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Pumpkin — The Food and Flavor of the Season
A Bite-Size Read for Your Health and Your Waistline
It’s that time of year. Amidst everyone’s (or my) not so mild obsession with butternut squash, I say we talk about another type of squash…pumpkins! Pumpkin spice lattes and other pumpkin flavored items are everywhere this time of year, but they are not necessarily offering you the health benefits of real pumpkin! A lot of those items, foods, and drinks don’t have any pumpkin in them, but rather have added flavorings and sugars that are not necessarily serving your health.
Can you have your pumpkin and health benefits too? Absolutely!
This orange fruit we love so much during fall is a winter squash, in the same plant family as cucumbers and melons. Yes, it is technically a fruit because of the seeds. Another fun fact, while pumpkins are native to North America, they are grown on every continent, except Antarctica.
There are more varieties than most of us realize. When we think of pumpkins, we typically imagine first the ones we decorate or carve for Halloween. Yet, the ones used for food look more like butternut squash in size and shape. You’ll probably see them labeled in your grocery stores as “pie pumpkins.” I don’t recommend eating your jack-o’-lantern. You really don’t want to eat something that’s been mutilated and sitting out on your…
