The benefits of pumpkin seeds

Pumpkin seeds contain amino acids, vitamins A, B, C, K, PP and macronutrients. They have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the circulatory, immune, reproductive and nervous systems. 100 g of purified raw materials contain 1,230 mg of phosphorus, 780 mg of potassium, 590 mg of magnesium, 250 mg of sodium, 7.5 mg of zinc, 5 mg of manganese.

Benefits of pumpkin seeds

Product Description

This product can be consumed raw, dried, fried and salted. Outwardly, pumpkin seeds resemble watermelon, differing from them in large size and a light shade of husk. This is a real storehouse of nutrients.

Energy value of the raw product: 100 g contains 540 kcal.

When determining nutritional value, it is important to consider the glycemic index (an indicator associated with the increase in blood sugar after eating certain foods). It is no coincidence that seeds are considered a dietary product that even diabetics are allowed to include in the diet. Their glycemic index is 25, and they do not increase the level of sugar in the body.

In addition, pumpkin seeds will help a person cure many diseases at home.

The table of BJU is as follows.

Useful properties

The substances contained in pumpkin seeds make this product indispensable for the normal functioning of the human body. Highlight a number of useful properties of this product.

1. Increases the body’s defenses. Trace elements (the chemical composition of the seeds includes magnesium, zinc, etc.) that are contained in them, help a person resist seasonal infections, and improve overall well-being. Vitamins A, E and C strengthen the immune system, contributing to a quick recovery after diseases.
2. Normalizes the work of the cardiovascular system.Due to the content of trace elements such as magnesium, phosphorus and potassium, the seeds resist the formation of blood clots, restore the functioning of the heart muscle, relieve vascular spasms and do not increase pressure. People who include pumpkin seeds in their diets rarely suffer from heart failure.
3. Solves problems with insomnia. The high level of beneficial microelements contributes to the development of antidepressant hormones that improve mood, normalize sleep, relieve tension and restore the functioning of the nervous system. The fats contained in the product help to resist stress and neurosis. Omega-3 improves memory by beneficially affecting the brain.
4. It counteracts the development of diabetes. The benefits of pumpkin seeds are to lower your blood sugar. This is due to the content of easily digestible protein in them. The daily intake – 20-35 g of the product – will help regulate the level of sugar.
5. Improves the skin. The beneficial substances contained in the raw materials help to make the skin supple, soft and healthy. The vitamin complex promotes the production of collagen, which resists the formation of wrinkles.
6. Benefits for vision. The unique content of trace elements allows the seeds to restore the functioning of the optic nerve, restoring the ability to see well even for older people.Phosphorus, vitamin A and amino acids protect the retina from the negative effects of natural phenomena, helping to reduce intraocular pressure.
7. Prevention of stone formation in the bladder. Raw materials are often used medicinally to restore kidney function. The product helps to normalize the bladder, eliminating inflammation, preventing the formation of stones and salt deposits.
8. The fight against cancer cells. The inclusion of these raw materials in the diet on an ongoing basis will significantly reduce the risk of cancer. Pumpkin seeds have a positive effect on hormone levels and cell renewal in the body, which prevents the development of the disease.
9. Activation of mental activity. The beneficial substances that make up the product help improve blood circulation in the main parts of the brain, which eliminates dizziness, reduces irritability and helps relieve stress.

The product is suitable for people of any age

The useful properties of pumpkin seeds do not end there. They help the body resist toxins, remove harmful substances, restore the musculoskeletal system, have a beneficial effect on reproductive function. It is also useful oil made from pumpkin seeds. The product is allowed to be used by people of any age.

For men

Vegetable seeds are useful for the intimate health of men. Prevention of a disease dangerous to them (prostate adenoma) consists in the daily use of this product. The daily norm, which is allowed to be taken in this case, is 50 g of raw materials (seeds must be cleaned).

Useful substances help eliminate inflammatory processes in the body, help restore potency and prevent the formation of malignant tumors.

When treating prostatitis, ground pumpkin seeds are used. 2 tbsp. l powder should be consumed twice a day before meals. You can drink them with water and honey.

Seeds should be consumed by men who decide to have a baby. The zinc contained in them has a beneficial effect on sperm, improving its quality. For this purpose, men who have undergone chemotherapy or severe immune diseases are taking raw materials.

Useful microelements contained in the product help reduce the level of male hormones. Seed treatment can restore hormonal levels.

For women

The benefit of the seeds for the female body is that their regular intake will help restore good skin, hair and nails. The amino acids that make up their body resist the aging of the body. To make your skin beautiful and young, take 35 g of raw materials daily.

The oil from this product is used to prepare various cosmetic masks. They can be safely applied to the skin of the face with your hands, so your nails will be strengthened.

This product is also indispensable during menopause. Pumpkin seeds have a beneficial effect on the female body, helping to cope with the unpleasant feeling of endless tides, do not let pressure increase and migraines develop.

Nausea is an integral part of pregnancy. Easy to cope with this unpleasant feeling will help the seeds of the vegetable. Regular intake of raw materials saturates the body with useful microelements that strengthen immunity, helping to maintain the health of a pregnant woman, and have a beneficial effect on fetal development.

