Study Recommends Adding Pumpkin To Meals

With Halloween around the corner, a dietitian is offering some tips on incorporating pumpkin into the diet.   Taylor Stein at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York says pumpkins are a squash that’s high in a substance that the body converts into vitamin A, which is essential to immune system health.  She says one can easily blend canned pumpkin into soups, dips, and sauces and it can be a healthy substitute for ingredients in baking recipes, such as heavy cream.  Pumpkin is a great addition to any meal, Rustveld said. It can go well with sources of protein like chicken, lentils, beef or fish. It’s a healthy vegetable not only for the fall season, but at any time.

“It is a nutritionally-dense vegetable. It’s low in calories and high in fiber and vitamin A. One cup of cooked pumpkin provides you with about 200% of the recommended daily value of vitamin A, along with potassium, vitamin C and fiber,” Rustveld said.

He adds that these nutrients support eye health, immunity, heart health and are a rich source of antioxidants.

To incorporate pumpkin into the diet, Rustveld suggests starting with small amounts of pumpkin puree or using it as a substitute. You can also pair it or add it to soups or stews.

“You also can enhance pumpkin’s flavor by adding herbs and spices. This can make soups or stews thicker, more flavorful and savory by mixing it with curry, chipotle or any other kind of seasonings,” he said.

Rustveld also suggests using pumpkin pasta or risotto. He says that you can mix pumpkin puree with tomato sauce to thicken it and then pour it over your pasta. Because pumpkin is on the sweet side, you also can use it with vinegar-based ingredients. You can even add pumpkin to your pancake batter to make your pancakes more nutritious with added fiber and vitamin A.

If you are carving a pumpkin, don’t throw away the seeds because they are healthy as well.  “You can roast them. They are also rich in plant-based protein and fiber