Tuesday Tip: Pump(kin) it up!

Tuesday Tip: Pump(kin) it up! 🎃

Well it is Hallowe’en today so I kinda had to focus on the most famous (and only?) of hallowe’en vegetables! The pumpkin!

So they’re not just great for carving cool spooky lanterns, in fact their nutritional benefits are so good – they’re scary!

Not only is pumpkin really low calorie (only 26kcals in 100g), it also contains no saturated fats or cholesterol, and is rich in fibre, anti-oxidants and B vitamin. They are super high in vitamin A – a single serving giving you over 4 times your daily recommended amount of this vital vitamin. It’s great for eye health and for essential immune function – great to ward off those seasonal colds at this time of year.

It’s particularly good for helping you recover from your workouts. Pumpkins are high in vitamin C – which as well as boosting your immune system also helps the body produce collagen. This is vital for maintaining the structure of your bones and keeping them strong! It’s full of beta-carotene which is a fantastic natural anti-inflammatory, which will help reduce your post-workout recovery time! On top of that it’s also rich in potassium (it has more potassium than bananas). This helps to restore the body’s electrolyte balance after a heavy workout which means you will recover faster and keep those muscles functioning properly.

It doesn’t end with the flesh – the seeds are also brilliant too. They are also full of anti-inflammatory compounds and rich in healthy fats, protein and fibre and recent evidence suggests they can help with pelvic floor issues (having an impact via anabolic action on pelvic floor muscles and relaxing the bladder muscles and bladder overactivity. So sprinkle them over your brekkie or grab a handful for an on the go snack!

It’s such a versatile veg – you can use it in casseroles or stews, make a yummy soup, oven roast it, throw it in a curry, and you can use it in baking too – it makes a great egg or butter replacer in muffins and loaf cakes, and you can even make a pumpkin butter!🤗

The pumpkins sold for carving aren’t the best for cooking as they’re grown to have less ‘meat’. So if you’re buying purely to eat it’s worth going for other pumpkins or squashes, but the carving ones are still perfectly edible. So as you’re carving those pumpkins today save a bit of the flesh and try roasting it or throwing it in a casserole etc.

Happy Hallowe’en guys!

🎃👻

Xx