The Hidden Detox Powers of Pumpkin

From protecting your eye health to treating puppy constipation, pumpkin offers a plethora of health benefits.

While this potassium packed powerhouse rarely makes its way onto our radar before October, pumpkin products can be purchased year-round and fresh pumpkin is available beginning as early as August and as late as March. So you can truly enjoy pumpkin’s health benefits year-round.

Pumpkin is the fruit of certain varieties of Cucurbita pepo or C. moschata, which is part of the gourd family. Other members of this family include cucumbers, honeydew melons, cantaloupe, watermelons, and zucchini.

Native to Central America and Mexico, pumpkin now grows on six continents. In places such as North America, Britain, and Europe, pumpkin is used for human food and livestock feed. It is served mainly as a vegetable in Europe and as a dessert in the U.S. and Canada.

In just about every region of the world, however, unused pumpkins are left in the fields to nourish precious soil.

Pumpkins can be green, red, tan, yellow, white, or even blue, but the pumpkins we know best have a brilliant orange hue. These bright beauties can be bumpy or smooth, tall or short, small enough to fit in the palm of your hand or large enough to fill a wheelbarrow.

No matter what the size or color may be, pumpkin is loaded with vitamins, nutrients, and substances that help keep the body healthy and working efficiently – especially the digestive system.

A one cup serving of cooked fresh pumpkin contains close to three grams of soluble fiber, which is roughly 11 percent of the daily value. The large amount of fiber contained in such a small amount of pumpkin encourages frequent, but healthy bowel movements that help eliminate dangerous body toxins and waste.

Fresh pumpkin is just one component of many body detox diets. It is the detoxifier of choice by savvy detox devotees because while assisting with elimination, pumpkin helps maintaining energy and alertness – thanks to energy-producing complex carbohydrates. Pumpkin also helps stave off hunger longer because it is very filling.

As part of a detox diet, fresh pumpkin can be made into soups (preferred use), or it can be cubed for baking or roasting, mashed, or cut in half, cleaned, and baked, much like acorn squash.

Besides being an excellent detoxifier, pumpkin contains a tremendous amount of potassium, beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, and Vitamin A. Let’s take a closer look at each of them:

Potassium has protective effects against hypertension. It works with sodium to maintain the body’s water balance. Increased potassium intake may increase the amount of sodium excreted from the body.

Studies show that groups with a relatively high intake of dietary potassium have lower blood pressures than comparable groups with relatively low potassium intakes.

Potassium is an especially useful nutrient in the U.S. where salt intake is three times higher than potassium intake. Just one cup of mashed pumpkin contains just 49 calories and 564 mg of potassium, which is approximately 33 percent more than a medium banana.

Beta-carotene and other carotenoids provide approximately 50 percent of the vitamin A needed in the American diet according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health (NIH). Vitamin A – an antioxidant that protects cells against the effects of free radicals in the body and the environment, may also play a role in maintaining a healthy immune system (which helps the body defend itself against disease), the reproductive system, bones, vision, and cell functions.

Studies suggest that beta-carotene may also help reduce breast cancer risk in women, treat eye disease, prevent sunburn, slow the progression of osteoarthritis, prevent bronchitis and difficulty breathing in smokers, reduce the risk of ovarian cancer in women after menopause, prevent exercise induced asthma attacks, and improve physical strength and performance in the elderly.

One cup of mashed pumpkin contains 5,000 mcg of beta-carotene.

Alpha-carotene is a carotenoid that the body converts to Vitamin A. It also is an antioxidant that helps to stop cells from breaking down and oxidizing. It also gives flavor and color to many brightly colored orange and red vegetable sand fruits.

One cup of mashed pumpkin contains 853 mcg of alpha-carotene.

Beta-cryptoxanthin is also a member of the carotenoid family that acts as a powerful antioxidant. In fact, studies show that beta-cryptoxanthin can help reduce the risk of lung cancer by more than 30 percent, and the risk of rheumatoid arthritis by 41 percent.

One cup of mashed pumpkin contains 3,500 mcg of beta-cryptoxanthin.

In addition to 12,000 IUs of vitamin A per cup, pumpkin has more than 2,400 mcg of lutein and zeaxanthin – other cartenoids that are quickly becoming the star nutrients in eye health and vision protection programs, according to Dr. Jonny Bowden, author of The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth.

Pumpkin also contains calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, copper and vitamins C, E, and K. Making pumpkin a permanent part of your life can help detox the body, ward off disease, and treat or minimize symptoms associated with many conditions. If you can’t find fresh pumpkin during the few months that it is not readily available, experts say that the no-salt, canned pumpkin is a great alternative.

It has all of the vitamins and nutrients contained in fresh pumpkin, and it is still low calorie and high fiber.

So go ahead and eat some pumpkin, and experience its detox power.