The opinions, from where we got the pumpkin, are divided. Some believe that her seeds came from China, others from America, where they were grown by Maya Indians. They fried pieces on the fire and in dried form used as rugs, so our ancestors worried about the question what kind of vegetable is a pumpkin, good and harm to an organism that is not equal.
Why is a pumpkin useful?
Pumpkin is a real storehouse of useful substances and vitamins, given to us by mother nature. Not only the delicious dishes for the table, but also the most diverse complex of vitamins and minerals, gives people a pumpkin, the composition of microelements in which the richest is carotene, which gives the pumpkin peel a rich, cheerful orange color, calcium, cobalt, iron, copper, and many other elements, necessary for the life of the body.
What vitamins are in the pumpkin?
This berry, like watermelon, is almost 90% water, and the vitamins in the pumpkin are kept in huge quantities. Here, vitamin E, which protects against early aging, Vitamin A, which has a beneficial effect on the skin condition, C, helps in the fight against infectious diseases, is necessary for the growth and renewal of cells, D, F, PP, T, and many others.
Pumpkin - good and bad for health
Useful properties of the product deserve a whole treatise. Traditional medicine successfully uses this berry for the treatment of a variety of diseases. Below are just some of its beneficial qualities:
- It increases the visual acuity due to the excess vitamin A contained in it. However, the excess of this vitamin can cause harm, therefore it is better to avoid excessive consumption of pumpkin.
- Good for digestion. A large amount of fiber in the product contributes to easy digestion of food.
- The constant consumption of pumpkin cereal in food will help hypertensive patients to stabilize and lower the level of blood pressure. The presence of pectin fibers allows you to remove from the body slag, toxic substances and other wastes of life.
- Strengthens the walls of blood vessels.
- Has anti-inflammatory and immuno-fortifying effect.
This is not all that the pumpkin is good for the body. Its use improves sleep, tissue regeneration, it helps even in the treatment of tuberculosis, and some oncologists say that people who regularly eat pumpkin dishes, are less likely to have throat cancer. Cosmetologists willingly include extracts from pumpkins in the composition of creams and lotions, on its basis make personal care products. Thinking about the fact that pumpkin is good and harmful to the body, doctors are increasingly talking about its unconditional benefits.
Pumpkin - good and bad for the liver
Pumpkin, the benefit and harm to the body of which, in liver diseases are equally observed, is also remarkable because the pectins, carotenoids, vitamins, calcium, magnesium and iron salts contained in it facilitate the restoration of damaged liver cells. They do not allow them to die with cirrhosis, hepatitis, various helminthic infections, that's what a pumpkin for liver is. Since the pectins and mineral salts available in it contribute to the excretion of cholesterol and have a diuretic effect, meals from this product help to restore hepatocytes and purify the body as a whole.
When liver diseases doctors recommend eating a pumpkin, any porridge with it, and even a decoction of pumpkin peduncles, which is prepared as follows:
- Finely chop 15-20 g of fresh peduncles.
- Pour 2 glasses of clean water.
- Bring to a boil and cook over a small fire for about 20 minutes.
- The resulting broth strain and consume within 1 day.
You can drink pumpkin juice - it has an excellent cholagogue and cleansing effect on the body. The scheme of oral administration is as follows: for a month every day you need to drink 12 glasses of fresh pumpkin juice. This method will help restore liver cells, however such juice can not be tolerated by the body, when using it, individual characteristics of the patient should be taken into account.
It should be mentioned that the treatment with pumpkin products is effective only at the initial stages of liver disease in combination with medication, and patients should not get carried away with fried pumpkin dishes - they do not have practically any useful substances and put a heavy load on the liver, which can lead to irreversible consequences. You can say that eating fried pumpkin is harmful.
Pumpkin with diabetes - good and bad
A person with diabetes is primarily concerned that the glucose level in his blood does not exceed a certain rate, so eating pumpkin in diabetic food is not just permissible, but recommended by endocrinologists. After all, this autumn berry contains folic acid, calcium, magnesium and potassium, which will help patients in the following cases:
- strengthen the walls of blood vessels;
- get rid of cholesterol plaques;
- remove excess fluid from the body.
