2023-10-19 16:33:19
Queen of the autumn table and symbol of Halloween, pumpkin is a true ‘superfood’ that is good for the heart, nerves, mood and more.
It is a vegetable “with excellent nutritional values and many beneficial properties for the body and its health – immunologist Mauro Minelli, professor of dietetics and human nutrition at the Lum University of Bari, explains to time.news Health -. large cucurbit, healthy and tasty, on a health level. Possible interferences with the therapeutic intake of lithium are known, but the pumpkin has almost no contraindications. Under a thick and hard rind, it hides a sweet and pulpy heart: it is low in calories, of fats and proteins but abounds in water and vitamins, mainly A and C. Many minerals, especially potassium, a fundamental support for the proper functioning of the heart and nervous system”.
Pumpkin also contains “magnesium and phosphorus in fair quantities, calcium, folate and beta-carotene, which in turn is a precursor of vitamin A and responsible for the characteristic yellow-orange colour. And then the fibres – continues the immunologist – are very useful for promoting transit intestinal rebalancing the flora and contributing to the control of body weight thanks to the induction of a persistent feeling of satiety. Also notable is the presence of tryptophan from which serotonin originates, known to regulate mood; for this reason pumpkin it can be considered a good adjuvant in the treatment of states of stress or sleep disorders or nervous hunger”.
Furthermore, “the presence of the so-called good fats in pumpkin, the so-called Omega 3, allows you to keep blood levels of cholesterol and triglycerides under control and to combat atherosclerosis. Its seeds are also edible and are a concentrate of nutrients: minerals , proteins, fats – he observes – They are delicious toasted, added to yogurt or in salads. Often, especially in southern Italy, they are consumed as a snack or as a pastime, considering the time it takes to shell and eat them. In the seeds, but also in the pumpkin pulp also contains cucurbitin, an exclusive amino acid with a strategic role that can be used in the treatment of intestinal parasitosis, but with a strong protective action on the urinary tract, which makes pumpkin useful in cases of cystitis or prostatitis. pumpkin, therefore, must be consumed in all its parts, given that nothing should be thrown away. The logical consequence of this assumption – concludes Minelli – is that if the inside of the pumpkin is useful and precious, what should be discarded are the empty, leathery pumpkins on the outside but with nothing inside. Yes, you have to be wary of those.”
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