Are pumpkins nutritious?

[TracyK]

Hi. It's close to autumn where I live and in celebration of this time of year lots of restaurants and coffee shops, etc. feature pumpkin-related products, such as pumpkin-spice cookies, lattes, donuts, etc. Now I know that all of that stuff is seriously bad for you, because it's all fat and sugar, but what I want to know is are REAL pumpkins actually good for you?

[brightstar]

Sure they are! They are a kind of squash. They're also orange, which means they're a cancer fighting veggie that is high in antioxidants, which is great. They're very high in fiber and their seeds are high in zinc

[TaraNorth]

Wow! Is it weird that I didn't realize you could eat pumpkin? I always think of it as a fall or Halloween decoration and not as food. I have had roasted pumpkin seeds before and I like them, but I've never eaten anything else. So I guess if it's like a squash you can make soups and things with it. This is good to know. Thanks for sharing brightstar.

[MeSarah]

Yes, pumpkin soup is very good. I really like serving it around the holidays. You can also make pumpkin puree which is good for pies and other desserts.

[JokerzWild]

That's funny. I've always thought of pumpkins as decoration. I've never thought about eating one and I've got to say after you carve one, nothing about the crud that you pull out from the inside seems appetizing. But then, I guess if you were to rip the innards out of any raw fruit or vegetable they all have a certain gross factor. It's all a matter of perspective lol.

[brightstar]

That's funny. I've always thought of pumpkins as decoration. I've never thought about eating one and I've got to say after you carve one, nothing about the crud that you pull out from the inside seems appetizing. But then, I guess if you were to rip the innards out of any raw fruit or vegetable they all have a certain gross factor. It's all a matter of perspective lol.

That, and you don't really eat the slimy bits. You eat the flesh part and the seeds. The stringy slimy things can go into the compost as always haha

[1000kilowatts]

is a puree for a soup or pie the only thing you can do with them?

[TracyK]

Guess that answers my question lol. I think I might actually start making some food with pumpkins. They are everywhere right now where I love - super in season. I always like to try something different when I can.

[WolfMoon]

is a puree for a soup or pie the only thing you can do with them?

No. there are hundreds of pumpkin recipes out there. Something I personally rally like is ravioli stuffed with pumpkin and ricotta cheese. Pumpkin risotto is nice too. Other goodies are pumpkin donuts and pumpkin bread.

[M-Stark334]

I have to confess I love pumpkin donuts lol. I also really enjoy roasted pumpkin seeds. And that ravioli sounds amazing, WolfMoon!

[Bean]

LOL M-Stark334, I don't think that you can really count pumpkin donuts as one of the actual pumpkin recipes that has nutrition in it. It was a funny one, though