When taking raw materials, nausea, headaches, mood swings, and sudden jumps in hormones no longer disturb the fair sex .

It is allowed to include this product in your diet and to a nursing mother, but you should not abuse seeds, since they can cause individual intolerance in newborns. Follow the baby’s reaction: allergies will immediately make themselves felt.

For children

Seeds of culture are excellent prevention of helminthiasis. Children of any age are fed this product to cope with worms. The raw material contains cucurbitin, an acid that is harmful to parasites. This folk remedy expels lamblia and roundworm from the body.Kids are given raw, uncooked seeds to eat, medicinal infusions are prepared, and pumpkin seed oil is used.

The benefit of this product for children is also the rapid elimination of constipation. The amino acids that make up the product improve intestinal motility, normalize the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, and help get rid of accumulated gases.

Treating children involves taking them daily.

Miscellaneous use

Seeds are only useful when fresh

Depending on whether the vegetable seeds have undergone heat treatment and whether they have been germinated, their beneficial properties differ.

Raw or toasted

E Do you want to start to use pumpkin seeds to eat as a preventive measure, keep in mind that its useful properties of this product only saves raw. Roasted raw materials completely lose their therapeutic effect.

The heat-treated seeds at more than 90 ° are oxidizable, which negatively affects the body. Reception of such raw materials will not only not be beneficial, but can also lead to a deterioration in well-being, therefore they use raw seeds peeled from their peels.

You can slightly dry the product in the oven. This tastes more pronounced for him.

Germinated

Like wheat, pumpkin seeds can easily be sprouted.The product, eaten in this form, is rich in proteins and fats, contains healthy fiber. Germinated raw materials are an excellent prevention of colds and cardiovascular diseases, the development of pathologies of the nervous system and gastrointestinal tract.

Seeds resist atherosclerosis, lower blood pressure, purify blood, prevent cholesterol, improve sleep and normalize memory.

It’s not difficult to sprout raw materials. Take 250 g of unrefined seeds and pour into a not-so-deep bowl. Fill them with water. Make sure fluid covers product. Cover the container with gauze and put it in a dark place. Once a day, it is necessary to drain the old water and add new.

The most valuable are sprouts of 2-2.5 cm in size. They appear after 2-3 days. Sprouting raw materials is no longer worth it. The product is eaten raw (before meals or as an additive to soups and salads). The optimal dose that allows a person to maintain good health is 1 tbsp. l seeds per day.

Treatment

In folk medicine, there are many medical recipes developed on the basis of this raw material.

Prostatitis

It’s easy to prepare a cure for this unpleasant ailment. For this you need 2 tbsp. seed. Peel them and grind them using kitchen appliances. Use the resulting raw material to roll small balls out of it.

The product is well stored in the refrigerator and does not lose its beneficial properties during further freezing. Treatment of prostatitis involves the daily intake of such pumpkin balls. Doctors advise the stronger sex to drink a similar course at least once a year.

Potency problems

To overcome this ailment, a decoction is prepared from raw materials. You need to take 500 g of seeds. Do not peel them. Grind the product, fill with water and bring to a boil. In strained broth, add 3-4 tbsp. l honey. It must be drunk before meals at least 3 times a day. The treatment lasts 90 days.

Cystitis

To cope with this problem, which brings a lot of trouble, a tincture of pumpkin seeds will help. Cook 3 tbsp. l peeled seeds. Pour them with 100 ml of warm water and add 1.5 tbsp. l granulated sugar. This drug mixture is infused for several hours. Store it in a clean glass container in the refrigerator. They take the medicine on an empty stomach 3 times a day.

Symptoms of menopause

Seeds will help improve women’s health

To prepare a folk remedy that will help restore the strength of the female body during menopause is not difficult. For these purposes, take 50 g of raw materials and mix with a blender with 100 ml of water and 25 g of honey. Add linden flowers to the container with the infusion.They drink the medicine 2 times a day for 1-1.5 tsp.

Parasites

To overcome the disease, you need to mix 50 g of raw materials and 1 tbsp. l honey. The drug is given to the child in the early morning on an empty stomach. In the evening, it is important to make the baby a cleansing enema. A similar procedure is carried out for 3 days in a row.

There is another recipe to help rid a child of parasites. Take 150 g crushed to a state of seed powder. Mix with 55 g of cocoa and 1.5 tsp. granulated sugar. Dilute with water and form a “sausage” from the resulting dough.

Place it in the refrigerator until it solidifies, then cut it in portions and give the child 3 times a day before eating.

Inflammation of the kidneys

Prepare 1 tbsp. peeled seeds, chop them with a knife. Pour in water and bring to a boil. Wait for the broth to cool and strain it. A fresh drink is taken 125 ml 2 times a day.

Blood purification

This therapeutic infusion is taken for a month. Take 5 tbsp. sunflower seeds and pour 0.5 liters of alcohol. In tincture you need to add 1-1.5 tbsp. l lemon juice. Keep the medicine container in a dark place. The drink is infused for 20 days. They drink a blood purifier 3 times a day for 1 tbsp. l before eating.

