7 health benefits of pumpkin or kaddu

August 28, 2014

Pumpkin or kaddu as it is called is a sweet vegetable that is loaded with fibre, vitamins and minerals making it really good for your health. Here are some of its top health benefits.

1. Good for your digestive system

According to Harvard School of Public Health, you need to consume at least 20-35g of fibre everyday to keep your digestive system in mint condition and absorb all the other nutrients in your body. Pumpkin is a rich source of fibre and eating it will help meet your daily requirement.

2. Great for your eyes

Pumpkin, like carrots is one of the best foods you can have for your eyes as a 100g serving meets 170% of your daily requirement of Vitamin A. Also, it has carotenoids like lutein and zeaxanthin which help prevent age-related macular degeneration and keeps your vision intact. Here are 5 Vitamin A rich foods you should include in your diet.

3. Helps you lose weight

Pumpkin is extremely low in calories with a 100g serving containing just 26 calories. Additionally, they have fibre which makes you feel full without making you fat.

4. Improves immunity

Pumpkins are an extremely rich source of vitamins like Vitamin A, E, C and iron which helps improve your immune system. A strong immunity will keep most infections at bay and prevent the unpleasant condition of falling sick. Besides pumpkin, here are some other foods you can eat to improve your immunity.

5. Lowers your risk of heart disease

Heart disease is caused due to your arteries getting blocked due to bad cholesterol. The fibre present in pumpkins helps in clearing these blockages and prevents heart disease. Also, low consumption of carotenoids has been linked to a higher risk of heart disease. Consumin pumpkin will keep this carotenoid concentration high making a heart healthy food. Here are 8 natural cholesterol busters that’ll keep heart disease at bay.

6. Prevents breast cancer

Pumpkin has an orange colour like carrots and it is rich in beta-carotene. According to a research conducted by The Nurses’ Health Study, women who had higher concentration of carotenes in their blood had the lowest risk of having breast cancer.

7. Keeps you hydrated

People who have jobs which require them to travel in the sun should eat pumpkins as 90% of its content is water and is a great way to hydrate oneself.

Source: The Health Site
Published: 14 Feb 2014

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