Real and Raw Food Series #1: Pumpkin

Heirloom pumpkins and gourds.

Real and Raw Food Series # 1: Pumpkin

    I got the idea to write about different foods under the label Real and Raw while eating lunch with the farmers that employ me in the early mornings.  As I sat there, I realized that everything these healthy and well-aged individuals ate, was either real food or raw.  They ate very little processed foods; outside of their bread almost none of their meals were processed.  In this long and ever going series, I will document and discuss numerous food sources in brief articles that break down the positive and negatives of each food.  At the end, I will provide my own personal rating for this type of food.

Pumpkin:  While loading a bunch of heirloom pumpkins, I realized how many different types of pumpkin there are during the growing season.  Nearly all of these are edible and each has a distinct flavor.  Most individuals are used to the typical orange pumpkin, neglecting to notice the countless other varieties that can grow in the fall season.

Goodness:  Pumpkin is full of bodybuilding minerals and vitamins.  It is loaded with complete good stuff.  Pumpkin is a good source of thiamin, niacin, B6, folate, iron, magnesium and a very good source for Vitamin A.  It also contains a fair amount of Vitamin C, Vitamin E, riboflavin, potassium, copper and manganese.  With all these vitamins and minerals, pumpkin is a tremendous snack to eat following a workout.  It also has a very low score on the Glycemic Load test.

Body Response:  Pumpkin is also known to have the largest amount of carotenoids known to man.  These are used to slow down aging and protect against certain forms of cancer.

Two-Fer:  Pumpkin also contains a tremendous amount of edible seeds in each serving.  Pumpkin seeds, along with pumpkin meat provide a tremendous amount of nutrition.  These seeds have a large amount of iron, zinc and even contain a bit of Omega 3 and Omega 6.  One gram of the seeds provides a large amount of protein (L-Tryptophan), which clearly makes them a great snack in between meals.  The seeds are also known to help with anxiety and other mental health issues.

Rating: Very good snack food.  Ideal to use pumpkin meat as a side dish to a main meal as well