Manahawkin Chiropractic Center 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 scary, funny, goofy looks for Halloween and puree it up for a Thanksgiving pie! Manahawkin Chiropractic Center is making light of the pumpkin’s plight and admits to enjoying the pumpkin fun while also valuing its tasty, healthy features for our Manahawkin chiropractic patients who are undergoing chiropractic care for back pain or neck pain and their supportive families.
RESPECT FOR THE HEALTHFUL PUMPKIN
Respect for the pumpkin keeps growing! The commonly known pumpkin or squash of the cucurbita moschata species of fruits is insect-, disease-, and hot-tolerant…as well as the most common ingredient for great pumpkin pies! (1) Recognized for its 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. Some of its most promising functional properties known today are wound healing, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, anti-ulcerative, spermatogenesis-enhancing, etc. (2) The scent, flavor, and color qualities 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 healthful. (3) All this in the beautiful fall fruit we cut into jack-o-lanterns enjoyed by young and old…including Manahawkin Chiropractic Center and our Manahawkin chiropractic families!
AGE MATTERS
Age is significant in the lifespan of the pumpkin and the human! For the pumpkin, the mature stage of its ripening – versus the young and ripened stages – had the highest phenolic and flavonoid content (33 compounds!), the greatest antioxidant activity, and the greatest antibacterial activity. (4) For the human, aging generates increasingly more molecular damage to cells in response to oxidative stress due to environmental, lifestyle, and disease issues. A key to proper diet as we age is an appropriate intake of antioxidants. The cucurbita fruits (types of pumpkin/squash) are great in these antioxidants as well as in zinc and copper. Researchers even suggested that these should be eaten every day! (5) Our aging cells would be grateful! In a study of extracted seed oils like pumpkin, melon, and black cumin, researchers found a treasure trove of beneficial cytoprotective – cell-protecting - properties linked to the prevention of age-related diseases brought on by oxidative stress. (6) Manahawkin Chiropractic Center is in favor of protecting cells and the health of our Manahawkin chiropractic clients.
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Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. James Cox on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he describes the importance of managing inflammation as well as chiropractic spinal manipulation treatment with The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.
Schedule your Manahawkin chiropractic appointment today. Manahawkin Chiropractic Center appreciates the pumpkin for all its nutritional benefit. And we still look forward to the annual cutting, decorating, and cooking!
