PumpkinS!

Fall is a beautiful time of year: changing weather, changing colors, and lots of community and family gatherings. Celebrations for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and everything in between lead to food becoming a focal point of the season - and no food says “fall” like pumpkin!

When I suggest eating pumpkin, often the first thought is pie (which is fair, because it’s delicious 😉) or maybe the annual pumpkin spice latte craze ☕️; however, pumpkins are loaded with nutrition and can be used for a wide variety of recipes.

There are hundreds of different varieties of pumpkins, gourds, and squash. Technically you could eat any of them, but the larger varieties will be stringier and less sweet - save those for your jack-o-lanterns or use them in recipes such as pumpkin bread or muffins. The smaller pumpkins (around 4-6 pounds) tend to be a better for soups, smoothies, and the other recipes linked below.

 The nutritional benefits of pumpkin include

• Rich in vitamin A and C

• Potassium, Manganese, Iron, Magnesium, and Phosphorus

• B-Vitamins (niacin, pantothenic acid, folate, B6, thiamine, riboflavin)

• Fiber

Of course you can eat the pumpkin seeds, too! Any variety or size of pumpkin will provide great seeds. They contain much of the same nutrition as pumpkin with the added benefit of protein and polyunsaturated fats!

Nutritional Benefit of Pumpkin Seeds:

• Fiber – especially if you eat the whole shell

• Protein

• Fat (polyunsaturated)

• Vitamin K and several minerals 

Click the photo below for a list of some favorite nourishing pumpkin recipes! A PDF will open that links you to a printable version of each one.

If you search for your own recipes, aim for ones that are unsweetened or use a whole food sweetener such as pure maple syrup or honey.