One major signal that fall is here are baked goods, coffees, soups, and pastas filled with pumpkin. There’s also a good chance you’ve heard someone say “Frost on the Pumpkin” when referring to that first chilly morning after a hot Summer. “Frost on the Punkin” is actually a poem describing fall in a rural area written in 1883. Clearly pumpkins were all the rage in the Fall before the creation of Pumpkin Spice Lattes. The reason for this? Pumpkins like to be grown in warm soil so they must be planted later in the Spring once the ground is warming May to July depending on where you live.
Their growth cycle is approximately 120 days which solves the riddle, plant in May, pumpkins are ripe around September, plant in July and you are looking at November… explains why we have been enjoying pumpkin treats for generations in the Fall. I am personally a lover of all things pumpkin roast it, bake it, or puree it and I’m. While researching the creation of our beauty products I learned what a gift I was giving my body by eating loads and loads of pumpkin treats, I also learned they are equally good for my skin. Confirming my belief that what we put on the outside should be as healthy, natural, and productive as what we eat.
Pumpkin is not only packed with vitamins and minerals, it is also low in calories, and 94% water. This is excellent news because hydration is not just about how much water we drink it’s about how much we keep. Water contained in fruits and vegetables also contains vitamins and minerals therefore, your body processes it differently. You will absorb the vitamins and minerals while also hydrating your body. This process replenishes our bodies at a cellular level which helps us to maintain optimal cell function.
Pumpkin contains antioxidants, such as alpha-carotene, beta-carotene and beta-cryptoxanthin which give it the beautiful orange color, and can neutralize free radicals, stopping cell damage. There are also good amounts of vitamins C and E, which are also antioxidants that may protect against the production of cancer cells. These antioxidants get transported to various organs in our bodies including our largest organ, the skin. They help to protect our skin cells from damaging UV rays (like an internal sun-screen), and possibly reverse existing UV damage. The antioxidants in pumpkin also protect the skin from damaging free radicals which are responsible for causing wrinkles and even skin cancer.
Pumpkin is also high in vitamins A, C, E, iron, and folate which are all immune boosting!
All of this healthy goodness and under 50 calories per cup making pumpkin a nutrient dense food, and good source of fiber. As long as, you watch the sugar content of your favorite pumpkin bread or pumpkin latte you can feel good about enjoying your favorite pumpkin treat.
Please find a some links below to pumpkin related publications:
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19149749/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23053552/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12134711/
- https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/96/5/1179S/4577133
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28805671/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19168000/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24159392/
- https://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2601/2