Contents
Pumpkin belongs to the family of melons and gourds. The product is widely used in Russia, especially for baking pies and preparing hot meals. The shape of the pumpkin, depending on the variety, is different, ranging from spherical to conical.
The same applies to the color of the pulp and rind, depending on the variety, the color can be pale yellow or bright orange. Sometimes the peel of ripe fruits is completely green. The heart of the pumpkin contains healthy and edible seeds. In common people they are called seeds.
In Russia, a beautiful and bright pumpkin is considered a symbol of autumn. It is used to create beautiful vases and pots, various figures are cut out of it and decorate the house with them. Pumpkin is also very popular in the USA. Different figures are made of it for Halloween. For Thanksgiving, pumpkin pie is a must on the tables in every family. In many countries, pumpkin carnivals are held.
General benefits
1. Eliminates bowel problems.
Pumpkin is rich in many nutrients. It contains vitamins A and K, which help to improve the functioning of digestion. Just half a kilogram of pumpkin a day will relieve you of constipation.
2. Heals kidneys and liver.
The product has a diuretic effect on kidney and liver diseases. With such ailments, you need to use boiled or baked pumpkin pulp. It is advisable to continue the course of treatment for at least 3-4 months.
3. It is a dietary product.
Due to its low calorie content, pumpkin is recognized as a dietary product. There are 100 kilocalories per 22 grams. Many nutritionists advise using pumpkin for weight loss. To maintain your figure in perfect condition, it is enough to eat no more than 100 grams of raw pumpkin per day.
4. Prevents the formation of a malignant tumor.
The bright orange color of the fruit pulp indicates the presence of beta-carotene. This trace element supports the immune system, protects the body from excessive radioactive radiation. By consuming pumpkin regularly, you can prevent the appearance of a malignant tumor.
5. Treats asthma.
The antioxidant properties of pumpkin protect the respiratory system from infections, reducing asthma attacks.
6. Rich source of potassium.
Potassium is an essential mineral for heart and muscle development. One serving of pumpkin provides about 550 grams of potassium, making it one of the highest sources of potassium. Doctors recommend adding pumpkin to your diet after exercise.
7. Reduces the risk of heart attacks.
Pumpkin helps to normalize blood cholesterol levels. Its constant use acts as a preventive measure against heart disease. A large amount of antioxidants in the product prevents the development of atherosclerosis, lowers high blood pressure.
8. Increases immunity.
Pumpkin contains the necessary amount of magnesium, which is responsible for maintaining the immune system. Magnesium increases the number of white cells in the blood, thereby increasing resistance to colds.
9. Prevents peptic ulcer disease.
You can treat peptic ulcer disease not only with medicines, but also with delicious pumpkin. It has a diuretic effect and naturally removes toxins and harmful substances from the body. By including pumpkin in your diet, you can restore the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.
10. Fights depression and stress.
The appearance of depression is caused by a deficiency in the body of tryptophan. Pumpkin has enough L-tryptophan, an amino acid that can help reduce depression and stress. The sedative properties of pumpkin are effective in fighting insomnia.
11. Rich source of vitamin A.
Pumpkin is considered a rich source of vitamin A. This vitamin is essential for maintaining good vision.
12. Prevents inflammatory diseases.
Consuming pumpkin regularly reduces the risk of developing inflammatory conditions such as rheumatism and arthritis.
13. Strengthens bones.
Pumpkin is famous for its rich content of vitamin K. It is useful for strengthening bones and heart.
14. Useful for children.
For children, pumpkin is a valuable product. Pediatricians advise giving pumpkin to children who have problems with stool. Raw pulp restores bowel function and all toxins are naturally eliminated from the body. If the child is overexcited, it is useful for him to give pumpkin juice with honey. For children, pumpkin dishes should be in the diet every day. Pumpkin calms the nervous system.
Benefits for women
15. Relieves leg fatigue and heals wounds.
Women who prefer to wear high-heeled shoes know very well how their legs hurt at the end of the working day. To relieve swelling, pain and inflammation, you need to make lotions from fresh pumpkin gruel. Soon, lightness will be felt in the legs, and fatigue will be relieved as if by hand. Raw pumpkin pulp is an excellent remedy for skin rashes and irritation. This remedy is also used to heal burns and eczema.
