Pumpkin is one of the fruits that incredibly rich in nutrients. This sweet fruit belongs to Cucurbitaceae family which contains vital oxidants, vitamin A, and low in calories. In general, it has a round shape with deep yellow to orange in color. Moreover, the fruit possesses golden-yellowish flesh inside and also has white colored seeds forming like a net. Furthermore, it is the most popular field crops cultivated around the world. Nutrients in Pumpkin” state=”closed
In another hand, there are still many nutrients you have to know of pumpkin. So, here we list the detailed nutritional value of this fruit.
| Information | Amount per 100 gram | % Daily Value |
| Calories | 26 | |
| Total Fat | 0.1 g | |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | 0 % |
| Sodium | 1 mg | 0 % |
| Potassium | 340 mg | 9 % |
| Total Carbohydrate | 7 g | 2 % |
| Dietary Fiber | 0.5 g | 2 % |
| Sugar | 2.8 g | |
| Protein | 1 g | 2 % |
| Vitamin A 170% | Vitamin C 15% | Magnesium 3% |
| Calcium 2% | Iron 4% | Vitamin B-6 5% |
*Percent Daily Values are based on 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
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As listed above, pumpkin is such a good source of important nutrients. Next, we will list the health benefits of pumpkin.
1. Prevents Eyes Degenerative
Research has shown that a higher intake of consuming fruits with vitamin A contained, helps to decrease the risk of macular degeneration. Also, it shows that antioxidant vitamins and beta-carotene are having a role in protecting our eyes. While pumpkin is providing a high level of vitamin A, it may help you to improve eye’s health. In the same way, antioxidants contained in pumpkin also prevent the degenerative to the visual sight. Thus, consuming this fruit is one of the ways for getting the good visual sight.
Related: Benefits of Cucumber for Eyes – Benefits of Taurine for Eyes
2. Weight Loss Treatment
Pumpkin is considered to lower body’s weight. As it is a good source of fiber and low in calories, pumpkin helps you to lower your body’s weight faster. Moreover, it is known that having a fiber-rich diet may help you do a diet, and thereby shed pounds. So, it turns out that pumpkin takes part for maintaining our body’s weight.
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3. Increases Energy Supply
People usually consume supplement routinely to ensure that their body has enough energy for continuing activities. In another hand, there is a cut way in order having more energy supply. At this point, the fiber composition in pumpkin is having an important role for the stage of increasing energy level. In fact, it gives you more energy since this nutrient keeps you feel fuller longer. Thus, you may consume supplement for supporting your body’s health but do not forget to consume a good healthy food for the completion of nutrition.
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4. Lowers Blood Pressure
When it comes to the function in lowering blood pressure, it goes to the role of potassium. Since pumpkin contains the source of potassium, this fruit gives you a positive effect on your blood pressure. By consuming adequate potassium, it helps you to lower blood pressure due to the decreasing of sodium intake. In addition, consuming spinach, avocado and bananas may also help you to prevent the risk of having any blood pressure diseases.
Related: Symptoms of Low Blood Pressure – Symptoms of High Blood Pressure
5. Prevents Hypertension
Hypertension is a condition while your blood pressure is too high in levels. It may cause by the high amount of water and salt in your body. At this point, pumpkin seed oil is beneficial for preventing hypertension caused by phytoestrogens contained. The studies also show that it may help you to lower both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. As a result, you may consume this fruit in order to prevent this disease.
6. Lowers Risk of Diabetes
As a matter of fact, consuming fruits and vegetables may help your body becomes healthier than before. On other hand, people is trying to find an effective way of preventing and curing diabetes. As a result, pumpkin might be the option to recover. Studies also show that pumpkin takes parts in reducing blood glucose levels and increasing the amount of insulin. Therefore, this fruit is really helping you to lower and prevent diabetic complications by decreasing oxidative stress.
Related: Types of Diabetes – Diabetes Treatments with Natural Sources
7. Lowers Risk of Heart Disease
People must be aware of the risk of heart disease caused by the increasing of bad cholesterol level. At this matter, pumpkin which is naturally rich in phytosterols chemical has been shown in studies to reduce the bad cholesterol. Moreover, pumpkin seeds also contain dietary fiber and mono-unsaturated fatty acids, which are good for the heart’s health. Then, it might be not an easy way, but if we put more efforts for preventing the risk of this disease, the things will just getting into a right place.
