Pumpkin seeds and their health benefits

Pumpkins were one of the foods that 15th century Spanish and Portuguese explorers discovered in the Americas and transported back to Europe. Squash fared better than tomato and potato under suspicion by Europeans and was widely cultivated. Most of the people are unaware of the health benefits of pumpkin seeds and usually eliminate and throw them away. However, they can be used in soups and sauces, as well as a healthy snack. You can roast them yourself after drying them with or without salt and in their shells. Some pumpkin seeds are not surrounded by a shell, but most of the time you have to remove the ivory-colored outer shell to get to the dark green seed inside.

In Greece, people eat them as snacks and are called past tense. They contain monounsaturated fats that can lower blood cholesterol levels, that is, bad cholesterol, and raise good cholesterol levels. The Mediterranean diet is one of the healthiest in the world and contains many of these good fats that help prevent cardiovascular disease. The phytotesterols present in these seeds also help lower ‘bad’ cholesterol levels, so you are really doing your heart good by eating these seeds. The phytotesterols found in nuts and seeds may also boost the immune system and lower the risks of some types of cancer. The vitamin E contained in these seeds is known to have powerful antioxidant properties, which means that cells are protected from the damage caused by free radicals that can cause cancer.

One of the main health benefits for men is that they can promote the health of the prostate gland and reduce the risk of prostate enlargement in benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH), which affects many men over the age of 50. It is believed that this protection may be due to the carotenoids and Omega-3 present in the seed oil. According to research, men who have large amounts of carotenoids in their diets have a lower risk of BPH than those who have less. Now, the carotenoids in pumpkin seeds are under specific investigation to see why they have this effect.

Pumpkin seeds are high in potassium, which is also linked to low blood pressure. Potassium is crucial for heart function and plays a key role in skeletal and smooth muscle contraction, so it is also important for normal digestive and muscle function. This means that it is also good for erectile dysfunctions.

Pumpkin seeds also contain a good amount of zinc, which, along with calcium and the other vitamins and minerals in pumpkin seeds, helps protect bones from breaking when we fall. Menopausal women and men over the age of 50 can equally benefit from a diet containing these seeds.

They also contain the amino acid tryptophan which is converted to serotonin and niacin in the body and, together with the vitamin E present in the seeds, helps to reduce anxiety and relieve stress symptoms such as nervousness and irritability.

Pumpkin seeds contain a long list of minerals including phosphorus, magnesium and manganese, copper, and trace amounts of selenium, which also help improve our mood, as well as those mentioned above. In addition, it contains the 18 known amino acids and the 8 essential ones. These seeds also contain vitamins K B5 (pantothenic acid) and vitamin C.

Vitamin A is also present and this, combined with vitamin E, can help improve eyesight, especially help prevent night blindness and help protect from macular degeneration that occurs as we age. There is no doubt that adding pumpkin seeds to your diet will help keep you healthy, and they are not nuts, so even if you have a nut allergy, you may not be allergic to pumpkin seeds, very few people are. are.