Why Pumpkin is so craveworthy
I remember as a kid, I could not wait for Fall. We all grew up counting down the days until leaves would turn, weather cooled down, and pumpkin pie was finally on the dessert menu again. Mom’s perfect crust and the right mix of spices set our mouths to watering the moment the oven started pre-heating. I’d start dreaming about it in August, knowing I had months to wait. Today, as Fall colors begin to takeover our landscape, that same excitement over all-things pumpkin still stirs within me. And I know I’m not alone – every coffee shop on the planet begins touting pumpkin lattes around this same time of year. So, what is it that makes pumpkin so craveworthy?
There is some truth to the nostalgia connection influencing our tastebuds. Our sense of smell is the most powerful memory activator in the body, so that pumpkin spice combo can truly transport us to the good old days. But it’s more than just the orange-gold color and that perfect combination of spicy overtones that creates our seasonal cravings. Mother Nature did a little cooking of her own when she created pumpkins.
For starters, pumpkins, especially their seeds, are high in magnesium. In fact, pumpkin seeds are one of the highest naturally occurring sources of magnesium there is without supplementation. Not coincidentally, the magnesium levels in our bodies begin to drop in the cooler months of Fall and Winter. Wasn’t it thoughtful of Nature to give us a natural source to build that back up?
Magnesium serves a multitude of functions, like boosting our immunity during cold and flu season, or helping us regulate our blood sugar and blood pressure during all those perfect family holiday gatherings. Magnesium can also help in regulating nerve and muscle functions - might even help with that nervous twitch that starts every time you get seated beside talkative Aunt Jo. Magnesium also assists in increasing the production of serotonin, a neurotransmitter often credited as the happy hormone, and we could all use a boost of that, right? If that wasn’t enough, Magnesium is involved in more than 300 enzymatic reactions in the body, so it makes sense that part of that pumpkin craving may be your body simply asking for a little more magnesium.
Need more reasons why pumpkin is so crave-worthy? How about the fact that it is high in beta-carotene which helps sharpen our vision, and high in vitamin C that can help prevent cataracts? Pumpkin is so nutrient and antioxidant dense that it’s on the list of cancer-fighters too, lowering your risk of prostate, throat, pancreatic, stomach, breast and even lung cancers. Add pumpkin’s high amounts of potassium unto the mix, and pumpkins can also help protect against heart attack and stroke. To top it off, pumpkins are high in fiber and low in calories, making it a great dish to curb appetite, and we can all use that during the holiday meal season. Eating more pumpkin can even help our skin heal more quickly after a cut or scratch.
So, there’s no doubt why pumpkin is so craveworthy. Just keep in mind, all pumpkin is not created equally. Those creamy lattes may have more sugar than superfood, and won’t serve up the same benefits as actual, fresh, whole pumpkin. So, skip the artificial flavoring, and go straight to the source. After you’ve gutted that perfect pumpkin, consider roasting it. Pumpkins can become a crave-worthy soup, side dish, or better yet, roast those seeds for a great savory snack, and enjoy the healthy boost and wisdom of seasonal eating.
Need a few ideas for roasting those craveworthy seeds? I grabbed the basics from Mountain Rose Herbs blog, then customized to suit my tastebuds. Here are a few of my favorites:
All of these start by soaking the seeds overnight in salted water, making sure to remove the pulp, then allowing the seeds to dry for a day.
As a base, I use olive oil or ghee, depending on the flavor profile. Use enough to thinly coat the seeds you have. For savory seeds, I use 1 tsp of salt for every 2 cups of seeds. Sometimes I’ll get crazy and add some Worcestershire sauce as well, about a teaspoon. To this, add your spices of choice, mix it all together, then add the seeds and stir until the seeds are coated. Lay the coated seeds out flat on a cookie sheet, and pop them in the oven at 250 for about an hour.
Feel free to get creative. I just play around with the quantities of the spices based on taste, but usually a ¼ teaspoon is enough. A few of my favorite flavor combos:
Scarborough Faire – parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme added to the base of olive oil and salt
Brown Sugar & Cinnamon – ghee or butter base, with dark brown sugar and a sprinkle or two of cinnamon and cloves
Garlic and Pepper – garlic (fresh grated or powder) and fresh cracked black pepper added to the base of olive oil and Himalayan sea salt. You can also add some onion powder as an option.
Pumpkin spice – of course! Add a teaspoon of that pumpkin spice to brown sugar and a butter base for a taste of pumpkin pie in every crunch!
Storing:
Be sure to store roasted seeds in an airtight container. If you’re gobbling them down over just a week or two, they should be fine at room temp. If you’re hoping to stretch them out for longer, then putting them in a refrigerator is probably best. You can even store seeds for up to 6 months in the freezer, which is great for staving off those carvings mid-year when there’s not a pumpkin in sight.