Related: Symptoms of Heart Attack in Women
8. Reduces Formation of Kidney Stones
It is potassium that has a great role in supporting our body’s function. At this point, the nutrient can be found in many fruits and vegetable composition. In fact, pumpkin also has this nutrient inside. As the consequence, this potassium helps to reduce the formation of kidney stones in our body.
Related: Symptoms of Kidney Stones
9. Reduces Risk of Cancer
Pumpkin is the good source of many beneficial nutrients. Studies have shown that beta-carotene inside this fruit may help to reduce the risk of developing certain types of cancer. Beta-carotene acts as a powerful antioxidant that gives the orange color for both fruits and vegetables. Besides, pumpkin also takes part in preventing the development of prostate cancer as it contains a high amount of Zinc. Consequently, pumpkin is indeed the fruit that has a good role in reducing the growth of cancer cells.
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10. Fights Against Asthma
Asthma is considered as one of the respiratory problems which happen because tightening of the bronchial tubes. Asthma is also making breath difficult or even impossible to do. Yet, there is an alternative way to reduce the risk of this disease. Then, as pumpkin seeds contain the magnesium composition inside, it can help to reduce recurrence of asthmatic attacks.
Related: Symptoms of Asthma
11. Acts as Anti-Inflammatory
Another benefit you can get from consuming pumpkin is the way this fruit acts as an anti-inflammatory. The one who works on it is the oil from its seeds. Furthermore, to prevent the inflammation that could happen to your body, it is a good choice to have pumpkin as your food option.
12. Improves Digestion Systems
You must have ever experienced several health problems of digestion system, haven’t you? To cure this disease, it is recommended to eat fruits and vegetables which contain a high amount of fiber. Furthermore, as a natural source of fiber, you can choose a pumpkin to consume in order for curing and preventing any digestion system’s problems. In fact, a half-cup of pumpkin gives you 5 grams of fiber. Thus, if you want to have a healthy digestion system, try to eat pumpkin for your daily food routine as it helps promote good digestion and gastrointestinal health.
Related: Health Benefits of Fiber
13. Improves Bone’s Health
What are the reasons to have pumpkin as our food menu? One of them is because of its ability to improve our bone’s healthy. This function comes due to the presence of high amount of magnesium contained in pumpkin seeds. In fact, ¼ cup of pumpkin seeds provides almost 50 percent of your daily requirement magnesium. Further, magnesium acts synergistically with calcium to improve our bone’s health.
Related: Health Benefits of Calcium
14. Protects The Skin
Surprisingly, pumpkin also has benefits for our beauty needs. For this reason, it has a rich amount of vitamin C and alpha-carotene which is a carotenoid that converts to retinol, a form of vitamin A. This nutrient acts as anti-aging nutrient due to the renewal process of skin cells. Then, it increases the production of collagen for a smooth and youthful skin. Further, this orange-yellowish food offers you a help for protecting the skin from sun ultraviolet rays. With this function, it helps you prevents from any free radicals that may harm your skin. Moreover, this fruit also exfoliates and soothes our skin. Then, in summarize, consuming pumpkin daily will help you to promote a beautiful and healthy skin.
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15. Boosts The Immune System
It is known that pumpkin’s flesh and seeds are full of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. In the same way, pumpkin seeds are a good source of zinc which helps to improve cells growth and boost the immune system. To fulfill our nutrient needs, it is a must to consume zinc contained foods. Otherwise, the deficiency of this nutrient will lead you to several diseases such as chronic fatigue, depression, and increased risks of colds and flu. Besides, vitamin C contained in pumpkin may help you recover from colds faster.
Furthermore, a high amount of vitamin A provides many benefits including to boost our immune system. This fruit helps you to fight virus, infections, and risks of any disease. Even, pumpkin oil also helps in fighting various bacterial and fungal infections.
