“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, silly looks
for Halloween and mash it up for a Thanksgiving pie! Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn
is playing with the pumpkin’s quandry and confesses
to liking the pumpkin fun while also valuing
its edible, healthy aspects for our
Ashburn chiropractic patients who are undergoing chiropractic care for back pain or neck pain and their supportive families.
RESPECT FOR THE NUTRITIOUS PUMPKIN
Respect for the pumpkin keeps growing! The well recognized 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-full
and recipe-flexible, the pumpkin is described as a potent
source of proteins, metabolites, carbohydrates, monounsaturated fatty acids,
polyunsaturated fatty acids, tocopherols, carotenoids, tryptophans, sterols, and
more. Some of its most favorable 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 nutritious. (3) All this in the pretty
fall fruit we cut into jack-o-lanterns enjoyed by young and old…including Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn and our Ashburn
chiropractic families!
AGE MATTERS
Age is of importance in the lifespan
of the pumpkin and the human! For the
pumpkin, the mature stage of its ripening – as opposed to the
young and ripened stages – had the highest
phenolic and flavonoid content (33 compounds!), the highest
antioxidant activity, and the greatest antibacterial activity. (4)
For the human, aging brings increasingly more
molecular harm to cells in reaction to
oxidative stress due to environmental, lifestyle, and disease factors.
The proper intake of antioxidants is important
as we age. The cucurbita fruits (varieties of pumpkin/squash)
are high in these antioxidants as well as in zinc and copper. Researchers
even proposed that these should be consumed every
day! (5) Our aging cells would be grateful! In
a study of extracted seed oils like pumpkin, melon, and black cumin,
researchers discovered a bunch of beneficial
cytoprotective – cell-protecting - properties related to the prevention
of age-related diseases brought on
by oxidative stress. (6) Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn is all about
protecting cells and the well-being of our Ashburn
chiropractic patients.
CONTACT Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. James Cox on The
Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he
illustrates the importance of managing
inflammation as well as chiropractic spinal manipulation treatment with The Cox® Technic System of
Spinal Pain Management.
Make your Ashburn chiropractic
appointment soon. Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn respects
the pumpkin for all its nutritional benefit. And we still look
forward to the annual carving, decorating, and baking!