Love yourself a good piece (or two … okay three) of pumpkin pie during the holidays? Well tis’ the season for this holiday treat that has more health benefits than you might have expected. 

Pumpkin is low in fat and calories, with just 30 calories per cup and 0.1 grams of fat.  This veggie is rich in potassium, magnesium and iron.  Its loaded fiber content will also keep you fuller, longer.  The skin is filled with vitamin C, which helps with immunity, and vitamin E, which promotes healthy skin.  The bright orange flesh is also rich in alpha and beta-carotene.  The carotene vitamin is an important antioxidant that helps to fight off free radicals in the atmosphere from reaching your body.  As the body intakes alpha carotene, it converts this antioxidant into vitamin A, which also helps boost your body’s immunity. 

You can cook pumpkin yourself by either broiling it or steaming it. After it gets soft, smash it into a puree from which you can make a festive salad dressing, or combine it with some chicken broth and milk to make a holiday special soup. 

But let’s not just focus on the pumpkin itself. Pumpkin seeds are also a great source of protein, potassium, magnesium, zinc, iron, copper and essential fatty acids.  Wow, that’s a long list!  Good thing they taste great on salads, mixed in with oatmeal and eaten with cottage cheese. You can buy raw pumpkin seeds – or the ones that are shelled – roasted and salted at any grocery store. Also, you can make homemade-shelled pumpkin seeds by digging them out of the pumpkin, setting them on a cookie tray, sprinkling them with some sea salt and placing them in the oven at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes.     

Too lazy to go buy a pumpkin, cut it up and cook it? Don’t trust yourself with hacking into the pumpkin with a large knife? No fear, canned pumpkin is a viable option that provides all the same health benefits and is filled with all the nutrients of a pumpkin just picked from the patch.  Below is a great breakfast (or healthy dessert) recipe that uses canned pumpkin.  Enjoy!  And, happy holidays! 

Pumpkin Pie: Breakfast Style

½ cup pumpkin (canned)

3-4 Splenda (or Stevia)

1 tablespoon cinnamon powder

¼ cup Fiber One cereal

10 chopped pecans

2 tablespoon vanilla protein powder (optional)

Mix it all together and enjoy!