16. Useful for pregnant women.
During pregnancy, expectant mothers scrupulously approach nutrition and make up their diet. The menu should be healthy and balanced. Therefore, pregnant women should include pumpkin on the menu. Useful qualities of the product guarantee good lactation, improve the quality of milk. During pregnancy, pumpkin does an excellent job with toxicosis. The product prevents anemia, which is very important for pregnant women.
Skin Benefits
Do not rush to throw away the remains of pumpkin pulp, it will help restore your skin to a healthy look.
17. Eliminates oily sheen.
If you have problems with oily skin, then you should use a pumpkin face mask.
Ingredients: 1 tbsp. l. pumpkin puree and 1 tbsp. l. apple cider vinegar. Mix everything, apply on face for 30 minutes, wash with warm water.
18. Moisturizes dry skin.
Dry skin is too sensitive and prone to premature aging. Boiled pumpkin will help to correct the situation, which needs to be added to any face mask or simply to make lotions out of it. Ideally, it is better not to boil the pumpkin, but to bake it in the oven, then there will be more nutrients in it. Ingredients: 2 tbsp. l. pumpkin puree, 1 tbsp. l. honey, 1 tbsp. l. milk and 1 tbsp. l. heavy cream. Apply the mask evenly on the face and décolleté for 15 minutes, then wash with warm water.
19. Prevents premature aging.
Pumpkin contains an optimal amount of vitamin C, it is recognized as an excellent antioxidant and contains beta-carotene. This enzyme helps prevent skin aging and smoothes wrinkles.
20. Included in the body mask.
A pumpkin mask will help refresh the body and make the skin velvety. To do this, you need to take 1 cup of pumpkin puree, 1 cup of coconut and a little ground cinnamon. To mix everything. Apply to the body with light movements and leave for 10 minutes. Wash off with warm water.
21. Treats acne.
Pumpkin is considered a source of B vitamins, which include niacin, riboflavin, vitamin B6 and folic acid. Niacin improves blood circulation, which means it fights acne. Folic acid also stabilizes blood circulation, thereby renewing cells. In addition to skin care, pumpkin has a beneficial effect on hair and its condition.
Hair Benefits
22. Strengthens hair roots and increases hair growth.
Pumpkin is known for being rich in minerals such as zinc and potassium. Potassium helps improve hair growth. Zinc produces collagen, which stimulates hair growth by improving blood circulation.
23. Excellent conditioner for dry hair.
If you are concerned about dry hair, you can make a natural hair conditioner using pumpkin. Ingredients: 2 cups diced fresh pumpkin, 1 tbsp. l. coconut oil, 1 tbsp. l. honey and 1 tbsp. l. yogurt. Whisk everything in a blender. Apply the mixture to damp hair, put on a pool cap and leave on for 15 minutes. Rinse your hair with warm water.
Benefits for men
24. Prevents prostate cancer and increases potency.
It is important for men to add pumpkin to their diet at least several times a week. The vegetable helps with prostatitis, prevents the development of prostate cancer. The high content of carotenoids and zinc in pumpkin kills cancer cells. The use of pumpkin helps to heal the prostate. Its constant presence in the diet increases potency in men over the age of 40.
25. Awakens sexual attraction.
Scientists from the University of Chicago have found that the scent of ripe pumpkin awakens sexual attraction in men. Therefore, many aphrodisiacs for women are made on the basis of pumpkin.
Harm and contraindications
No matter how useful the product may be, excessive use of it can harm the body.
1. Can provoke gastritis.
Raw pumpkin juice is contraindicated for those with stomach problems, it can provoke the development of gastritis. People prone to gastritis should limit their intake of raw pumpkin. You can only eat baked pumpkin, and then in limited quantities.
2. Increases blood sugar.
Pumpkin is contraindicated for diabetics, as it greatly increases blood sugar.
3. Provokes colic, negatively affects the tooth enamel.
If you suffer from intestinal colic, then the use of pumpkin in any form is contraindicated for you. Do not overuse pumpkin even if you have weak tooth enamel. Rinse your mouth with water after consuming it.
