Adding pumpkin seeds to your diet is something that you should do. The health benefits of pumpkin seeds are enormous and you should know them.
The taste of ready-to-eat pumpkin seeds is awesome and indulging. In fact, you won’t like to stop munching.
But thanks to nature’s law of diminishing utility, you won’t eat more than you should per time.
When it is Halloween, Pumpkin, a highly nutritious squash plant, most commonly of Cucurbita pepo, becomes popular.
Look Beyond Pumpkin In Halloween
Sadly, not so many persons know what pumpkin seeds could do for them apart from the fun of Halloween.
This article is saying: Don’t only celebrate Halloween talking about pumpkin, but go ahead to eat it and see how great it tastes.
Hidden inside the thick shell are seeds and pulp that are very nutritious.
basically, the nutrient load of pumpkin should give you a good reason to eat it. Here is why.
The population of the world is embracing healthy living and many give attention to the kind of fat they consume. You should too.
Pumpkin seed is here to help.
Most importantly, a small quantity of the seed can provide your body with a substantial quantity of healthy fats, magnesium and zinc.
Researches have highlighted different health benefits of pumpkin seeds.
These pumpkin seeds which could be eaten raw, roasted or cooked can improve heart health, prostate health and protect you against certain cancers.
This is highly important at this time that cancer deaths have continued to rise.
The exciting thing is that you can easily add these seeds to your diet daily.
You can sprinkle them on your salad, snacks and bread while backing or after baking. You can also snack on them.
Here are some research-backed health benefits of pumpkin seeds.
1. Pumpkin Seeds Are Packed With Nutrients
Twenty-eight grams of shell-free pumpkin seeds (the type in the image above) has about 151 calories, mainly from fat and protein.
This 28-gram serving contains;
- Fibre: 1.7 grams
- Carbs: 5 grams
- Protein: 7 grams
- Fat: 13 grams (6 of which are omega-6s)
- Vitamin K: 18% of the RDI
- Phosphorus: 33% of the RDI
- Manganese: 42% of the RDI
- Magnesium: 37% of the RDI
• Iron: 23% of the RDI - Zinc: 14% of the RDI
- Copper: 19% of the RDI
Pumpkin seeds also have a lot of antioxidants and a decent amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids, potassium, vitamin B2 (riboflavin) and folate.
Go for it and enjoy these nutrients and more listed below.
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2. Reduces Risk Of Certain Cancers
Furthermore, when you think of a way to prevent cancer or reduce the risk of coming down with any form of cancer, this seed is a good addition to your diet.
In fact, a diet rich in pumpkin, according to research, could reduce the risk of stomach, breast, lung, prostate and colon cancers.
Pumpkin seeds reduces the risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women.
Some studies have suggested that the lignans in pumpkin seeds could play a key role in preventing and treating breast cancer while other studies also highlighted that they have the potential to slow down the growth of prostate cancer cells.
3. Improves Prostate And Bladder Health
For men who are already experiencing symptoms of prostate cancer, pumpkin seeds may help relieve symptoms.
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Studies have suggested that taking pumpkin seeds or their products as supplements can help treat symptoms of an overactive bladder.
4. High In Antioxidants
Also, a person’s lifestyle could cause cell damage.
But pumpkin seeds provide antioxidants like carotenoids and vitamin E that help address unusual cell damage that could climax as a health risk.
These antioxidants reduce inflammation and protect your cells from harmful free radicals.
5. Very High In Magnesium
Additionally, pumpkin seeds can provide your body with magnesium which is needed for more than 600 chemical reactions in your body.
6. It Is High In Fibre
Pumpkin seeds are high in dietary fibre that aids digestion. Also, this fibre reduces the risk of heart disease, type-2 diabetes and obesity.
7. Pumpkin Seeds May Improve Heart Health
The seeds of pumpkin are a good source of antioxidants, magnesium, zinc and fatty acids. These compounds help keep your heart healthy.
One of the health benefits of Pumpkin seeds is that they can increase nitric oxide generation in your body.
This may be responsible for its positive effects on heart health.
This nitric oxide helps expand blood vessels and improve blood flow.
As a result, it reduces the risk of plaque growth that could affect the flow of blood in your arteries.
8. Can Help Diabetics Lower Blood Sugar Levels
Furthermore, persons who are diabetic or who have been diagnosed of high blood sugar level can consume pumpkin seeds to help address the issue.
Animal studies showed that pumpkin, pumpkin seeds, pumpkin seed powder and pumpkin juice can reduce blood sugar.
9. May Improve Sperm Quality
Stress, alcohol, low level of zinc (lifestyle generally), and other issues have reduced some men’s sperm potency.
However, pumpkin seeds could provide your body with the level of zinc needed too boost sperm quality.
Pumpkin seeds are a rich source of zinc.
Again, studies have shown that they could also protect human sperm from damage caused by chemotherapy and autoimmune diseases.
10. Pumpkin Seeds May Help Improve Sleep
For persons who find it difficult to sleep, adding pumpkin seeds to their diet could be of great benefit.
Eating some pumpkin seeds before bedtime will help because these seeds are a natural source of tryptophan, an amino acid that can help promote sleep.
Just about one gram of tryptophan daily is thought to improve sleep.
basically, this translates to about 200 grams of pumpkin seeds to achieve the needed amount of tryptophan.
The zinc in pumpkin seeds also help in the conversion of tryptophan to serotonin, which is then changed into melatonin, the hormone that regulates your sleep cycle.
You see, Pumpkin seeds health benefits are much and they are are good for you.
Add them to your diet to get the essential nutrients that they provide to your body.