Tasty and useful pumpkin since time immemorial is loved by people. It is proved that it was cultivated earlier than corn. Already 5 thousand years ago a pumpkin was planted in Central America, China, Egypt, Japan and India. Today, people who are striving for the perfection of the figure, the question may arise - how many calories in a pumpkin. However, they should not worry: the caloric content of a pumpkin in any form - baked, boiled or stewed - is very small.
Caloric content of pumpkin
The calories that contain pumpkin are very small. Depending on the variety and degree of maturity, the raw pumpkin contains 22-30 kcal, with thermal processing the energy value increases slightly. Cooked steamed pumpkin has a calorie content of 35 calories, baked - 37 calories, boiled - 20 kcal, pumpkin juice - 38 kcal, puree - 40 kcal. The caloric content of dried pumpkin is 68 kcal.
High caloric content is stewed pumpkin - 188 kcal, fried in a rustic way - 200 kcal, pumpkin flour - 305 kcal, pumpkin oil - 896 kcal. High calorie content and pumpkin seeds - 550 kcal.
Nutritional Value and Pumpkin Benefit
The value of a pumpkin as a food product is very high. It can be used for both dietary and children's menus. Eat pumpkin and raw - in the salads, and thermally processed - in the soups, roasts, etc.
In the pulp pulp, an abundance of vitamins - group B (thiamine, riboflavin, folic acid, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine), A, C, E, PP, as well as provitamin beta-carotene. Among the mineral substances that make up the pumpkin - iron, iodine, zinc, potassium, calcium, manganese, copper, fluorine and cobalt. All these components of the pumpkin contribute to strengthening the immune system.
Thanks to a significant amount of plant fibers, the pumpkin promotes the improvement of the activity of the gastrointestinal tract. Deriving from the blood arteries harmful cholesterol , the pumpkin reduces the risk of developing strokes and heart attacks. A pumpkin for the kidneys and the gallbladder is very useful. In pumpkin seeds also a significant amount of vitamins, especially - vitamin E, so they are useful for preserving the youth of the body. Pumpkin seeds are also treated when infected with helminths.
Pumpkin is useful to eat pregnant - it saturates the body with biologically active substances, removes excess fluid and helps to remove unpleasant symptoms of toxicosis.
Pumpkin and Diet
It is quite appropriate to pumpkin and dietary nutrition, designed to lose weight. This vegetable contains a very small amount of carbohydrates - 4.4 g per 100 g of product, so it can be used to prepare dishes on low-carb diets.
For a quick diet, nutritionists recommend a pumpkin mono-diet, which helps to lose up to 8 kg in 10-14 days. With this diet should be completely eliminated flour products, sweet fruit, sugar, salt, fatty, smoked and alcohol.
An important rule of the diet - portions of all dishes should not be more than 200-250 g, and dinner should be no later than 18 hours.
Sample menu of pumpkin mono-diet:
- breakfast: salad of pumpkin and fresh carrots, poured with lemon juice, pumpkin porridge and a small amount of cereals (millet, rice);
- lunch: vegetable pumpkin soup,
zucchini, sweet pepper, tomato, onion, carrot and greens with a small amount of vegetable oil; - dinner (any dish to choose from): baked pumpkin, pumpkin salad with pineapple, pumpkin stew and other vegetables, pumpkin salad and sweet and sour fruit (oranges, apples, grapefruits).
Pumpkin mono-diet is contraindicated in violation of metabolism , diabetes, gastritis, peptic ulcer. Do not sit on a pumpkin diet with a tendency to diarrhea, tk. The vegetable fibers of this vegetable greatly relax the intestines. In the presence of chronic diseases before the diet should consult a therapist.