4. May cause an allergic reaction.
Individual pumpkin intolerance happens very rarely, but this factor should not be written off. If you have an allergic reaction, see your doctor.
Chemical composition of the product
Pumpkin Nutritional Value (100g) and Percent Daily Values:
- The nutritional value
- Vitamins
- Macronutrients
- Trace Elements
- calories 22 kcal – 1,54%;
- proteins 1 g – 1,22%;
- fats 0,1 g – 0,15%;
- carbohydrates 4,4 g – 3,44%;
- dietary fiber 2 g – 10%;
- water 91,8 g – 3,59%.
- And 250 mcg – 27,8%;
- beta-carotene 1,5 mg – 30%;
- S 8 mg – 8,9%;
- E 0,4 mg – 2,7%;
- V1 0,05 mg – 3,3%;
- V2 0,06 mg – 3,3%;
- V5 0,4 mg – 8%;
- V6 0,13 mg – 6,5%;
- B9 14 μg – 3,5%;
- PP 0,7 mg – 3,5%.
- potassium 204 mg – 8,2%;
- calcium 25 mg – 2,5%;
- magnesium 14 mg – 3,5%;
- sodium 4 mg – 0,3%;
- sera 18 mg – 1,8%;
- phosphorus 25 mg – 3,1%;
- chlorine 19 mg – 0,8%.
- iron 0,4 mg – 2,2%;
- iodine 1 mcg – 0,7%;
- cobalt 1 mcg – 10%;
- manganese 0,04 mg – 2%;
- copper 180 μg – 18%;
- fluorine 86 μg – 2,2%;
- zinc 0,24 mg – 2%.
conclusions
Summing up, it can be noted that pumpkin is a storehouse of nutrients and vitamins. Everyone, from child to adult, will benefit from the use of this product. Pumpkin not only fights many diseases and prevents their formation, but also gives women beauty and harmony. Although pumpkin does not have many contraindications, they must be taken into account.
Useful Properties
- Eliminates bowel problems.
- Heals kidney and liver.
- It is a dietary product.
- Prevents the formation of a malignant tumor.
- Treats asthma.
- Rich source of potassium.
- Reduces the risk of heart attacks.
- Increases immunity.
- Prevents peptic ulcer disease.
- Fights depression and stress.
- Rich source of vitamin A.
- Prevents inflammatory diseases.
- Strengthens bones.
- Good for skin and hair.
- Useful for children.
- Good for both men and women.
Harmful properties
- Can provoke gastritis.
- Increases blood sugar.
- It provokes colic, negatively affects the tooth enamel.
- May cause an allergic reaction.
Additional useful information about pumpkin
How to use
Pumpkin can be a great addition to both salty dishes and desserts. There are many recipes in cooking. Before you cook something from the pumpkin, you need to cut it into several pieces for convenience. Do not rush to throw pumpkin seeds. Dried seeds perfectly remove parasites from the body, and they are also very tasty.
1. Steam.
Before this method of cooking, it is advisable to cut the pumpkin into medium-sized pieces. The finished product will have a soft consistency.
2. Add for color and flavor to the dough.
Adding pumpkin to cakes and muffins will give your baked goods a beautiful color and flavor. For baking, you can use a small amount of it, or you can completely take the pulp of the pumpkin as the basis for the dough. You can bake delicious casseroles, bread, rolls from pumpkin.
3. Bake.
Baked pumpkin is a favorite of many people. It is easy to prepare it. Preheat oven to 210 degrees. At this time, cut the pumpkin into cubes, salt well, add pepper to taste and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
4. Preserve the seeds.
Pumpkin seeds can be fried or even rolled up as a snack. You need to fry the seeds until golden brown.
5. Make chips.
Pumpkin makes delicious chips that are in no way inferior to potato chips. To do this, you need to heat any vegetable oil in a pan, dip thinly chopped pumpkin pieces there and fry them on both sides.
How to choose
Today on sale you can find many varieties of pumpkin for every taste and color.
- When buying, you need to pay attention to the stem. If you squeeze it tightly in your hand, then it should remain firm. Soft stems indicate a stale product.
