A round and yellow to orange pumpkin is known to be beneficial for one’s health as well as beauty, but did you know that its seeds can also have a beneficial effect on your health? Yes, you read that right.
Pumpkin seeds are what everyone is talking about. Be it its high-fiber content or its antioxidant-rich properties; there is no way for you to be in the wrong if you include them in your diet. The health benefits of these tiny seeds are not as humble in any way, and unlike pumpkin, which is a seasonal vegetable, you can eat pumpkin seeds throughout the year.
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The Correct Definition Of Pumpkin Seeds
Pumpkin seeds are small oval-shaped seeds of a pumpkin with a white covering, but they are green from the inside. These are mostly eaten after being perfectly roasted.
Rich with minerals, complex vitamins such as vitamins K and A, and loaded with fiber, the consumption of pumpkin seeds will positively affect your health. Here’s a quick look at the magnificent health benefits that will follow after incorporating pumpkin seeds into your diet.
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Benefits Of Pumpkin Seeds
Most of the benefits of the regular use of pumpkin seeds are often due to its nutrient-dense nature.
Though small in size, pumpkin seeds are pretty high on energy and packed with fibers, vitamins, and minerals. Let’s learn about a few of its health benefits to understand its nature fully:
1. Pumpkin Seeds Have Impressive Antioxidant Properties
Loaded with different vitamins such as vitamin K and vitamin A, pumpkin seeds have a significant antioxidant quality that aid in lowering the concentration of free-radicals in the bloodstream. Free-oxygen atoms, or free radicals, are often linked with causing oxidative stress to the walls of a healthy cell, which further results in its damage.
However, the consumption of an antioxidant-rich diet increases the level of antioxidants in the bloodstream, which then combine with the free radicals before they get a chance to reach a healthy cell, thus reducing the risk of free radical damage.
2. Aids In Weight Loss Management
Pumpkin seeds are particularly loaded with fiber, in fact, they are known for being so. This means that even after a small meal, a spoonful of pumpkin seeds can make you feel full and keep it that way for a longer time. The result is that you’ll end up consuming fewer calories and hence shed some kilos and burn fat from your body.
The healthy human body has a specific calorie limit per day, which, when exceeded, leads to weight gain. On the other hand, the consumption of pumpkin seeds, which are full of fiber and low in calories, helps control your calorie consumption and keeps it at a normal level.
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3. Pumpkin Seeds Are Good For Metabolism
This is yet another advantage of dietary fiber present in pumpkin seeds in excellent quantities. Dietary fiber is the non-digestible part of the food, so whenever you ingest a food item that is riddled with fiber, such as pumpkin seeds themselves, the stomach requires extra work to digest it completely.
These fibers tend to help you burn calories and improve your body’s metabolism. The fiber also helps by adding bulk to the stool and stimulates bowel movement, thus keeping digestive issues at bay.
4. Promotes Healthy Blood Pressure
Filled with minerals such as manganese, copper, zinc, and phosphorous, eating a spoonful of pumpkin seeds regularly might just be the perfect solution if you are suffering from high blood pressure. Usually, when you load up on too much salt, your blood vessels start to constrict, which is the effect of sodium present in the salt. However, other minerals such as the ones that are present in pumpkin seeds tend to counteract this effect of sodium.
Zinc, for example, exerts a dilating effect on the inner walls of the blood vessels, further preventing them from constricting and aids in the management of blood pressure by keeping it in control.
5. Manages Blood Sugar Level
The dietary fiber content of pumpkin seeds can be seen as a contributory factor for a majority of its benefits. The presence of fiber in the food item that you digest further slows down your digestive process. This slowing down of the process results in the slow absorption of sugar molecules by the blood, which provides enough time for the pancreas to secrete an adequate amount of insulin to break down the sugar molecules and keep your blood glucose level in control.
In other words, the consumption of high-fiber food items such as pumpkin seeds decreases the body’s insulin resistivity and helps break down sugar molecules into energy.
Also Read: Diabetes Diet | What To Eat To Manage Blood Sugar And Keep Diabetes In Control
6. Helps Tackle Insomnia And Sleeplessness
In addition to managing one’s blood pressure, the consumption of these mineral-rich seeds, which have significant magnesium content, can also help in the treatment of insomnia and keep sleeplessness at bay. One of the common symptoms of magnesium deficiency is insomnia, as magnesium plays an important role in supporting deep and restorative sleep.
The significant consumption of magnesium helps maintain a healthy GABA level, which is a neurotransmitter that relaxes the nerve tissues and promotes sleep.
Add these seeds to your diet and have a healthy deep sleep.
