurt

  • A dash of cinnamon

Blend until all ingredients are incorporated and enjoy!

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