Welcome to October, the month of the pumpkin.

Over the last few months, we have been growing our very own pumpkin patch in our garden, and as I’ve watched the pumpkins grow, I’ve often found myself wondering about how to properly eat a pumpkin and what are the health benefits of pumpkins.

I mean, we all know about pumpkin pie and pumpkin being used as a flavor/additive for almost everything now, but what is the best way to prepare this member of the squash family for consumption in your own family?

The easiest way to eat pumpkin is to turn it into a versatile puree. You basically scrape the seeds out, cut the pumpkin into sections, cook them for 90 min at 350, peel the skin, and then blenderize the pumpkin sections into a puree.

Once you have that puree, the sky is the limit. You can add pumpkin to make delicious smoothies, oatmeal, hummus, chili, soup, pasta sauce, pancakes and more. The list goes on and on.

And there are plentiful health benefits to consuming pumpkins.

Pumpkins are full of beta-carotene, which is converted into Vitamin A in the human body. Vitamin A is an essential component to proper eye health, meaning pumpkins can play a role in keeping your vision sharp and your eyes in tip top shape.

Carotenoids are pigments found in pumpkin. Along with other pumpkin carotenoids called lutein and zeaxanthin, are also antioxidants, compounds that help protect you from free radicals. Pumpkins are rich in these antioxidants which help neutralize free radicals.

Your body makes free radicals as byproducts of metabolism, toxin breakdown and other processes. They can injure your cells by damaging cellular membranes and DNA, eventually raising your risk of many types of cancer and chronic illness. A diet high in carotenoids means plenty of antioxidants to help combat the effects of free radicals within our bodies.

Aside from Vitamin A, pumpkins have an ample supply of Vitamin C, whose benefits include protection against immune system deficiencies, cardiovascular disease, prenatal health problems, eye disease, and even skin wrinkling.

Pumpkins also contain a healthy amount of Vitamin E, potassium, manganese, copper, and riboflavin. And they even contain some thiamin, niacin, iron, phosphorus, B-6, and magnesium.

Many doctors and nutritionists report that eating pumpkins can also help lower blood pressure, because they contain many nutrients that combat hypertension. One specifically is magnesium, which balances out the calcium that enters our cells. If you are magnesium deficient, too much calcium enters your cells, causing them to contract and squeeze your arteries leading to hypertension.

Recent studies also indicate that eating pumpkins may help to lower blood glucose levels and improve the efficiency of insulin. The plant compounds in pumpkin seeds and pulp are excellent for helping the absorption of glucose into the tissues and intestines, as well as balancing levels of liver glucose.

Pumpkins are full of fiber, meaning when you eat it, you feel full longer. They are made up of mostly water (90%) so they are low in calories, and that in combination with the fiber, make it a great food for overall digestive health.

You can also take those pumpkin seeds that you scraped out before you made your puree, and roast and salt them for a tasty snack.

You can even dehydrate the skin you peeled and turn that into chips, crisps, or south Indian-style roasted skins.

So you can see, aside from being the perfect October decoration, pumpkins have a very healthy place in our lives. Get creative with that puree and enjoy the many health benefits of the pumpkin!

Cheers.