Bitter Food Hero No 5: Pumpkin Seeds
Following the series on the best foods in the world, seeds take centre stage and here's why those of the pumpkin are nature's best.
If have an I’ll-eat-anything dog, you’ll know that pumpkin plants are willing to pop up in poop if given the chance.
These jackal-lanterns are a powerhouse that serve an A-Z of nutrients making it all too easy to overlook the seeds.
Fortunately, first nations people didn’t.
The earliest pumpkins were small, hard, and bitter.
Their seeds were eaten as medicine, to expel parasitic worms and intestinal problems.
Mainstream medical science backed this until roughly 1940 then backtracked thanks to better worm killing medication emerging.
That doesn’t mean pumpkins won’t help you stay healthy, so check out these bitter seeds plus points.
Parasites Be Gone
Worms and parasites are the kind of frenemies you don’t want on your insides and there is some truth to folk remedies about pumpkin seeds.
Research found they help fellow mammals expel internal worms and can even settle digestive issues.
Okay, so it’s not proven in humans, but it doesn’t hurt to shore up your defense against internal wriggling.
Seeds of Health
Cancer.
Yep, it’s a problem but these seeds are possible preventative food.
Their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory extracts may help protect with breast cancer and may even pump the brakes of prostate cells growth rates.
They’re also rich in fiber making them a rather thorough top to bottom protection agent.
A Vitamin Pill
Pepitas are nature’s nutritional safeguard.
They give you everything you need.
Here’s what you get.
Fibre. Vitamin K, B2 and E. Zinc. Iron. Copper. Magnesium. Manganese. Phosphorus. Antioxidants.
Their benefits are mouthful, even if they aren’t, but be sure to eat a handful on the daily.
An Oil That Heals
Pumpkin seed oil distills these seed’s goodness into a compact package that can be very powerful.
Research says it can lower blood pressure and get your cholesterol in good shape.
Chuck it into marinades, salad dressing or drop onto the foods you love.
I love you, Daddy?
If you want to hear those words, these seeds may protect your seeds.
They’re high in zinc that is a natural testosterone booster and research says the oil could be a protective agent for your sperm quality, especially if you have autoimmune diseases.
If you’re after a little more manly juju these are all meat no potatoes.
Eat With Everything
If you were to pick one seed to be stranded on a desert island with it should always be the pumpkin’s sprog.
They grow anywhere and are dead easy to add to just about anything.
It’s the crunch that makes them earn their keep. Chuck on salads, across pesto pasta, in soups and lob into your smoothies.
If you’re gobbling them on the regular, then try sprouting them by soaking in a little water but otherwise they’re a beautiful pairing to just about any dish.
Abstaining from these seeds is not only a crime against Halloween and yourself.