Young Chiropractic Shares Pumpkins Nutritional Benefits
“Respect the pumpkin! Respect the pumpkin!” Pitiful thing! The pumpkin wants to share its healthy gifts with us! What do we do? We cut the pumpkin into spooky, funny, silly images for Halloween and puree it up for a Thanksgiving pie! Young Chiropractic is playing with the pumpkin’s quandry and admits to liking the pumpkin fun while also appreciating its tasty, healthy features for our Easley chiropractic patients who are undergoing chiropractic care for back pain or neck pain and their supporting families.
RESPECT FOR THE HEALTHFUL PUMPKIN
Respect for the pumpkin grows and grows! The commonly known pumpkin or squash of the cucurbita moschata species of fruits is hot tolerant and resistant to insects and disease…as well as the essential ingredient for tasty pumpkin pies! (1) Well-known for being nutrient-dense and recipe-flexible, the pumpkin is said to be a potent source of proteins, metabolites, carbohydrates, monounsaturated fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, tocopherols, carotenoids, tryptophans, sterols, and more. A few of its most promising functional properties known today are wound healing, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, anti-ulcerative, spermatogenesis-enhancing, and more. (2) The scent, flavor, and color attributes of the pumpkin - terpenoids (oxygen-containing metabolites that contribute to aromatic scent and flavor and even color) and carotenoids (tetraterpenoids responsible for color) - are quite nutritious. (3) All this in the pretty fall fruit we cut into jack-o-lanterns enjoyed by young and old…including Young Chiropractic and our Easley chiropractic families!
AGE MATTERS
Age counts in the pumpkin's and the human's lifespan! For the pumpkin, the mature stage of its ripening – versus the young and ripened stages – exhibited the greatest phenolic and flavonoid content (33 compounds!), the highest antioxidant activity, and the greatest antibacterial activity. (4) For the human, aging generates more and more molecular damage to cells in reaction to oxidative stress due to environmental, lifestyle, and disease issues. A key to proper diet as we age is an adequate intake of antioxidants. The cucurbita fruits (types of pumpkin/squash) are high in these antioxidants as well as in zinc and copper. Researchers even proposed that these should be eaten daily! (5) Our aging cells would appreciate that! In a study of extracted seed oils like pumpkin, melon, and black cumin, researchers found a cornucopia of useful cytoprotective – cell-protecting - properties linked to preventing age-related diseases brought on by oxidative stress. (6) Young Chiropractic is in favor of protecting cells and the well-being of our Easley chiropractic clients.
CONTACT Young Chiropractic
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. James Cox on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he illustrates the importance of containing inflammation as well as chiropractic spinal manipulation treatment with The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.
Schedule your Easley chiropractic appointment now. Young Chiropractic respects the pumpkin for all its nutritional value. And we still anticipate the annual carving, decorating, and cooking!