The use of pumpkin for the human body in diabetes is that the products from it stimulate the production of their own insulin, so the dishes from this berry should always be on the table of a person suffering from this disease. Diuretic action of the pumpkin leads to getting rid of extra pounds, it can be used to prepare various desserts that will replace harmful diabetics chocolate and sweets.
You can eat not only dishes from this berry, but also pumpkin seeds. They have a laxative and diuretic effect, they contain a lot of vitamins and essential oils that contribute to rapid saturation. The damage to eating pumpkin dishes for diabetics often consists in the individual intolerance of some substance from its components. In the late stages of the disease, patients can not drink pumpkin juice.
Benefits of pumpkin for the stomach
Doctors, dietitians include in the menu of people suffering from high levels of hydrochloric acid in the stomach and ulcer of the duodenum, dishes from boiled and stewed pumpkin. The rubbed porridge from it promotes cicatrization of ulcers and their healing. The use of pumpkin for the body as a whole, including, for the gastrointestinal tract, consists in a large amount of cellulose contained in this berry, but the intake of fresh juice from it will harm people suffering from peptic ulcer.
Is the pumpkin useful for pancreatitis?
Pumpkin, its benefits and harm to the body with pancreatitis are known for a long time. It has alkalinizing properties, stimulates pancreatic secretion, so patients in acute stage of the disease immediately after the end of hunger can eat it. The boiled or steamed product is wiped, made of it puree and given to the sick. Useful properties of pumpkin suggest the use of dishes from it and for patients with chronic pancreatitis. They are allowed to eat casseroles, soups, mashed potatoes, fried pumpkin is harmful to such patients.
Why is the pumpkin useful for gout?
Gout is characterized by the accumulation of uric acid in the body, which settles in the form of crystals on the joints and is carried by blood throughout the body, which leads to serious malfunctions in its work and irreversible consequences. The properties of the pumpkin strengthen the functions of filtering the kidneys facilitates the course of this disease, prevents the deposition of urate crystals.
Pumpkin for weight loss
Since this autumn berry contains almost 90% of water, the benefit of a pumpkin for weight loss is its low calorie content. A large number of dietary fibers and pectins help to cleanse the body of toxins and get rid of excess kilograms. Normalization of metabolism, improving the condition of the skin and hair, healthy and flowering look are pleasant bonuses for people using pumpkin dishes for weight loss.
Raw pumpkin for weight loss
From a raw product, you can prepare a lot of useful low-calorie dietary dishes. Pumpkin juice serves as an excellent diuretic and laxative, so it is desirable to introduce it into the diet of people suffering from excess weight. The product retains all the useful substances and vitamins that are destroyed during heat treatment, so the benefits of raw pumpkin are beyond doubt, but people suffering from peptic ulcer disease should not get carried away with pumpkin dishes - it can be harmful at an acute stage of the disease.
Pumpkin seeds for weight loss
Pumpkin seeds are a real find for those who want to lose extra pounds for a short period of time. They are rich in essential oils, polyunsaturated acids and a variety of vitamins. High calorie helps fasten hunger, and a large amount of iron and protein will make them a necessary product for vegetarians and raw food.
The presence of L-tryptophan, which after conversion is converted into serotonin, guarantees a quiet sleep and good emotions for the whole day. Providing a diuretic, anthelminthic, choleretic action - that's what pumpkin seeds are useful for. The constant use of them in food can improve eyesight, slow the aging of the skin, will have a beneficial effect on the condition of the hair and nails.
Pumpkin Harm
There are certain contraindications for the use of the presented product:
- gastritis with low acidity;
- intestinal colic;
- violation of water-salt balance;
- diabetes in later stages (concerns the consumption of raw pumpkin juice);
- damage to the enamel of the teeth when consuming a large number of pumpkin seeds.
Nutritionists find very few answers to the question of how harmful a pumpkin is. With the right and reasonable use of this wonderful berry, it will have the most beneficial effect on the internal system of man. It must be remembered that each product has its own dosage, and on how much you will use it, the further outcome of events depends.