Pumpkin cupcakes, pumpkin ravioli, the famous pumpkin pie or tart, pumpkin risotto - the options are endless, and endlessly delicious. It's pumpkin season at last, which brings with it a reason to celebrate (for those celebrating Halloween, or for the more conservative, St. Martin's Day).
Not only is the pumpkin the fall's vegetable-emblem, being versatile enough to be included in a variety of dishes, but it also incorporates some key nutrients in maintaining good health - beta-carotene, vitamin C, potassium. Its lovely orange color tells you right from the start that you're looking at a vegetable that can only do you good.
A cup of cooked pumpkin contains over 200% of the recommended daily allowance of Vitamin A, which helps maintain perfect vision, especially in low light. Pumpkin is also rich in carotenoids ("betrayed" by the orange color), including beta-carotene, which the body converts into vitamin A.
An important and often overlooked source of fiber, pumpkin provides the body with 3 grams of fiber per cup of cooked vegetable, and only 49 calories, ensuring longer-lasting satiety with just a few calories.
Like the other orange vegetables - carrot and sweet potato, pumpkin contains, as I said, a powerful antioxidant - beta-carotene, which plays an important role in cancer prevention. It is recommended to eat raw or cooked pumpkin to process beta-carotene, rather than from food supplements.
Have you ever heard that bananas are considered natural energy bars? That's because of their potassium content. But pumpkin contains 150 milligrams more potassium than bananas. Potassium helps to balance the body's electrolyte balance after an intense sports session, and helps the muscles to work at their best.
It's not known for sure whether vitamin C really repels coldness, but it is definitely known to form a barrier against viruses, and pumpkin is an essential source of this essential nutrient. A cup of pumpkin contains 11 milligrams of vitamin C, almost 20% of the recommended daily allowance.
Ana Maria Stanciu,
https://www.blogculegume.ro
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