Useful pumpkin properties and its delicious recipe

Pumpkin is often called the king of autumn. Nutritionists recommend adding this product to the diet to improve health and boost immunity. Value, benefits, harms, use properties of this autumn vegetable and a recipe for a delicious cake you will find in our article.

The benefits of pumpkin

It is a great source of vitamins. Pumpkin has 4-5 times more carotene than carrots. Carotene in the body is converted into vitamin A, which is especially beneficial for eyesight and a powerful antioxidant. Pumpkin contains vitamins C, E, K and almost all B vitamins.

The seeds contain many trace elements, and the zinc content is among the top three.

Due to its low caloric content, it is considered an ideal dietary product. It does not contain starch, cholesterol and trans fats, or little sugar, but a lot of fibre for digestion. The caloric content of 100 g of pulp is only 22 kcal.

Can it be harmful or not?

You should not eat it if you are allergic to vegetables and have severe diabetes. Raw juice is contraindicated in gastritis with low acidity, gastric ulcer and duodenal ulcer.

Sometimes frequent consumption of it can cause bloating and diarrhoea. Then you need to reduce the portion size. Irregularly there are allergies, in which case it is better to refuse the product.

How to choose a pumpkin

A good pumpkin has a thick but not "hard" peel. It should not have cracks, soft spots or dark spots. 

When choosing a vegetable should not focus on size. Too large and dry fruit may have dry, watery flesh with bitterness. 

A delicious dish

Light pumpkin pie

Ingredients:

• Raw pumpkin – 400 g
• Eggs – 2 pcs
• Sour cream – 1 tbsp
• Oil – 50 ml
• Sugar – 150 g
• Flour – 180 g
• Salt – 1 pinch
• Vanilla sugar – 0.5 tsp
• Baking powder – 1 tsp

Preparation:

1. Beat eggs by gradually adding sugar, salt and vanilla sugar to a white foam. Add sour cream and grated pumpkin. Stir with a spatula.
2. Add flour and baking powder, and mix.
3. In the end, add oil and stir. If desired, you can add an apple or cinnamon to the dough, as well as orange or lemon zest.
4. Spread the dough in a form lightly greased with oil. Then bake a pie for 40-50 minutes at 180 degrees. Let the pie cool, and cut.