A pumpkin is vitamin and nutrient rich and comes with many surprising health benefits, ranging from preventing non communicable diseases (NCDs) to general longevity.
By Dr. Chitalu Chilufya.
Lusaka, Sept. 21 – In Zambia, each season comes with its own food favourites and we are in the season of the melon family. Since a pumpkin is an affordable fruit that’s packed with health promoting nutrients, including fiber, potassium, vitamin C, and protein, I feel obligated to add it the list of super foods that can help us fight NCDs.
NCDs, also known as chronic diseases, are diseases that are not passed from one person to the other. The four main types of NCDs are cardiovascular diseases (like heart attacks and stroke), cancers, chronic respiratory diseases (such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma) and diabetes.
There’s need to pay special attention to what we eat if we are to live long and healthy lives. This is where pumpkin comes in. It’s not just delicious, it’s equally simple to prepare. Here, then, are just a few surprising pumpkin health benefits that may inspire you to add it to your diet.
◾Better heart health: If you’re concerned about your heart, pumpkin is a great addition to your diet. The potassium found in pumpkins and other vegetables may help reduce blood pressure and protect against stroke. Raw pumpkin has nearly 400mg of potassium per small plate serving. Additionally, fiber has been shown to help improve cardiovascular health.
◾Stronger immune system: The vibrant orange color is a clue that pumpkin is a great source of vitamins A and C, two nutrients essential for a healthy immune system. Pumpkin seeds are also high in zinc which is another proven immune booster.
◾Steamier sex life: Pumpkin seeds are an excellent nutritional source of zinc, containing 7mg per small plate serving. Zinc plays many roles in the body, including helping your immune system, proper growth, and faster wound healing. But another potential health benefit of zinc is a higher libido and an improved ability to maintain an erection, the reason they feature during Ichilanga Mulilo. This may be due to its ability to naturally increase testosterone, researchers have found.
◾Fewer fungal infections: There are other ways pumpkin can help enhance your immune system. In studies to find treatment alternatives for using antibiotics for infections, scientists discovered that a compound found in pumpkin skin is a powerful antifungal. It can inhibit the growth of microbes, including Candida albicans, the fungus that causes vaginal yeast infections, diaper rash in infants, and other health problems, according to the study, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
◾Lower risk of cancer: In addition to being a rich source of beta-carotene, pumpkins are also one of the best sources of alpha-carotene, an antioxidant that promotes cellular health and a stronger immune system. Alpha-carotene is chemically similar to beta-carotene but may be more effective at inhibiting the growth of cancer cells, according to a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine.
◾A longer life: It’s not just the anti-cancer properties that tie eating pumpkins to a longer life. People with high blood levels of alpha-carotene seem to have a reduced risk of dying of any cause over a 14-year period, according to the JAMA Internal Medicine study. Increasing your intake of yellow-orange and dark green fruits and vegetables, think carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, broccoli, green beans, green peas, spinach, turnips, greens, collards, and leaf lettuce, may be a way of preventing premature death, researchers have noted.
NCDs are overtaking infectious diseases in terms of global mortality rates, and deaths from NCDs are forecast to exceed mortality from infectious, maternal and child diseases even in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2030.
So we must pay special attention to what we eat if we are to live long and healthy lives. Let’s eat traditional meals such as chibwabwa and Kalembula instead of beef and pork.
About The Author: Dr. Chilufya, a PF presidential candidate, is a public health physician, Mansa Central Member of Parliament and former Minister of Health who led a transformational agenda of the national health system, focused on creating a resilient health approach to achieve Universal Health Coverage.
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