Most people consider pumpkins, a member of the squash family, a vegetable but botanists technically classify pumpkins as fruits since they represent the matured ovary of the plant and contain seeds. Pumpkins can be made into soups, pies or breads but when preparing a fresh pumpkin do not discard the seeds. Roast the pumpkin seeds to make a delicious and nutritious snack that provides 126 calories, 5 g of protein and 5 g of fiber in each 1 oz. serving, which contains about 85 seeds.
Vitamins
Pumpkins seeds contain many vitamins essential to good health. Pumpkin seeds serve as a good source of vitamin A, which promotes healthy vision, bone growth, reproduction and new cell production while also regulating the immune system. The 1 oz. serving of pumpkin seeds contains 3 mcg of folate, also known as vitamin B-9, which the body needs for the production and maintenance of new cells. In addition to the vitamin B-9, pumpkin seeds contain other B vitamins, such as thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid and vitamin B-6 as listed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. B vitamins help the body process and utilize the energy supplied by foods consumed.
Minerals
The human body requires 21 essential minerals, more accurately described as essential elements, to function. Doctors and nutritionists further separate this group of nutrients into 7 macrominerals and 14 trace minerals. Pumpkin seeds provide five of the essential macrominerals, including calcium, sodium, potassium, phosphorus and magnesium. Pumpkin and the pumpkin seeds serve as a good source of potassium, a mineral that functions as an electrolyte -- meaning it helps the body maintain the balance of water and helps conduct electrical impulses between the nerves and muscles. One oz. of pumpkin seeds contributes 261 mg of potassium toward the adult recommended intake of 2000 mg, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Trace elements found in pumpkin seeds include iron, copper, manganese and zinc.
Healthy Fats
The human body needs fat to function and the American Heart Association recommends that between 25 percent to 35 percent of the total calories ingested should come from fats. Not all types of fat however are healthy. Health fats include unsaturated fats usually found in fish, nuts, seeds and oils from plants. The 1 oz. serving of pumpkin seeds contains 5.5 g of unsaturated fat as listed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Doctors classify unsaturated fats as the healthy fats because this type of fat helps to lower blood cholesterol levels especially when eaten in place of saturated or trans fats -- the two types of fat that increase cholesterol levels that can lead to heart disease.
References
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: Pumpkin and Squash Seeds Roasted without Salt
- University of Illinois Extension: Pumpkins and More
- National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements: Vitamin A
- National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements: Folate
- American Heart Association: Know Your Fats
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Potassium
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