What is the use of pumpkin for the human body of different age categories
Pumpkin appeared in Russian vegetable gardens in the 16th century and was initially used as a fodder crop for livestock. It was noticed that in winter, cows willingly eat such an additive, and the milk becomes even tastier. Later, the peasants tasted the taste of the vegetable, developed new varieties, and in dietetics, pumpkin became a necessary supplement in the diet. Currently, the benefits of pumpkin for the body are confirmed by numerous studies. Read the article:pumpkin seeds benefits and harms for men!
What is the reason for the benefits of pumpkin pulp?
Consisting of 92% water, pumpkin is a low-calorie product, containing only 22 kcal per 100 g, but most of the energy is provided by carbohydrates, so its glycemic index is 75, which is important for diabetics.
It is important that the content of vitamins and minerals in the product is significant:
- vitamin A makes up 171% of the daily requirement;
- vitamin C - 17%;
- vitamin E - 6%;
- folic acid -5%.
The present group of B vitamins and a rare element in vegetables, vitamin K make the product not only dietary, healing.
The mineral composition is varied and a piece of pumpkin in 100 g compensates for the lack of mineral salts:
- calcium and zinc at 2% of the daily requirement;
- iron and phosphorus by 5%;
- copper by 7%;
- potassium by 11%.
Other elements are present in smaller quantities, but their benefits are undeniable. Thus, the vitamin T present in the pulp helps digestion and promotes the formation of platelets, improving blood clotting and preventing anemia. Carotene in pumpkin is 2 times more than in carrots... It is healthier for eye nutrition than sea buckthorn.
A medicinal substance was found in the pumpkin that suppresses the tubercle bacillus. Avicenna wrote about the medicinal properties of pumpkin in the fight against chronic cough.
On this topic: what is the use of pumpkin?
How to use pumpkin?
All the beneficial properties of herbal products are best manifested in their raw form. Can you eat raw pumpkin? The product is useful raw, baked and boiled. You can fry the pumpkin, but at the same time it picks up oil and becomes not a medicinal and not a dietary product. Raw pumpkin is used as an addition to salads or grated as a separate dish.
However, in case of exacerbation of any disease, it is undesirable to use pumpkin without heat treatment. In remission, pumpkin salad won't hurt. The frozen product also retains useful qualities in full. Boiled, cooked in porridge with milk, steamed and baked pumpkin slices will only benefit any body with moderate use.
You can eat raw pumpkin at certain times to relieve problems, if there are no contraindications:
- laxative effect, stabilization of intestinal function, choleretic effect occurs when consuming 300-400 grams of pumpkin per day;
- helps with inflammation of the bladder;
- improves potency.
Pumpkin cleanses the skin, relieves pain in the feet with a heavy load on the legs, and is used in the form of compresses.
Can you eat pumpkin during pregnancy and breastfeeding?
At the beginning of pregnancy in the first half of the gestation period, the woman's body is subject to restructuring, hormones make the mother's state emotionally unstable. The onset of toxicosis poisons happiness with sudden bouts of nausea, intolerance to odors. It was during this period that a salad with the inclusion of raw pumpkin will help the future mom to cope with problems, juice or dry healthy pumpkin seeds... All these products suppress the gag reflex, reduce intoxication and excessive nervousness.
However, at the same moment, the body needs enhanced fortification, and hematopoiesis should be more effective. The constant intake of pumpkin during pregnancy will help to cope with the problems of the first trimester. Later, the same product helps to relieve puffiness, as it has diuretic properties. A young woman who accepts pumpkin dishes has shiny hair, healthy skin and nails, since there are enough nutrients to build a new man and mom does not give her calcium, zinc and magnesium to the child.
Mom's eyesight will not deteriorate, thanks to vitamins A and D, and phosphorus and calcium will be used to form the child's skeleton. Iron is involved in hematopoiesis and, together with folic acid and vitamins T and K, is involved in the blood supply to the fetus. However, all the beneficial properties of pumpkin can turn into the opposite if a woman has untreated gastrointestinal ulcers, gastritis or diarrhea. Allergy to carotenoids can be a possible cause of deterioration.
When and can you eat pumpkin while breastfeeding?, young mothers often ask themselves. A period of strict dietary restrictions for a nursing mom requires careful food choices. In this case, there are reservations for eating pumpkin. Undoubtedly, a healthy product should get to the baby with mother's milk gradually, only after 10 days of infancy. The first portions should be tiny, after which you should observe the well-being of the baby.
Initially, pumpkin is used only boiled, baked and as part of porridge. You cannot use fried pumpkin for a nursing mother. Later on the menu, you can add juice and pumpkin to salads. However, you should not get too carried away with a healthy vegetable, problems with constipation can occur both in the mother and the baby.
Nutritionists and pediatricians advise using pumpkin as the first product when feeding babies as the most useful vegetable. However, if the mother was allergic to yellow vegetables before giving birth, pumpkin should not be added to food, the child may have an allergy congenital.
You can use pumpkin in the diet of a pregnant woman and a nursing mother only if you are confident in their safety. It is best if the fruits are grown in a summer cottage or in a personal backyard without feeding with nitrogenous fertilizers and growth stimulants. Medium-sized fruits should be used.
Pumpkin for diabetes
Despite the low calorie content, the GI of pumpkin is high, 75 units, the same as that of a watermelon. Nutritionists classify pumpkin as a starchy product that is difficult to decompose, so blood sugar rises slowly. It also contributes to weight loss as a product with a low energy content.
Moderate intake of pumpkin with substitution of other foods to achieve XE will only be beneficial. Pumpkin with diabetes on the menu increases the content of beta cells in the blood, and they are included in the production of insulin, which is already good. Dried pumpkin is good as a dessert for people who need to limit sweets is vital.
It is raw pumpkin without heat treatment that is healthier, since it has the lowest GI. However, in case of diabetes mellitus, the introduction of pumpkin into the diet is possible only after consulting a doctor.
Pumpkin for pancreatitis and liver diseases
Pancreatitis is an inflammatory process in the pancreas. They are accompanied by pain, nausea, and vomiting after eating. Usually, therapeutic fasting is prescribed as the first measure to relieve stress. After this, the patient is transferred to a sparing diet, in which boiled pumpkin in the form of puddings and cereals plays an important role. It is important that the pumpkin is pancreatitis in the acute stage, it is used only after heat treatment without adding oil.
If pancreatitis has passed into the stage of a chronic disease, then during periods of remission, a little unsalted butter or refined vegetable oil can be added to products with pumpkin. The recommended dose of pumpkin in the daily diet is 200-300 grams, up to a maximum of half a kilogram.
If the pain in the right hypochondrium made it impossible to enjoy life, it's time to examine the condition of the liver. This organ removes toxins, toxins, processes sugar, participates in hematopoiesis and gives a pain signal when it does not cope with functions. Pumpkin has properties that have been recognized for centuries. It restores the efficiency of the liver cell membranes by cleaning it. Therefore, for the liver, pumpkin is a product for health reasons.
Liver cells, hepatocytes, are destroyed in diseases. Pumpkin products reduce the amount of toxins entering the liver, activating the purification systems. However, pumpkin is not a medicine; it contributes to the effectiveness of the medication prescribed by the doctor. However, if pumpkin dishes are included in a person's menu, this is the prevention of a formidable disease.