Pumpkin belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family. It’s used as a vegetable in India and as a token of thanksgiving and Halloween in North America. Scientifically, pumpkin is referred to as fruit but nutritionally it’s close to vegetables than fruits. The pumpkin benefit factors are numerous. It tastes delicious when cooked and comes with several health benefits factors. Let us have a look at some of them.
Rich in Vitamin A
About 245 grams of cooked pumpkin contains 49 calories which means that pumpkins are low in calories. The percentage of vitamins and minerals is also high in pumpkin. Being rich in beta-carotene, pumpkin provides your body with enough raw material to convert into vitamin A.
High Antioxidant Content
Our body generated free radicals in the metabolic process that if increased a fewfold, may cause chronic illness as cancer or heart disease. Antioxidants are the radicles that help to reduce excess radicals in our bodies. Pumpkin contains antioxidants such as alpha and beta-carotene and beta-cryptoxanthin. These radicals save your cells to get damaged by neutralizing free radicals.
Low-Calorie food
Pumpkin is a good source of carbohydrates with low calorific value. That gives it an extra edge to serve as diet-centric food. The plant pumpkin uses plenty amount of water to grow that’s why the fruit contains about 94% water. It can fill your stomach without generating many calories, which may cause obesity. Besides, pumpkins are a good source of fibre that ensures your good appetite.
Immunity booster
Pumpkins are loaded with vitamins A, C, and E. Vitamin A helps to strengthen the immune system. The deficiency of this vitamin weakens the immune system. Vitamin C increases the production of white blood cells that in turn helps immune cells to function more effectively to heal the injury faster while vitamin E also aids the immune system.
Protect Eyesight
Aging causes diminishing eyesight. But with the consumption of the right nutrients, you can tackle the risk of weakening eyesight. Fortunately, eating the right nutrients can lower your risk of sight loss. Pumpkin is plentiful in nutrients that have been linked to strong eyesight as your body ages.
Pumpkin contains vitamin A which is required to maintain good eyesight. Also, the presence of lutein and zeaxanthin, Deficiency of this may cause cataracts and blindness. Pumpkin is also a great source of lutein and zeaxanthin that are responsible for restricting age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and cataracts. Moreover, it contains plenty amounts of vitamins C and E, which function as antioxidants to prevent free radicals which may damage your eye cells.
Lower Risk of Cancer
Cancer is a disease in which cells grow abnormally. Excess amounts of free radicles are the cause of the disease here also. With high concentrations of carotenoids, pumpkins serve as a good stock of antioxidants and protect against certain cancers such as throat, pancreas, and breast cancer.
Better Heart Health
Being rich in potassium, vitamin C, and fibre, pumpkin can ensure better heart health. Higher potassium intake reduces blood pressure and the risk of strokes as well. The antioxidants present in pumpkin, protect your heart from LDL (“bad cholesterol”). LDL is responsible for heart blockage.
The matter of truth is pumpkin good for weight loss. Also, there are countless benefits of consuming pumpkins. Some of them are mentioned above. There are many more if we analyse the effects scientifically. You should seriously consider pumpkin in your diet from today. It will fill your stomach and satisfy your palate with the assurance of health benefits.
