Once Again, It’s Pumpkin Season

There’s no denying it - pumpkin season is back! These days you can find pumpkin in everything from ice cream to alfredo sauce. But do these pumpkin options offer any benefit to our health?  
 
It depends.
 
Pumpkin, a type of winter squash, has an impressive nutrient profile, with benefits ranging from skin and eye health to immune support and heart benefits.
 
A 1-cup serving of pumpkin contributes several key nutrients:

• Vitamin A - promotes eye and skin health and contributes to a strong immune system.
• Carotenoids - antioxidants that may reduce risk of heart disease and cancer.
• Fiber – assists in both weight loss and heart health by helping to keep you full and lowering cholesterol.

 
When evaluating festive fall foods, look for pumpkin as one of the first few ingredients listed on a food label. (Sadly, pumpkin ice cream usually has more cream and sugar than pumpkin.)
 
Or try this creamy pasta fettuccini as a comforting way to celebrate the health benefits of pumpkin.

REFERENCES:
Pumpkin, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt. Cronometer. 2021.
Soliman GA. Dietary Fiber, Atherosclerosis, and Cardiovascular Disease. Nutrients. 2019;11(5):1155.
Vitamin A: Fact Sheet for Consumers. National Institutes of Health: Office of Dietary Supplements. 2021.
Young AJ and Lowe GL. Carotenoids-Antioxidant Properties. Antioxidants. 2018;7(2):28.

By Deanna Nappi, MS, MGH Dietetic Intern