16. Burns The Fat
Everyone wants to burn the fat. Afterward, they do diet routinely. However, their diet may not work properly caused by lack of nutrients. To be the solution, pumpkin laid the fact that it is loaded with high nutrients composition and low calorie which is good for your diet. Thus, this fruit may help you to eat fewer calories and burn more fat by regulating the blood sugar levels.
17. Acts As Free Radical Antioxidants
With a high level of magnesium, manganese, beta-carotene, and Vitamin A composition, pumpkin seeds are the best nutrient source for our body’s health. In addition, they also prevent free radicals by having phytosterols and rich amount of antioxidant inside. Then, if you are afraid of having a disease caused by free radicals exposure, you may consume this fruit as it can help to prevent.
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18. Promotes A Good Sleep
In a very busy day, still, you must have a good sleep time for 7-8 hours per day. However, nowadays people may experience insomnia so often due to many factors. Then, pumpkin is being there to help you. This fruit’s seeds are rich in tryptophan, the amino acid that contributes to promoting a good sleep. It is also responsible for helping our body produces the serotonin which may make you relax and boost your mood. Moreover, it also has a role in preventing depression and anxiety. Otherwise, the deficiency of this substance may increase the risks of having a bad quality of sleep time.
19. Boosts Your Mood
If you want to have a chewy snack that also has the health benefits to your body, the answer goes to pumpkin seeds. As described in the previous statement, it helps you to improve the quality of your mood. Moreover, this pumpkin’s seeds are rich in the amino acid tryptophan which is producing the serotonin, the one who has an important role in boosting your mood. Then, instead of having chocolate to boost your mood, consuming pumpkin might be another option to choose.
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20. Source of Magnesium
Studies show that magnesium is taking a part in many physiological functions which are relaxing the nervous system, improving muscle growth and regulating bowel movements. Then, to summarize, it is recommended to eat pumpkin as it requires a good source of magnesium requirements.
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21. Source of Antioxidants
Not only for requiring a good magnesium inside, but pumpkin is also having beta-carotene, which is a powerful antioxidant. Moreover, this nutrient helps you to protect cells and boost the immune system. So, complete your antioxidant needs, by consuming pumpkin in your life!
22. Source of Omega-3 Fats
Another role that pumpkin plays is the way this fruit provides a good source of Omega-3 Fats or known as alpha-linolenic acid or ALA. Further, ALA is being converted into an essential omega-3 fats EPA and DHA. Then, consuming more pumpkin is a way to get the essential Omega-3 fats composition.
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23. Promotes Fertility
People may have to consume iron contained foods to support the body’s health. Studies show, by consuming iron may help you to promote fertility. Also, vitamin A and beta-carotene is also an essential thing for helping the development of pregnancy. In addition, eating spinach will also boost the zinc level on your body.
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24. Improves Men Sexual Health
It is no doubt that pumpkin is a solid source of the essential nutrient. From here on, seeds of the pumpkin are the rich source of beta-carotene and other antioxidants. However, one fact you may not know, eating pumpkin may help to support the men’s health. Besides, zinc in pumpkin is also having a role on male sexual health. Thus, the function of pumpkin nutrients not only for women’s health during pregnancy but also for men’s sexual health.
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25. Improves Muscle Function
The one who may help to improve our muscle function is the presence of potassium. This potassium helps to balance electrolytes after a heavy workout and keeps muscles functioning at their best. Otherwise, deficiency of potassium may lead to chronic fatigue and muscle weakness. While, in another hand, people tend to think that bananas are having the highest potassium inside. Then, it is denied by pumpkin which has a higher amount of this nutrient. So, it is time to eat pumpkin for completing your potassium needs in order to improve your muscle function.
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Meanwhile, that’s the health benefits of pumpkin you now know. For more detail information, we also make a list of some tips for consuming pumpkin and the recipe tips for cooking pumpkin below.
Best Tricks Recipe for Pumpkin
There, people may usually use pumpkin as Halloween decoration or a Thanksgiving pie filling. However, it is also recommended to have this fruit as your daily food menu. As described above, there are several fantastic recipes you must try for the tricks of cooking pumpkin. Indeed, it will be a very good meal for both taste and the health benefits you can get. Then, by consuming pumpkin, you are taking a better step in order having a healthier life. So, stay healthy and be happy!