Pumpkin is an ideal and indispensable autumn food, rich in medicinal ingredients, tasty and at the same time low in calories.
Science has proven that pumpkin contains a large number of carotenoid phytonutrients.
Carotenoids are responsible for the orange color of this food, but also for many medicinal properties of pumpkin. Among them are alpha-carotene and beta-carotene, also known as provitamins of vitamin A, because they can be converted into the active form of vitamin A, writes N1.
The beneficial effects of pumpkin
Among vegetables, pumpkin is one of the most concentrated sources of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an omega-3 essential fatty acid that is very good for heart health.
This acid is converted to EPA, a fatty acid abundant in fish, which has been found to lower triglycerides and prevent heart rhythm changes. ALA in the diet itself lowers the risk of developing heart and cardiovascular system diseases.
In addition to its concentration of provitamin A, it is an excellent source of vitamin A, it is also a good source of vitamin C. This synergistic action of antioxidants benefits not only heart health, but also overall health because they help prevent the development of atherosclerosis.
Since it contains as much as 90 percent water, it is easily digestible, and it also contains fiber. It is excellent for all those who have problems with digestion because it stimulates digestion and thus calms the inflammation of the digestive tract.
It enables better functioning of the liver and bile, contains enzymes that break down fat in the blood. It also promotes the excretion of urine, helps with inflammation of the urinary system and prevents the formation of kidney stones.
Pumpkin can be consumed raw, boiled, baked or fried. In addition to the fleshy part, its seeds are also used, which are many considering the total weight of the fruit.
Pumpkin seeds contain an incomparably higher energy and nutritional value than the fleshy edible part of the pumpkin. They contain 30 percent of proteins, from 25 to 38 percent of fatty oil, about five percent of resin, essential oil, sugar, pectin and enzymes, such as cucurbitin, phytosterone and tocopherol.
From pumpkin seeds, by cold pressing, oil is obtained, which is actually an extract of the seeds with all its medicinal properties. The oil is also easily digestible, full of unsaturated fatty acids that contain all our body cells and stimulate cell regeneration, strengthening the immune and nervous systems.
Pumpkin seed oil prevents the onset and development of arteriosclerosis, breaks blood clots and deposits on the walls of blood vessels and thus protects against heart attack and stroke.
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