Pumpkins!

Did you know that pumpkins are actually one kind of winter squash? Makes sense but I had never made that connection. In addition to pumpkins, there are actually hundreds of different winter squashes including Acorn squashes, Butternut squashes, Delicata squashes, English pumpkins, Hubbard squashes, Kobocha squashes, and Onion squashes.

In the United States pumpkins are used most often to make pies and other desserts.  Given that pumpkins are a member of the squash family, pumpkins could be subsituted in most winter squash recipes and sweet potatoe recipes.  Pumpkins are packed with good nutrition–fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin E, selenium, zinc, and more. Eating pumpkin and other winter squashes is a wise choice.

If we look to other parts of the world we can find some creative ideas for cooking with pumpkins. Evidently, in Latin America cooks use pumpkins in casseroles. In Russia pumpkins are combined with fruits and meats. In northern Africa pumpkins are included in a wide variety of recipes.

To boost the nutritional value of the foods you eat, here’s a few tips I found for including pumpkins in your cooking more often:

• Cook pumpkin with hot peppers, tomatoes, and corn; then combine with cooked pinto beans for a Mexican style pumpkin dish.
• Use pureed (or canned) pumpkin, rather than flour, to thicken gravy
• Add pureed (or canned) pumpkin, to mashed potatoes
• Cook leftover pumpkin chunks or pumpkin puree with broth and finely chopped stewed vegetables such as onions, tomatoes, and celery. Add some lowfat plain or vanilla yogurt (rather than cream) to make a lower calorie cream soup.

(Modified from the original source: "The Victory Garden Cookbook" by Marian Morash. Knopf. New York, 1982)

Another way you might incorporate pumpkin in your diet is with smoothies. Here’s a recipe I found for a delicious sounding mango pumpkin smoothie:

Mango Pumpkin Smoothie

Serves 2

1 cup mango juice or juice blend
1 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt
1/3 cup canned unsweetened pumpkin
1 ripe mango, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
4 ice cubes

Place all infredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Serve immediately.

(Source: "Pumpkin: A Super Food for All 12 months of the Year," by DeeDee Stovel)

Some things to keep in mind when making smoothies:

When choosing juice look for those with 100 percent fruit juice. The same goes for buying juice blends. A mixture of fruit juices is fine as long as it is 100 percent fruit juice and not a blend of juice with sugar water.

Something else to keep in mind is the calorie count. Smoothies can be an excellent choice for good nutrition but can be high in calories. I’ve taken the time to calculate the calories in the Mango Pumpkin Smoothie and the calorie count per serving need not be too bad if you choose your ingredients carefully.

The fruit juice is a significant source of calories but do watch the calories from the yogurt also. Yogurt can pack more calories than you might think. Keep in mind that lowfat or nonfat does not necessarily mean low in calories. Read the labels!

Also, recent research suggests that the calories from beverages, including smoothies, may not register with our bodies in the same way as solid foods. So when we drink beverages we may not compensate for the calories consumed in our total daily intake. This can easily lead to consuming extra calories and unwanted pounds.

For whatever reason, soups seem to register as a solid food rather than a beverage. That’s good news but I am skeptical about soups and smoothies being perceived differently. I’ll be looking for what we learn from continued research.

My suggestion? Enjoy healthy smoothies on occasion for great nutrition but do keep in mind your total calorie intake for the day if you are needing to watch your weight.

Nutrition Facts for:

Mango Pumpkin Smoothie
   
Amount Per Serving:

Calories    198
Total Fat    0.5g
      Saturated Fat    0.2g
Cholesterol    2mg
Sodium    49mg
Carbohydrate    47.7g
      Dietary Fiber    3.8g
      Sugars    39.5g
Protein    3.5g
Vitamin A 159%   
Vitamin C 101%
Calcium    14%   
Iron 7%

Would you like to learn more about pumpkins? Here’s I great resource I found from the University of Illinois Extension Service (http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/pumpkins/).

Please note that pumpkins are actually a fruit in the botanical sense. But when it comes to cooking pumpkins are considered to be a vegetable.