While costumes and candy may be the highlight of your Halloween, you can make a nutritious treat out of the seeds from your carved pumpkin. Pumpkin seeds, also called pepitas, are high in protein, healthy fats, iron, zinc and magnesium. Roasting them requires you to toss them in butter or oil, but you can save calories and fat by roasting your pumpkin seeds with no-calorie butter instead.
Calories
Pumpkin seeds are a calorie-dense food and should be eaten in small quantities to prevent you from consuming too many calories. A 1/4-cup serving of roasted pumpkin seeds with one spray of no-calorie butter contains 169 calories. As the name implies, the no-calorie butter adds 0 calories to the roasted pumpkin seeds. The higher calorie concentration of the pumpkin seeds comes from its fat content.
Fat
About 75 percent of the calories in the roasted pumpkin seeds with no-calorie butter comes from its fat. A 1/4-cup serving contains 14 g of total fat, 2.5 g of saturated fat, 4.6 g of monounsaturated fat and 5.8 g of polyunsaturated fat. While the roasted pumpkin seeds are high in fat, most of the fat comes from the heart-healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Including more of these unsaturated fats in your diet in place of saturated fats can help lower your blood cholesterol levels. In addition to being high in heart-healthy fats, pumpkin seeds are also a good source of omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids.
Protein
As previously mentioned, roasted pumpkin seeds are a good source of protein. In fact, the U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends you replace some of your traditional sources of protein, such as poultry and beef, with foods like pumpkin seeds to vary your nutrient intake. A 1/4-cup serving of roasted pumpkin seeds with no-calorie butter contains 8.8 g of protein, meeting 18 percent of your daily value for protein.
Carbohydrates and Fiber
Roasted pumpkin seeds with no-calorie butter are not a significant source of carbohydrates, but they can help you meet your daily fiber needs. A 1/4-cup serving contains 4 g of carbohydrates and 1.9 g of fiber. The fiber in the pumpkin seeds can help control hunger by slowing digestion and lower blood cholesterol levels.
Sodium
Without any added salt, roasted pumpkin seeds with no-calorie butter makes a low-sodium snack. A 1/4-cup serving contains 8 mg of sodium, meeting less than 1 percent of your daily value for sodium. Limiting your sodium intake can also help your heart by limiting your risk of developing high blood pressure.
Minerals
Roasted pumpkin seeds are also a good source of essential minerals. A 1/4-cup serving contains 2.4 mg of iron, 162 mg of magnesium and 2.3 mg of zinc.
References
- USDA: Seeds, Pumpkin and Squash Seed Kernels, Roasted, Without Salt
- Parkay: Parkay Spray Nutrition Information
- University of Alaska; Pumpkin Seeds; Julie Cascio; August 2010
- U.S. Department of Agriculture; Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010: Foods and Food Components to Reduce
- U.S. Department of Agriculture; Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010; Foods and Nutrients to Increase
- American Heart Association: Know Your Fats
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