Pumpkins aren’t just for carving and decorating your front porch. I mean obviously, pumpkin lattes and muffins are a popular autumn treat as well. But have you ever considered eating pumpkin in other ways and at varying times of the year? You should. Pumpkins are loaded with the antioxidant beta carotene which is an essential nutrient for good health. Read on to learn more about this surprisingly underrated superfood and all the amazing health benefits from eating more pumpkin.
The truth of the matter is, adding more plant-based foods into your diet, including pumpkin, can have a positive impact on your health overall. Eating a plant-rich diet can reduce your risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity, and more.
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Amazing Health Benefits from Eating More Pumpkin
Pumpkins are loaded with good for you nutrients:
- Lowfat
- Vitamins C, E, B6, A(beta carotene)
- Low calorie
- High in fiber
- Potassium-rich
- Minerals – iron, copper, magnesium(helps you relax), phosphorus
During the fall season, it’s easy to think about consuming pumpkins, but not so much when it’s the middle of summer, right? But the simple addition of this super plant into your diet will go a long way towards contributing to a healthier lifestyle.
Now let’s talk about how you can make pumpkin a new staple in your diet.
Ways to Add Pumpkin to your diet
- Smoothies
- Muffins
- Pancakes
- Oatmeal
- Seeds
- Granola
- Soup
- Roasted
- Nuggets
Here’s our favorite way to eat pumpkin for breakfast:
Pumpkin Overnight Oats
Yields: 1 serving
Time – Preparation: 3 min – overnight
Ingredients:
- Quick oats ½ c
- Pumpkin puree 2 tbsp
- Pumpkin pie spice ½ tsp
- Maple Syrup or Sugar 1 tbsp
- Dash of salt
- ¾ cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- Glass jar with lid
Directions:
Add all ingredients to your jar, stir until well combined. Place lid on jar. Put the jar in the fridge overnight or for at least 2 hours. When ready to eat, either cook oats in the microwave for 1 – 1 ½ minutes or eat cold right out of the fridge. For some crunch, add a sprinkle of toasted pecans on top just before eating.
Here are some of our favorite pumpkin recipes for you to try:
There’s nothing tastier than a pumpkin cream cheese muffin. The cream cheese cuts back some of the spice in the muffin, making for a perfect combination of flavor.
Pumpkin pancakes with maple syrup and whipped cream! Oh my gosh, these are so good!
Pumpkin soup is great anytime of year. The lentils add some great protein and additional fiber to this yummy soup.
This granola is great on top of plain or vanilla yogurt or just eat it with your favorite milk.
Pumpkin smoothies can be fairly versatile. You can have them like this one above, or add chai or coffee for an afternoon pick me up!
Recap
Eat more pumpkin!
Stop thinking of it as just a fall novelty food, it’s so much more than that!
With all the amazing health benefits from eating more pumpkin we’ve shared with you, it’s worth finding ways to incorporate it into your regular diet, it will only make you feel better.
Pumpkin is versatile and can be eaten in three different ways:
- seeds
- pureed
- sliced or cubed
Enjoy pumpkin in soups, baked goods, stirred into yogurt, or in a stir fry.
What’s your favorite way to eat pumpkin? Do you have a recipe you’d love to share with us? Leave a comment below and share your opinion with us. We’re always looking for more ways to eat pumpkin!
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