There are a lot of things to love about fall: college football, changing leaves, apple picking, jeans-and-sweatshirt weather… but in my book, the emergence of all that is pumpkin is what makes fall great.
Only once a year, for a couple sweet months, can you savor pumpkin soup at Au Bon Pain, a pumpkin coffee at Dunkin’ Donuts, or a pumpkin ale at any of Boston’s finest watering holes. It’s glorious.
Yet as you may guess, not all of these pumpkin treats are of glowing nutritional quality. The pumpkin muffin at Dunkin’ has an eye-popping (belt-busting!) 600 calories, and 26 grams of fat. And at four-plus dollars a pop, a Starbucks pumpkin spice latte habit is the last thing I need…
So my mission this fall is simple: to experiment with as many homemade pumpkin recipes as possible. Just last night, Monica, Alex and I feasted on Rachael Ray’s Pumpkin Pasta with Sausage and Wild Mushrooms. After which, I announced my intention to eat as much pumpkin as humanly possible this fall. The bonus? When you fix it yourself, pumpkin season can continue long after Beantown Pub cuts off their supply of Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale. Also, you have the freedom to tweak here and there to let the nutritional merits of pumpkin shine through the frosting and/or heavy cream.
So why eat pumpkin (beyond the obvious reason of celebrating fall)?
Pumpkin’s bright orange color is a telltale sign that it’s loaded with beta carotene, the antioxidant that’s converted to vitamin A in the body. Beta carotene protects against damage from free radicals, boosts immune function, and contributes to female reproductive health. People who eat diets rich in beta carotene have lower rates of cancer (it should be noted, however, that beta carotene supplements do not lend the same protective effect).
Don’t think you need to gut an entire pumpkin to integrate this food into your diet. 1/2 cup of canned pumpkin has only 40 calories and 1/2 gram of fat, and is loaded with 20 percent of your daily fiber and over 300 percent of your daily vitamin A. It is also extremely low in sodium (rare for a canned food), with only 5 mg per serving.
Pumpkin seeds are also little nutritional gems, containing high levels of the minerals phosphorus, magnesium, and manganese; as well as smaller amounts of zinc, iron, and copper. Because I am most definitely bringing back the jack-o-lantern carving tradition this year, look for upcoming posts on pumpkin seed prep and serving ideas.
In the meantime, here are a couple pumpkin links for your enjoyment:
Chow’s Review of 10 Pumpkin Ales
Martha Stewart’s Pumpkin Recipe Gallery
Couldn’t help it…
Week 39 Goal: Prep healthier versions of, and alternatives to, delicious store-bought pumpkin treats.
YAY a new post!! I will resurrect fitness fridays! Just need to remember my password…