Benefits of Pumpkin
December 17, 2009
Pumpkin Pie is one of the traditional dishes that is eaten with great gusto during the festive occasions of Halloween and Thanksgiving. Although you do get the pies at every store specializing in baked items, a home made pumpkin pie still remains the best. Dietitians agree that not only does it taste good, the pumpkin pie is full of fiber and literally laden with beta carotene, the precursor to vitamin A.
The harder variety of pumpkins may be ideal to convert into a jack-o-lanterns but are really impossible to tackle as pie fillings. The sweet variety of pumpkins usually known as the winter squash make the best ingredients for a home made pumpkin pie.
Healthy Pumpkin Pies- While most people love to splurge on the festive occasions and simply go overboard with the number of fattening ingredients like the butter and eggs, it is best not to compromise on the nutritional value of the food even if you eat it once in a while.
You can simply replace a few of the basic raw materials in order to reap the maximum benefit from the humble pumpkin pie. It is better to use a low fat margarine instead of the rich yellow butter. Egg whites can be used in isolation without the accompaniment of the cholesterol elevating yolks. The other benefits of the pumpkin pie will still remain the same and you get the additional option of putting away lesser calories on the festive occasion.
Pumpkins aid beautification- Apart from the vitamin A, pumpkin has an appreciable quantity of vitamins C and E, zinc as well as the beneficial lutein. As a result, the humble pumpkin can be used to enhance our own beauty in the form of various oils, moisturizers, face masks or peels. The treatments help the essential nutrients to get absorbed into our skin thus soothing and moistening it.
The multifarious enzymes as well as the antioxidants present in the fruit help the skin to glow radiantly irrespective of age. The mashed pumpkin pulp acts as a wonderful exfoliating agent as well. It removes the dead cells and leaves the skin rejuvenated and soft. The Halloween squash as the peel is called sometimes can also help to reduce acnes to a great extent.
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