Prevention of constipation

For this purpose, crushed seeds infused with water are used. Take 1.5 tbsp. l raw materials and pour 200 ml of boiled water.An infusion will be suitable for use in an hour. You need to drink the drug during the day as often as possible in doses that do not exceed 1 tsp. at one time.

Against blood clots and cholesterol plaques

The substance phytophtherol, which is contained in seeds, prevents the formation of harmful substances in the body. A therapeutic decoction of seeds copes with them no worse than recognized tablet preparations. Cooking it is very simple. Take 125 mg of the crushed raw material and pour boiling water.

Do not keep the container with the broth on the gas for more than 5 minutes. Strain the cooled liquid and pour into a glass jar. Take the medicine for 3 tbsp. l before going to bed.

To enhance your mood

The enzymes that make up pumpkin seeds will help improve a person’s emotional background. 100 g of the product contains substances that contribute to the production of the hormone of joy. By including it in your daily diet, you will permanently get rid of depression.

Note that even folk remedies have contraindications that must be taken into account before starting the treatment process.

Harm and contraindications

Seeds contain many calories

Despite the enormous benefits of pumpkin seeds, they can be unhealthy. The main contraindications are associated with individual intolerance to raw materials.For people who have diseases of the digestive tract, the number of calories in the composition is large.

This product can be heavy and fatty foods, causing exacerbation of gastritis and ulcers. The favorite delicacy of many – fried and sprinkled with salt seeds – negatively affects the functioning of the musculoskeletal system. Salt is deposited in the joints, which causes the development of arthrosis and arthritis, so it’s worth eating fresh pumpkin seeds. to tooth decay, gum problems. To avoid this, use it without a peel.

Seeds infected with spores of pathogenic microorganisms, if they enter the oral cavity, can cause inflammatory processes. Take care of your health and try not to eat too much food at a time.

Cleaning Tips

It’s good if you yourself grew a pumpkin and gathered its seeds. More often you have to buy this vegetable in a store or in a market. In this case, it is important to properly prepare the seeds for use.

1. Rinse the raw materials thoroughly under running water. Seeds on which pieces of pulp remain will be poorly stored. If you feel that a pronounced unpleasant odor is coming from them, they are infected with a fungus and you can’t eat this product.
2. Dry thoroughly. Raw seeds have a soft peel, and cleaning them is easy.
3. If you need a large amount of raw materials, use the following method: wash the seeds that you got from a pumpkin with a colander under water. Make sure the liquid is glass. Place the seeds on a baking sheet and dry in the oven at minimum temperature. Do not forget to slightly open the oven door. The product should dry slightly, not fry.
4. It is easy to clean the seeds with scissors. Cut off the sealed edge where the peel connects from 2 sides. Then flip the seed over and gently squeeze the kernel out.
5. Another cleaning method used in large restaurants when cooking using pumpkin seeds. After washing, the raw materials are dried on parchment. Using a rolling pin, the seeds are rolled out like a regular dough. This simple manipulation helps the peel to separate from the nucleoli. Then the raw materials must be placed in a pot with warm water. After a few minutes of boiling, the peel will be at the bottom of the container, and the peeled kernels will float up. They are easy to get with a slotted spoon.

These days, new varieties of pumpkin have been bred, the seeds of which have no peel, so if you grow melons, try to plant such a hybrid.

Answers to common questions

Many people, when using or choosing pumpkin seeds, ask questions regarding their quality and differences from other species. Below are answers to the most common ones.

Why seeds are bitter

It often turns out that seeds purchased in the store are bitter, which makes their taste deteriorate and becomes unpleasant. Usually this product has a pleasant sweetish aftertaste. A bitter aftertaste occurs if the raw materials were not properly stored or were grown many years ago.

These seeds should not be eaten. They can be harmful to the health by causing the development of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

Is the peel useful

There are a lot of useful microelements in raw seeds, but the product is accepted without peel. It is tasteless and poses a great danger to the digestive system because it is poorly digested.

The peel of dried seeds is used as the main ingredient for the preparation of many folk remedies. Decoctions, tinctures, and grindings are made of it.

Is it possible to get better from seeds

The question that concerns the fair sex concerns the dietary properties of this product Women want to know if the calorie content of pumpkin seeds on their figure. Nutritionists reassure: it’s impossible to recover from them. On the contrary, weight loss trainers advise using raw materials as a light snack.

Due to its beneficial properties, the product will easily satisfy hunger and replenish the spent energy, strengthen the immune system . Raw materials cleanse the body of accumulated toxins and harmful substances, which contributes to weight loss.

Differences from sunflower seeds

Often people who decide to use pumpkin seeds to improve their health ask themselves a question than this product is better than sunflower seeds.It is proved that both types of raw materials are useful for the human body, but pumpkin seeds contain a greater amount of valuable trace elements and amino acids.

They not only have a higher calorie content, but also overtake their “counterparts” in terms of protein content (by 15 %), fats (by 1.5%) and vitamins. They contain 2 times more manganese, potassium, phosphorus and iron than in sunflower seeds.