7. Pumpkin Seeds Improve Skin Health
In addition to vitamin K and A, pumpkin seeds also contain a few grams of the complex vitamin B, which gives them their beauty-benefiting qualities. The deficiency of vitamin B from the system is often linked with hypersensitivity in the skin cells, this makes the skin react to the changes in climate or any other external product such as cream or lotion.
Some of the symptoms of hypersensitive skin include redness, acne, and dry skin. However, vitamin B, which is present in pumpkin seeds, thanks to its antioxidant property, is the number one natural anti-aging substance. It helps protect the skin cells from the attack of free radicals. In addition to that, its consumption also leads to the proper circulation of blood, thus keeping the cells nourished and out of harm’s way.
Pumpkin Seeds Over Consumption Side-Effects
Everything that’s consumed in excess can be more damaging to your health than being beneficial, and pumpkin seeds are no exception to this rule. Let us now take discuss some of the adverse effects of pumpkin seeds to fully understand its nature:
1. May Cause Weight Gain
Yes, the consumption of pumpkin seeds can indeed result in the burning of fat. However, consuming too much of it might just have the opposite effect. The thing you need to understand is that the dietary fiber content of pumpkin seeds is responsible for its weight loss benefits, for fibers take a longer time to digest and keep you from overeating.
But when you consume too much fiber, much more than the body’s daily requirement, you can cause the digestive system to slow down. The stomach will take longer to digest food, and your gut will not clean out as smoothly. This way, and you may end up gaining weight rather than shedding kilos.
2. Lower Blood Pressure
Though the addition of pumpkin seeds into your diet might have a dilating effect on the inner walls of your blood vessels (thanks to the presence of minerals such as zinc and phosphorous), too much of it might just lower the blood pressure beyond its normal level. Thus, it is advised that you take note of your consumption, and if you are suffering from low blood pressure, you must avoid it altogether.
3. Concern For Allergy
Though the reports concerning the allergic reaction towards pumpkin seeds are far less as compared to the reaction towards other seeds, it still gives us no reason to rule this one out. You need to consult with your doctor if you are allergic to other seeds or nuts. Some of the symptoms of pumpkin seed allergy include swollen throat, difficulty to swallow, itchy skin, and difficulty to breathe.
Different Ways Of Consuming Pumpkin Seeds
There are various ways in which pumpkin seeds and be used and added to your diet, here are a few examples with which you can start:
- Consume raw pumpkin seeds after roasting them.
- They can be used as a garnish over various puddings, gravies, or even soups.
- Roasted pumpkin seeds can be added to salads.
- These seeds go well alongside oatmeal and further increase its nutritional value.
- With a bland taste, pumpkin seeds can be added to almost all of your favorite recipes.
How To Roast Pumpkin Seeds?
Raw, roasted pumpkin seeds are the most common way of consuming pumpkin seeds. It is said to be the most traditional and nutritious mode too. Here are a few steps that you need to keep in mind while roasting these seeds:
- Thoroughly wash and rinse the seeds to get rid of the dirt particles.
- Preheat the oven at 150℃.
- Apply some oil on the surface of the seeds and place them in a baking tray.
- Take it out after baking it for 45 minutes or until they turn golden brown.
Final Words
In the end, it doesn’t matter how you consume these beneficial seeds; what matters, however, is the fact that you take note of your consumption and do not exceed the daily limit. In doing so, you’ll ensure to extract the maximum health benefits that pumpkin seeds have to offer while reducing the risk of dealing with any of its side-effects.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here we answered a few FAQs about pumpkin seeds.
1. How much pumpkin seeds should you eat a day?
Anything, when consumed in moderation is beneficial for our body. Pumpkin seeds are full of health benefits but if consumed in an uncontrolled manner may lead to a lot of side-effects including weight gain and fluctuations in blood pressure. A handful of pumpkin seeds in a week are sufficient to meet your body’s requirements. If you feel that it is causing you any gas, bloating or discomfort, reduce the amount.
2. Why are pumpkin seeds good for males?
The high antioxidant content in pumpkin seeds can help promote healthy testosterone levels in males. Consumption of pumpkin seeds can also help in promotion of fertility in men, and reduction in chances of a prostrate problem.
3. Do pumpkin seeds make you happy?
Pumpkin seeds have tryptophan. Tryptophan is needed by the body to make serotonin. Now, serotonin is a hormone that regulates our mood. Low serotinin levels are often associated with depression.
4. Do you eat the shells of pumpkin seeds?
Whole pumpkin seeds or pumpkin seeds with the shell on provide a lot of fiber content to you diet. Even though it is safe to eat roasted pumpkin seeds with their shell on, if you feel you do not like the taste, it can be taken off and eaten as well.