8 Reasons Why Pumpkins Aren’t Just for Halloween

Pumpkin is a pretty rare occurrence in your diet. You might make use of the insides of your jack-o-lanterns come Halloween, but the truth is that you should eat much more pumpkin than that. Eating pumpkin is vastly beneficial to your wellness, with the seeds alone providing your wellbeing with a healthy does of protein, iron, zinc and magnesium. However, the benefits of pumpkin are not solely linked to what nutrients are in its seeds. So what health benefits can pumpkin provide?

 

1. Better vision: According to award-winning wellness writer Hope Gillette, ‘One cup of cooked, mashed pumpkin contains approximately 200% of the recommended daily allotment of vitamin A, a nutrient essential for vision, especially in dim lighting.

 

2. Efficient Weight Loss: In a cup of pumpkin, you’ll find ‘more than three grams of fibre and only approximately 50 calories,’ says Gillette. ‘This means you stay fuller, longer, and can count pumpkin as a good additive to a weight loss diet. Eating pumpkin before a meal may make you less inclined to over eat higher caloric foods.’

 

3. Heart Health: Gillette explains, ‘Pumpkin seeds contain chemicals called photosterols which have been linked to an ability to reduce levels of “bad” cholesterol in the body.’

 

4. Cancer prevention: ‘Pumpkins–like many other orange vegetables–are rich in beta-carotene which has been linked to a decreased risk of cancer,’ Gillette notes. ‘Carotenoids in pumpkin may be beneficial not only for cancer prevention, but for promoting skin health.’

 

5. Mental Health: Gillette points out, ‘Pumpkin seeds are rich in the amino acid tryptophan which helps promote a positive mood.’

 

6. Better Workout Performance: ‘Cooked pumpkin can be a great addition to a workout recovery meal,’ Gillette asserts. ‘A cup of cooked pumpkin has more potassium (564 milligrams) than a banana (422 milligrams).’

 

7. Cold Prevention: Gillette details, ‘A cup of cooked pumpkin contains 20% of the daily recommended intake of vitamin C, a nutrient responsible for immune system health.’

 

8. Digestive Health: Not only does the fibre content in a cup of pumpkin help stave off feelings of hunger, it encourages your body to digest food more efficiently and helps prevent constipation.

 

So all that sounds good, but how do you incorporate more pumpkin into your diet? You could do something as simple as incorporate pumpkin into your favourite recipes, such as throwing a cup of it into a bowl of chilli. However, if you’ve got your baking apron on, why not try this recipe for spiced pumpkin biscuits?

 

Ingredients:

• 9 ounces plain flour


• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder


• 1 1/4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice


• 1/2 teaspoon salt


• 5 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces


• 1/3 cup fat-free buttermilk


• 3/4 cup canned pumpkin


• 3 tablespoons honey

 

Gillette instructs, ‘Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt in a large bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Chill 10 minutes. Combine buttermilk and honey, stirring with a whisk until well blended; add canned pumpkin. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture; stir just until moist. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead lightly four times. Roll dough into a (1/2-inch-thick) nine- by five–inch rectangle; dust top of dough with flour. Fold dough crosswise into thirds (as if folding a piece of paper to fit into an envelope). Re-roll dough into a (1/2-inch-thick) nine- by five–inch rectangle and then dust top of dough with flour. Fold dough crosswise into thirds; gently roll or pat to a 3/4-inch thickness. Cut dough with a one and 3/4-inch biscuit cutter to form 14 dough rounds. Place dough rounds, one inch apart, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 400° for 14 minutes or until golden.’

Categories: cooked pumpkin, dough crosswise, flour fold, Health Benefits, health gillette, health nbsp, inch thick, pumpkin, pumpkin pie, pumpkin seeds, roll dough, spiced pumpkin biscuits

Does Cranberry Juice Prevent Urinary Tract Infections?

When it comes to your urinary wellness, you may have heard that cranberry juice can give you a boost. True, cranberry juice can benefit your sexual health, and overall wellbeing, in a number of ways, but that’s not to say that you should proceed without caution. There is also a fair share of risks when it comes to indulging in the tangy, often bitter, red liquid, so you need to weigh up the pros and cons.

 

Let’s start with the benefits of drinking cranberry juice. According to award-winning wellness writer Hope Gillette, ‘There is significant evidence to suggest drinking cranberry juice can help prevent urinary tract infections (UTIs), though there are no guidelines on how much juice should be imbibed to stave off those unpleasant episodes. In the early stages of investigation into the benefits of cranberry juice, experts thought the drink made urine more acidic, therefore creating an environment where bacteria responsible for a UTI were unable to grow. That thinking has now been modified; instead of just creating more acidic urine, scientists feel cranberry juice—and other juices as well—can help prevent bacteria from sticking to the walls of the urinary tract system. The exact mechanism behind this is not clear. Some studies have shown cranberry juice alters the bacteria itself, and other studies have indicated the potent juice leaves behind a slippery coating in the body’s system.’

 

However, while the most well-known benefit of cranberry juice is to urinary health, there are other systems in your body that can benefit from the power of cranberries:

 

1. Overall Health: Gillette explains, ‘Cranberries are rich in antioxidants and phytochemicals, substances thought to help promote a healthy immune and cardiovascular system.’

 

2. Oral Health: By decreasing the number of bacteria present on your gums, unsweetened cranberry juice can also help prevent a build-up of dental plaque in your mouth.

 

3. Kidney Stone Prevention: Gillette points out, ‘Cranberries contain quinic acid, a substance medical experts feel helps prevent the formation of kidney stones; however, at the same time, cranberry juice also contains the chemical oxalate, which contributes to kidney stone formation.’

 

Moving on to the negative side of drinking cranberry juice, it’s important to not that this remedy is not a cure-all for everything that ails your urinary system. Gillette details, ‘One instance in which cranberry juice is not recommended is in cases of  interstitial cystitis (IC). Also known as painful bladder disease, interstitial cystitis occurs when the lining of the bladder becomes damaged and allows urine to come into contact with sensitive tissue. By drinking cranberry juice, which is very acidic, people with interstitial cystitis can find the condition aggravated, and unfortunately, because IC is commonly misdiagnosed as a UTI, cranberry juice is often the first thing women reach for when symptoms occur.’

 

Let’s look at some other risks associated with drinking cranberry juice:

 

1. Oral Health: Yes, while cranberry juice has been shown to prevent the build-up of plaque, it may also do some damage to your pearly whites. ‘While some evidence suggests the juice can keep bacteria out of the mouth, due to its high acidity, too much cranberry juice may cause the enamel of the teeth to wear thin,’ says Gillette. ‘Not all juices are pure juice, either, and those with high sugar content will be just as bad for teeth as soda.’

 

2. Diabetes and Digestive Health: ‘People who are diabetics and those with sensitive stomachs should proceed with caution when it comes to cranberry juice consumption,’ Gillette warns. ‘Too much cranberry juice may cause stomach upset, diarrhoea and elevated blood sugar levels.’

 

3. Heart Health: Gillette comments, ‘In some reported cases, cranberry juice has also been shown to interfere with certain heart medications. The wrong combination of juice and medication may lead to life-threatening internal bleeding.’

Categories: cranberry juice, drinking cranberry, health gillette, interstitial cystitis, kidney stone, oral health, prevent urinary, Risks, tract infections, urinary tract