Let’s Talk About Pumpkins

Every girls dream once September rolls around is pumpkin spice lattes, muffins, perfume....the list goes on. But did you know pumpkins are chalk full of body benefiting nutrients! Makes them even more tempting.

Lets get into some of the benefits of these festive orange guys.

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To start, pumpkins are a very low calorie food because they are comprised of 94% water, but significantly high in a lot of essential vitamins, specifically vitamin A. Just one cup of cooked pumpkin contains 245% of the daily recommended value for vitamin A and 19% of vitamin C. Vitamin A is known to be the one that is good for your eyes (Vitamin A deficiency is linked with blindness) , but this sneaky vitamin is also shown to strengthen your immune system and help fight infections. Vitamin C on the other hand, has been shown to increase white blood cell production which can help immune cells work better and make wounds heal faster. Pumpkins are also a good source of vitamin E, iron and folate, all linked to helping the immune system as well.

Finally, to top it all off, pumpkin is a low calorie food but also nutrient dense making it a great choice to add to a healthy diet or aid in weight loss. Pumpkin checks out to be less than 50 calories per cup and is 94% water! It is also high in fiber which can help to reduce cravings and lower appetite. Eating foods that are low cal but nutrient dense is the best way to get what you need in your diet, by also staying in shape and not going over calorie needs.

Just a tip for all you pumpkin spice lovers, as delicious as they may be, next time you have a pumpkin craving, opt for a healthier version like a pumpkin soup, or refined sugar free pumpkin bars ( I will post recipe late) orrrrr a healthy pumpkin spice latte made with real ingredients. The added, refined sugars in the pumpkin flavored things, pack on the calories and can cause inflammation in your body along with a whole bunch of other problems.

I hope you learned a little something today about your favorite fall flavor....Talk to you later!

Hannah