Chiropractic Solutions 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 carve it into scary, funny, silly images for Halloween and puree it up for a Thanksgiving pie! Chiropractic Solutions is playing with the pumpkin’s plight and admits to liking the pumpkin fun while also valuing its tasty, healthy aspects for our San Jose chiropractic patients who are undergoing chiropractic care for back pain or neck pain and their supportive families.
RESPECT FOR THE NUTRITIOUS PUMPKIN
Appreciation for the pumpkin grows and grows! The commonly known pumpkin or squash of the cucurbita moschata species of fruits is insect-, disease-, and hot-tolerant…as well as the essential ingredient for amazing 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 favorable functional properties known today are wound healing, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, anti-ulcerative, spermatogenesis-enhancing, etc. (2) The scent, flavor, and color traits 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 beautiful fall fruit we cut into jack-o-lanterns enjoyed by young and old…including Chiropractic Solutions and our San Jose chiropractic families!
AGE MATTERS
Age is of importance in the pumpkin's and the human's lifespan! For the pumpkin, the mature stage of its ripening – as opposed to the young and ripened stages – proved to have the greatest phenolic and flavonoid content (33 compounds!), the greatest antioxidant activity, and the highest antibacterial activity. (4) For the human, aging brings more and more molecular damage to cells in response to oxidative stress from environmental, lifestyle, and disease factors. A key to proper diet as we age is an appropriate intake of antioxidants. The cucurbita fruits (varieties of pumpkin/squash) are high 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 discovered a cornucopia of useful cytoprotective – cell-protecting - properties linked to preventing age-related diseases triggered by oxidative stress. (6) Chiropractic Solutions is all about protecting cells and the health of our San Jose chiropractic clients.
CONTACT Chiropractic Solutions
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. James Cox on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he illustrates the importance of containing inflammation as well as chiropractic spinal manipulation treatment with The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.
Make your San Jose chiropractic appointment soon. Chiropractic Solutions appreciates the pumpkin for all its nutritional benefit. And we still anticipate the annual cutting, decorating, and cooking!
