Pumpkin is a healthy food - Illustration photo
Vitamin A is the best medicine for many diseases.
Dr. Truong Quang Hai, Hanoi Medical University, said that pumpkin is a familiar food that many people love, not only because it is easy to eat and easy to prepare, but also because it provides many valuable nutrients and vitamins.
In 100g of ripe pumpkin there will be: 9mg phosphorus, 430mg potassium, 23mg calcium, 17mg magnesium, 0.5mg iron, 8mg vitamin C (15% daily requirement), 22mcg folacin (11% daily requirement), 1mg beta-carotene...
The nutritional content of pumpkin is usually 90% water, 8% carbohydrates, 1% protein... The vitamin A content in pumpkin is almost the highest among vegetables. Moreover, the vitamins in pumpkin are very valuable for curing many diseases.
According to physician Nguyen Huu Toan - Hai Phong Oriental Medicine Association, in terms of pharmacology, pumpkin has antioxidant effects, strengthens the immune system, and prevents cancer. In Oriental medicine, pumpkin is a precious medicine, sweet in taste, warm in nature, with the following uses: clearing heat, quenching thirst, generating body fluids..., often treating headaches, dizziness, poor eyesight, hepatitis, weak kidneys...
- Headache, dizziness, insomnia : Eat stewed pumpkin, peanuts, and lotus seeds.
- Diabetes : Pumpkin is rich in cobalt. This substance can activate the body's metabolism, promote hematopoietic function, and participate in the synthesis of vitamin B12.
In addition, this is also a trace element necessary for human pancreatic islet cells, has a special effect in preventing diabetes and lowering blood sugar. How to prepare: 200g pumpkin, 100g green beans, 100g pork bones, stew until soft, add spices to taste.
- Reduce blood lipids and prevent stroke : Polysaccharides and omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids in pumpkin can have the same effect as phospholipids, can remove cholesterol and prevent arteriosclerosis, prevent and treat hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases.
Pumpkin can prevent strokes because pumpkin contains many glyceric acids such as linoleic acid, palmitic acid and stearic acid, which are all benign oils.
- Detoxification : Pumpkin contains vitamins and pectin. Pectin has good adsorption properties, can bind and remove bacterial toxins and other toxic substances in the body such as lead, mercury and radioactive elements in heavy metals.
- Liver protection : Pumpkin powder is very good in treating hepatitis and cirrhosis. Green-yellow vegetables such as pumpkin can help destroy ingredients in pesticides, nitrites and other toxic substances in other foods, enhancing the regeneration of liver and kidney cells.
- Deworming : Folk medicine has used pumpkin seeds to treat worms. Each time, use about 50g of roasted pumpkin seeds (including the shell). Remove the shell and eat the seeds early in the morning. You can skip meals, but fasting is better. It is better to take a laxative one hour later. Use it a few times to completely eliminate parasite eggs.
- Brain development: Pumpkin contains a lot of glutamine acid, a substance necessary for brain activity. This substance plays an important role in supporting metabolic reactions in nerve and brain cells, nourishing the brain.
- Weight loss : Pumpkin is a food rich in fiber, low in calories and fat, making it an ideal food for those who want to lose weight or are obese.
- Strengthen the immune system : Pumpkin is rich in vitamin C, so it has the effect of strengthening the body's resistance, helping the immune system become healthy. With a healthy immune system, our body will fight against bacteria and viruses that are harmful to the body.
- Good for fetal development: The substances in pumpkin seeds and flowers help the fetus develop brain cells, increase the vitality of the fetus and help prevent edema, high blood pressure, other complications during pregnancy and prevent dengue fever after birth.
- Cancer prevention: Yellow foods such as pumpkin, carrots, and sweet potatoes contain many antioxidants and beta-carotene, so they help prevent cancer.
- Good for bones: Pumpkin also contains a large amount of minerals and calcium, sodium, potassium. Especially for the elderly and people with high blood pressure, these substances help prevent osteoporosis and high blood pressure. In addition, it also contains magnesium, phosphorus, iron, copper, manganese, chromium and many other elements that help bones develop.
- Anti-depressant : Pumpkin is rich in L-tryptophan, a substance that helps increase happiness. We will feel depressed when the L-tryptophan level in the body is low. Pumpkin juice helps increase the L-tryptophan level and makes us feel comfortable and happy.
- Prevents duodenal ulcers: Pumpkin juice helps the intestines digest food quickly and helps remove toxins from the digestive tract. Therefore, pumpkin juice can heal stomach ulcers, duodenal ulcers and other infections in the intestines.
- Good for the respiratory system: Antioxidants and pain-relieving properties in pumpkin juice help prevent allergic asthma and gradually reduce the severity of the disease.
- Good for the eyes: Pumpkin is rich in vitamin E and β-carotene. Vitamin E has a strong antioxidant effect, which can effectively protect the body from some free oxygen radicals and the harmful effects of peroxide. β-carotene is a type of carotenoid that converts vitamin A in the body, helping to protect vision and prevent eye diseases.
- Helps beautify the skin : The water content in pumpkin is quite high, so it will help women protect their skin and fight against the harmful effects of sunlight.
Not only used in dishes, you can use pumpkin to make skin care masks.
Pumpkin needs to be processed and preserved properly.
Eating wrong will be harmful
Pumpkin is very good for health but you need to be careful to avoid mistakes when using it which can cause more illness.
Eating pumpkin continuously: According to nutritionists, you should not eat pumpkin more than 2 meals/week. The reason is that pumpkin contains a lot of vitamin A precursors. If you eat a lot, this substance will not be digested in time and will be stored in the liver and under the skin. Therefore, it will cause the tip of the nose, palms of the hands and soles of the feet to easily turn yellow.
Old pumpkins stored for a long time are prone to fermentation : Pumpkins contain high sugar content. Moreover, if stored for a long time, it can easily cause anaerobic respiration - fermentation and deterioration inside the pumpkin, so eating it will be dangerous to your health.
Eat when having digestive disorders : People with digestive disorders should limit eating pumpkin because the fiber content in pumpkin is too high, which is not good for the condition.
Store in the refrigerator: Do not store cooked pumpkin in the refrigerator, absolutely do not store in the freezer, because if refrigerated the pumpkin will turn yellow-brown, unsafe to eat.
Cook pumpkin with cooking oil: Do not cook with cooking oil because if you use cooking oil to fry or stir-fry pumpkin, it means you are reducing its nutrients. Therefore, cook it by boiling, baking or steaming.
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