Why Decorate With Pumpkins When You Can EAT Them!?

Pumpkins are most commonly used for Fall Holiday decor, but many forget that Pumpkins are full of healthy nutrients that are beneficial for your body.

Health Benefits of Pumpkins

Check out the abundance of vitamins and minerals that are found in your average Pumpkin!

• Pumpkins are the perfect food this fall for many reasons, including the fact that they are high in fiber and very low in calories and fat. I suggest not ruining it by adding sugar and other additives, which are common with pumpkin cookies and pumpkin pie. Make your own healthier version from scratch.

•Pumpkins are very high in vitamin A, which help boosts the immune system, maintains healthy teeth, bones and eyes, prevents urinary stones, and even fights against some cancers.

• Pumpkins are full of Potassium which lowers blood sugar levels, prevents stroke, and helps keep the heart and kidneys healthy.

•You can find Pantothenic acid (or vitamin B-5) in pumpkins, which help increase skin health, lowers cholesterol levels, help manage stress, and may even help prevent cataracts according to new studies.

•Pumpkins are full of Carotenoids, which are antioxidants that boost the immune system and protect cells from the danger of free radicals. Carotenoids have been shown to fight against heart disease and cancer.

Health Benefits of Pumpkin Seeds

Not only can you benefit from the pumpkins itself, but you can also enjoy the delicious pumpkin seeds too!

• Pumpkin seeds contain high amounts of manganese, magnesium, iron, zinc, and even protein!

• Pumpkin seeds contain L-tryptophan, a natural way to fight depression.

• Want to prevent Kidney Stones? According to studies, pumpkin seeds prevent the calcium oxalate kidney stone formation, more commonly known as a “kidney stone”.

• Pumpkin seeds contain phytosterols, which has been shown to help lower cholesterol levels.

• Men can achieve overall prostate health due to the nutrients found in pumpkin seeds.

• Pumpkin seeds are  a natural anti-inflammatory, without the negative side effects of anti-inflammatory drugs.

As you can see, there are plenty of reasons to enjoy the health benefits of Pumpkins and it’s seeds. What are some of your favorite (healthy!) ways to enjoy pumpkin?

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Tags: Pumpkin

Thanksgiving can be good for you…

Thanksgiving can either brake you or be quite beneficial for your body. It’s all about preparation. Here’s a couple of traditional foods that no Thanksgiving should be without.

Turkey

Great news, Turkey is not only low in fat (ok, without the skin anyways), but it is also high in B Vitamins, Potassium, Zinc, and Folic acid. So what’s so great about all of that? These wonderful nutrients are helpful in lowering blood cholesterol, protect against heart disease, and cancer. What else does Turkey do to help? Turkey also aids the immune system, nerve function and growth, and help regulate blood pressure.

Potato

High in Vitamin C, B-Complex, Potassium, Magnesium, and Calcium. As a result, potatoes are helpful with relieving high blood pressure and rheumatism, and helps boost the immune system. If you are trying to lose weight though, limit the potato intake.

Cranberry

Full of antioxidants, Calcium and other healing properties.  Research suggests that Cranberries can help with heart disease, helps to strengthen bones, can get rid of some types of stomach ulcers, heal urinary tract infections, and even helps as dental health. A lot of Cranberry products are loaded with sugar, so try to go the all natural route.

Yams

Yams are like a super veggie, with lots of vitamins and minerals that are very helpful to the body. Yams are a great source of Potassium, B Vitamins, Manganese, Fiber, Folic acid and healthy carbohydrates. If you want to reap the ultimate benefits of yams, I would suggest skipping the idea of “candied yams”. Adding the sugar to the yams will dilute the health benefits of the yam, so a great alternative is using a small amount of butter or coconut oil and a couple dashed of salt and pepper. No sugar needed to enjoy.

Pumpkin

High in Antioxidants (Carotenoids, Zeaxanthin and Lutein) and also high in Fiber, Iron, and Zinc. If you can find a Pumpkin Pie recipe without all the sugar, you will be all set!

Healthy Thanksgiving

As you can see, Thanksgiving can be very healthy for you. How you can ensure that Thanksgiving is a healthy meal for you, is to avoid sugar as much as possible. Another thing that you can do, is be sure that you eat until you are satisfied. Don’t just keep eating more and more just because food is there. That’s what leftovers is for! Don’t get so stuffed that you feel sick. If you do, you aren’t benefiting your body the way you should be.

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Tags: Cranberry, Healthy, Nutrition, potato, potatoes, Pumpkin, Thanksgiving, Turkey, Weight Loss, Yam