Adequate fiber consumption can help you feel full and keep your digestion running smoothly. Fiber may also play a role in colon health and lowering cholesterol levels. Plant foods, such as vegetables, nuts, seeds and whole grains, are sources of this carbohydrate that the body cannot digest. Eat pumpkin seeds to get more fiber in your diet, along with a number of other essential vitamins and minerals.
Expert Recommendation
The Institute of Medicine recommends that adult women under age 50 consume a minimum of 25 g of fiber daily. Men should consume 38 g of fiber, or more, daily. Men and women over age 50 need 21 to 30 g of fiber daily. Older adults need less fiber because they tend to consume fewer calories.
Fiber in Pumpkin Seeds
A 1 oz. serving of pumpkin seeds, or approximately 2 tbsp., provides 1 g of dietary fiber. A 1 cup serving of the seeds has 9 g of fiber. Eating a cup of pumpkin seeds, however, will also provide you with 1,185 calories and 96 g of fat, so it's best to stick to one or two servings.
Additional Nutrition
Although an average serving of pumpkin seeds is not particularly high in fiber, pumpkin seeds offer a number of other important nutrients. The 2 tbsp. serving provides 23 percent of the recommended dietary allowance for iron, 37 percent for magnesium, 33 percent for phosphorus, 19 percent for copper, 42 percent for manganese and 14 percent for zinc, based on a 2,000 calorie diet. A 1 oz. serving also has 17 percent of the RDA for vitamin K.
Uses
Add pumpkin seeds to salads, granola or baked goods to increase the fiber content in these foods. Recipes that include more substantial servings of pumpkin seeds, and thus more fiber, include a Mexican-mole sauce for chicken or enchiladas. For this mole, the seeds are ground and combined with spices, herbs, chilies, onion, garlic and tomatillos. Include pumpkin seeds in trail mix or granola. Combining the seeds with dried fruit, other nuts and the oats in granola will also provide you with more fiber.
Member Comments