- There should be no white spots on the pumpkin, this indicates its illness. Regardless of what color the pumpkin is, its color should be uniform.
- You need to buy pumpkin without dents, as they lead to rapid decay of the product.
- It is undesirable to buy chopped pumpkin. After all, it could be cut without observing sanitary standards. Also, due to fungal diseases, pumpkin can lose its useful qualities.
- If you nevertheless decide to buy a cut pumpkin, there is a little trick – there should be seeds in it, and they should be large and ripe.
- The optimal pumpkin weight is 3-5 kg.
- Although large and heavy, pumpkin looks impressive, but it often turns out to be too dry or too watery, and its taste gives off bitterness.
- The color of the flesh should be deep yellow or orange. The brighter the color of the pulp, the more vitamin A.
- The skin of the pumpkin should be firm, but not “wooden”.
- To determine the ripeness of the pumpkin, you can knock on it. If the vegetable is ripe, the sound will be muffled but bright.
How to store
- Store the pumpkin in a cool and dark place.
- The room must be dry and well ventilated.
- Pumpkin can be stored for up to three months.
- Canned pumpkin can be stored for up to one and a half years.
- For optimal storage, the room temperature should be between +5 and +15 ° C.
- Humidity should also be moderate, no more than 75–80%.
- The pumpkin, which has a thick skin, can be stored from autumn to spring.
- When purchasing a pumpkin piece, store it in the refrigerator for no longer than 10 days.
- When storing multiple pumpkins, be careful not to touch them. The stalk should point upwards.
History of occurrence
The origins of the pumpkin date back to the Mayan times. The Indians of this tribe thought that this product could cure a serious illness and prolong life. According to archaeological research, pumpkin was an agricultural crop. It was grown in the same way as any other vegetables. From the territory of Mexico, pumpkin fruits began to wander around the world.
Colmella and Petronius, who lived in Ancient Rome and Egypt, write about the pumpkin in their works.
Regardless of the location, the pumpkin was a great success. Residents of Latin America actively used pumpkin for food and made baths from it for small children.
In ancient China, having freed the fruit from the pulp, the thick peel was used as a vessel for water. The Chinese made various talismans from pumpkins, which, they claimed, brought good luck. It was customary to give such souvenirs for a wedding so that the newlyweds have a rich and happy life.
The history of pumpkins in Russia begins in the 600th century. According to one of the opinions, Persian merchants brought it with the goods. In Europe, pumpkin appeared a little later, in the nineteenth century, and immediately gained its well-deserved popularity. Today it is hard to believe that XNUMX years ago pumpkin did not grow at all on the territory of Russia and neighboring countries.
How and where is it grown
In cultivation, pumpkin is unpretentious. It does not need additional watering like other crops. Pumpkin is widely known in almost all countries of the world. It is an annual plant. Sometimes the stem of a pumpkin can reach up to 8 meters in length. The fruits contain many seeds. The flesh is usually yellow, fibrous, and the rind is very hard. Pumpkin blooms from June to July. The fruits ripen fully in October.
Currently, the world knows 10 varieties of pumpkins. Its fruits are divided into technical (used for the production of containers and vessels, as well as musical instruments) and edible. Pumpkin today is cultivated in various latitudes. The only exception is the harsh Antarctic climate. In Russia, pumpkin is readily grown, it can be found in almost every summer cottage or rural area.
Interesting Facts
- Pumpkin is one of the largest berries in the world.
- The fruit weighs 4 to 8 kilograms.
- The record was set when a pumpkin weighing 34 kilograms was grown.
- If properly cooked, pumpkin will have a delicate, mild flavor and pleasant aroma.
- An interesting fact is that male and female inflorescences can grow on the same plant at the same time.
- You can buy fresh pumpkin only from August to November.
- The pumpkin does not have a single color; it can be white, yellow, green and even black.
- It takes about 35 pumpkins to make one liter of pumpkin juice.
- With the help of a pumpkin, the inhabitants of India catch monkeys. The fruit itself acts as a trap with a hole where rice seeds are poured. Having launched a paw there, the animal can no longer pull it out.
- In Central Asia, cages for birds are built from pumpkin fruits.