Pumpkins

Last week we got this tiny little pie pumpkin in our CSA box, and it’s been sitting on our windowsill ever since (please excuse the bad photo – I used my phone).

I actually love cooking with pumpkins, but this one seems so tiny that I’m not sure what to do with just one. Anyway, I thought today would be a good day to remind everyone of the nutritional benefits of pumpkin, and provide some ideas for ways to use it in recipes.

First of all, choose your pumpkins wisely. The big ones are great for carving or decorating, but the smaller ones pack more flavor and are much better for baking or cooking. Fresh pumpkins, just like any other food, are always the most nutritious and will give you the best taste in any recipe, but canned pumpkin is easy and available at any grocery store. Just beware of what you are buying: there is pure canned pumpkin, but there is also canned pumpkin pie filling, which includes spices and other ingredients. I recommend buying plain pumpkin and adding your own spices and flavors.

Nutritionally, pumpkins are great! This is good news, because they are so versatile and can be used in both sweet and savory dishes. The beta-carotene is what gives pumpkins its bright orange color, and this is a form of vitamin A that acts as a strong antioxidant. They also contain fiber, vitamin C, vitamin B3, potassium, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, and calcium. In addition, pumpkins have a high water content. Many people consider pumpkin a superfood because of its high amounts of antioxidants. There are also 14 phytonutrients found in pumpkins. Phytonutrients are plant nutrients, and in the past 20 years many studies have linked consumption of phytonutrients to things such as protecting people from development of cancer and heart disease.

When cutting into a pumpkin, don’t forget to save the seeds! I’ve talked about pumpkin seeds before, but just to remind you, they are very highly concentrated in zinc. Many of us are likely zinc-deficient, due to the large number of things that contribute to zinc deficiency, including antibiotic use, birth control pills, blood pressure medication, antacids, alcohol, sugar consumption, stress, too much exercise, and more. Therefore, pumpkin seeds can be an important and necessary part of the diet. Pumpkin seeds have traditionally been used in the treatment of male prostate problems, mostly due to their high zinc content. They also contain protein, essential fats, iron, calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, vitamin E, and some B vitamins. Read my easy method of roasting pumpkin seeds here.

Some other recipe ideas for pumpkin include:

• Bake pumpkin bread or muffins, using whole wheat flour, ground flax seed, walnuts, and instead of sugar use apples, banana, or something similar.

• Cut pumpkin into small cubes and coat with olive oil and other herbs or spices, such as cinnamon or sage, then roast.

• Roast or steam pumpkin to soften it, then puree it and add cream and spices to make a delicious pumpkin soup.

• Add chunks of roasted pumpkin to chili or stew.

• Steam the pumpkin and mash it into your family’s pancakes on Sunday morning. Add some cinnamon and walnuts and they will love it!

• My mom, always the healthy chef, started substituting pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving for a much healthier pumpkin custard. It is delicious and to be honest, after a huge meal, it’s the perfect dessert. I’m not sure what her secret recipe includes, but I imagine that she adds things like vanilla, spices and nuts. You can always find great recipes online – I may try this one!

I hope this helps inspire some of you to make some delicious fall pumpkin recipes. Your family will enjoy something new, and you’ll be doing them a favor by providing them with so many beneficial nutrients!

Enzymes: An Introduction

Next week I am going to talk a little bit about enzymes and the critical role they play in our overall health. Today I just want to introduce these things that occur by the thousands inside of us.

Enzymes act as catalysts for every chemical reaction inside our bodies. This includes everything involved in digestion and metabolism. Enzymes can be reused many times - they cause a reaction and allow a desired output to be created from a specific input. However, the enzyme remains unchanged in the process. Enzymes make reaction rates millions of times faster, allowing us to continue digesting food, eliminating toxins and wastes and creating energy on a daily basis. A body with no enzymes cannot survive.

Enzymes can be made inside of our bodies and also found in the foods we eat. I am sure you have heard of the "raw food diet".  Those who follow a raw food diet do so, in part, to obtain optimal amounts of enzymes from the food they eat.  While enzymes occur naturally in raw foods, they are killed when that food is cooked or processed. When we don't receive enough enzymes from our food to catalyze the reactions inside our bodies, we draw these necessary enzymes from our organs which can then become unbalanced. When our enzyme supplies are low and enzymes are not functioning properly, we may experience digestive issues, increased fat deposits, poor circulation, cardiovascular problems, and other health disturbances. A deadly illness can be caused by the malfunction of just one of your body's 3,000 enzymes.

Some raw foods, such as all nuts and seeds and some lentils, peas and beans, contain not only enzymes but also things called enzyme inhibitors. Enzyme inhibitors neutralize some of the enzymes our bodies produce. These foods contain enzyme inhibitors to prevent them from sprouting prematurely. If you experience some stomach discomfort when you eat nuts and seeds, this may be why. There are ways to deactivate these enzyme inhibitors prior to consuming these foods, which can really aid in digestion and absorption of nutrients.

Since it is not realistic for most of us to consume only raw foods, many people supplement their enzymes daily. There are different kinds of enzyme supplements available, and they are used by some people with each meal to aid in digestion, and by others to treat diseases like cancer and arthritis.


Enjoy your weekends and try to consume some raw foods with each snack or meal! Monday I will elaborate on the digestive enzymes and exactly how they work inside of us.