Pumpkin is a popular fall squash that ends up in all of the most popular desserts and drinks. Adding pumpkin to your diet this season is a great way to add a powerful pack of nutrition. And it shouldn’t be hard because pumpkin is easy to add to a lot of recipes.
Now, I know what you’re thinking! However, this is not an excuse to go jumping in the car to get that PSL from Starbucks. Pumpkin flavored lattes or pies are not the healthiest ways to enjoy this superfood squash and won’t give you all of the nutritional benefits pumpkins offer.
#1 – BOOST IMMUNITY
As the weather cools down, it seems like the number of people getting sick goes up. While major cold and flu seasons hit during the fall and winter, it’s always wise to support your immune system as much as possible.
Pumpkin is rich in vitamin C, which supports your body production of white blood cells. White blood cells are your body’s defense against bacteria and diseases. In studies supplementing with vitamin C can help fight off infections and inflammation in the body. Adding pumpkin into a meal can help you reach the recommended daily dose of vitamin C when paired with other fruits and vegetables.
Pumpkin is also rich in alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, and beta-cryptoxanthin, which are all antioxidants. Antioxidants help your body remove free radicals that do damage to your cells. These antioxidants support immune health by keeping the body’s cells healthy and chronic inflammation down.
#2 – SUPPORTS STRONG EYESIGHT
You’ve probably heard that carrots are great for your eyes. That’s because carrots are rich in beta carotene, which your body requires to make vitamin A.
A deficiency often causes blindness in Vitamin A. By supporting your body’s ability to produce vitamin A you can lower your risk of going blind. Eating pumpkin is a great way to get another rich source of beta carotene into your diet.
Lutein and zeaxanthin are two other compounds that can be found in pumpkin, and both in studies are shown to help lower the risk of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. Because this squash is a great source of both lutein and zeaxanthin, you can add pumpkin to your diet and support your eye health.
#3 – PROMOTES GLOWING SKIN
While vitamin C is used to keep immunity up, it’s also well utilized by your skin cells. Vitamin C is used in making collagen, which helps keep your skin healthy and promotes elasticity. While collagen is in many products, it’s produced made in the body. However, as you age, your collagen production decreases, but eating enough vitamin C can help your body increase collagen production.
In recent studies, vitamin C was shown to promote oxidant scavenging of the skin and may be protective against environmental oxidative stress that your skin is bombarded with daily.
Pumpkin also contains carotenoids like beta carotene, which studies have shown to have protective effects for the skin. Adding pumpkin to your diet could support your skin better against the sun. Because of the time it takes for skin cell turnover, most benefits of increased carotenoids are seen after a few weeks of regularly eating pumpkin daily.
#4 – RICH IN NUTRIENTS AND LOW IN CALORIES
When adding foods to our diet to support weight loss, picking foods that are both nutrient-rich, satiating, and low in calories is a great way to support your goals. Pumpkin is rich in vitamins and minerals, which is important to consider when dieting. Often when we cut back on food groups or foods, it’s easy to become unbalanced. Eating foods rich in vitamins and minerals is a great way to continue hitting the daily recommendations. Another great way to make sure you get enough nutrients is to supplement with Detox Organics Daily Superfoods, the chocolate supplement containing over 25 raw, organic superfoods.
By feeling fuller for longer due to the higher fiber content in pumpkin, you can cut down on cravings and snacking between meals that often can sabotage your weight loss progress. This means you’ll naturally consume lower calories throughout the day, which can promote weight loss.
#5 – EASY TO ADD TO YOUR DIET
Superfoods, like pumpkin, are great for your health, but sometimes these superfoods are not the easiest to incorporate into your diet. Whether it is a super bitter nut or a spicy pepper with anti aging properties, these foods can be hard to add in on a daily basis.
Luckily pumpkin is both sweet and savory with a light taste that can either be highlighted or muted down. Some incredibly delicious ways to add pumpkin to your diet include
- Baked into grain free muffins
- Mixed into coconut yogurt and topped with nuts
- Combined with coconut oil and spices for a savory salad dressing
- Consuming Detox Organics Daily Protein, which is made with pumpkin!
Breakfast is one of the easiest ways to incorporate pumpkin because it’s where most people are used to having a savory-sweet meal. Try adding pumpkins to your normal breakfast foods like
- Hot oats
- Overnight oats
- Breakfast green smoothies
- Smoothie bowls
- Pancakes
No matter how you choose to incorporate this squash into your diet, you’ll be adding super dense nutrition to your day. It’s easy to find ways to use this superfood, and the more creative you can get, the more fun you can have to add it every day and get the many health benefits that pumpkin offers.
Our favorite way to add this to our diet is with Detox Organics Daily Protein, our vegan protein supplement made with pumpkin. We absolutely love all the benefits you get from this superfood, aside from it being an excellent source of clean protein. Be sure to check out our recipe section for a variety of tasty recipes that use both Detox Organics Daily Superfoods and Daily Protein.
