While most people see pumpkins just as an item for decoration, others are well aware of its nutritional values. It is one of the healthiest foods you can ever have.
Firstly, it is full of minerals and vitamins, which help to keep various diseases away. Secondly, it has a very low calorie content that helps you maintain your body weight by not putting on extra fat. Pumpkins can be prepared in many ways and you can have them in soups, deserts and salads.
Pumpkins would be a very helpful food for the Americans as in USA obesity is one of the major health problems. Pumpkin is very nutritious and filled with minerals and vitamins that help you keep yourself fit.
As per the data available from the records of USDA, a cup of cooked or boiled pumpkin without salt has 0.17 g fat, 49 calories, 12 g carbohydrate, 1.76 g protein and no cholesterol at all. Absence of cholesterol eliminates the chances of heart problems.
If you eat a cup of boiled pumpkin, you will get all the required quantity of vitamin A in a day, 10% of vitamin E that is required in a day, 20% of vitamin C that is required in a day and at least 10% of most other minerals required.
The benefits of eating pumpkin is huge and controls obesity, diabetes, overall mortality and giving a healthy complexion are just a few of them.
This also helps in dealing with troublesome health conditions like blood pressure, certain types of cancer, infertility, poor eye sight and weak immunity.
It is very important to keep your weight in check for the sake of your heart. However, to stay thin is not the solution as the food that you eat has a very important role to play. A healthy diet that is heart friendly can reduce your risk of stroke by 80%. If you know what foods to eat then you can have greater control over your health and the quality of life.
Here are some Food tips for a healthy heart. Do not consume solid fat Avoid foods like butter or margarine that you add while serving the food. You can flavor your dishes with herbs and lemon rather than using fattening contents like butter for added taste. You can also trim fats from your meat by eating lean proteins instead.
Substitute High fat with Low Fat You can learn to eat your baked potato with low fat yogurt or salsa dip rather than greasing with butter. You can also use low sugar fruit spread on your whole grain bread rather than eating margarine. These small changes will go a long way in making your food healthy and tastier.
Always check the label You should always check the labels on your snack. Even the ‘low fat’ versions may be stacked with Tran’s fat which is just as harmful. Another way of saying this is that the foods contain ‘partially hydrogenated’ fat which is just a harmful. Breakfast cereals may also have a lot of fat content so check the labels before you buy.
Make lifestyle changes Don’t snack on unhealthy food items like chips, instead snack on a fruit or a veggie for a mid day hunger pang. Avoid cooking with too much butter for your own sake.
We all know that nutrition is necessary for the basic health and growth of our body. However, do we know what proportions are necessary and how much is too much? Here are some quick facts that will help you in staying healthy and following an ideal diet plan.
Added Sugar is a poison Sugar is an evil as many people say that these are empty calories and do nothing for your body. If you consume sugar in high quantities, you are likely to contract many diseases like diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease etc.
You don’t get enough of Omega 3 Fats While these are the building blocks of a strong body, they are definitely not consumed in proper quantities to keep you healthy. If you have low quantities of omega 3 fats, you can experience depression, anxiety, heart diseases and even mental disorders.
There is no such thing as a perfect diet Our bodies are unique and thus need a diet plan that suits our requirements and daily intake of nutrition. The fact is that the diet that works for one person may not work for another. The best diet is the one that you can stick with for a long time.
Avoid artificial Trans-fats The trans-fats are responsible raising the bad cholesterol and lowering the good one. This can cause abdominal obesity, acidic reflux and also resistance to insulin. Long term and unchecked consumption of trans-fats can lead to obesity and depression amongst many other diseases.
Vegetables are the only healthy option There is no substitute to eating healthy vegetables. If you want to meet your daily requirements of minerals, vitamins and vital nutrients, then you must regularly consume green veggies; you will observe an improvement in the quality of your life with regular consumption.
