Pumpkin is the mascot of fall. Being that we’re headed into Thanksgiving season, I can assure you that fall has exploded in my house with more than 50 pumpkins on display and my pantry now full of pumpkin EVERYTHING! While I am aware of how basic this sounds, there is more to these popular gourds than the trends give them credit for…
The stellar nutritional value.
Pumpkins are nutritional rockstars packed with enough vitamin C and beta carotene to immediately boost your immune system and more potassium than a banana. Potassium in particular is a mineral that rocks because it helps us repair and rebuild muscle damage. Being a mama who wants to be strong enough to play with my boys until they won’t let me, maintaining a strong body is important to me. The secret to strength is what I call P2: protein x potassium. Protein is like Batman and potassium is like Robin when it comes to muscle maintenance. Potassium isn’t required (like Robin), but it sure helps get the job done! Pairing pumpkin with protein, like in this yummy CrockPot chili, is a great way to keep your body strong! Check out my KRQE news segment for more pumpkin recipes!
Pumpkin OR Pumpkin SPICE?
I love pumpkin, but let’s be honest… the flavors we savor are actually the spices in Pumpkin Spice. Good news! There are also awesome benefits packed into these spices! Take cinnamon for example: when you eat carbohydrates, your body breaks them down into glucose. Glucose then binds with insulin to move into your cells, which is were our daily energy comes. So that pumpkin pancake you just ate turned into the energy you used to chase your kiddo. Cinnamon is a spice that has proven to accelerate the movement of glucose into your cells meaning you turn that pumpkin pancake into energy QUICKER. #nutritionhack Who doesn’t need more energy, faster???
The real reason I love pumpkins…
…doesn’t actually have to do with the fact that you can eat them, rather what they represent: a change in season. I don’t know about you, but some years are harder than others and this year has been one that brought me unexpected challenges. Nature’s cyclic change is like a blanket of comfort as it reminds me that there are also seasons of life, and just like summer ends this season will also pass. I hope the pumpkin EVERYTHING that you see this fall reminds you that life also happens in seasons. And there is always hope that with the new season there are new opportunities and excitements (like the return of This Is Us…eeeeeek). I will pray that the pumpkins you will no doubt see this season nudge you with peace, give you a little perspective… and remind you to get your potassium. 🤓