“Respect the pumpkin! Respect the pumpkin!” Pitiful
thing! The pumpkin wants to share its healthy gifts with us! What do we do? We carve
it into scary, funny, silly images
for Halloween and puree it up for a Thanksgiving pie! Wilson Family Chiropractic
is playing with the pumpkin’s quandry and admits
to enjoying the pumpkin fun while also appreciating
its tasty, healthy features for our
Millville chiropractic patients who are undergoing chiropractic care for back pain or neck pain and their supportive families.
RESPECT FOR THE HEALTHFUL PUMPKIN
Respect for the pumpkin grows
and grows! The well recognized pumpkin or squash of the
cucurbita moschata species of fruits is hot tolerant and resistant
to insects and disease…as well as the essential ingredient for great
pumpkin pies! (1) Recognized for its being nutrient-dense
and recipe-flexible, the pumpkin is described as a potent
source of proteins, metabolites, carbohydrates, monounsaturated fatty acids,
polyunsaturated fatty acids, tocopherols, carotenoids, tryptophans, sterols, and
more. Some of its most promising functional
properties known today are wound healing, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory,
antioxidative, anti-ulcerative, spermatogenesis-enhancing, and more.
(2) The scent, flavor, and color attributes of the pumpkin
- terpenoids (oxygen-containing metabolites that contribute to aromatic scent
and flavor and even color) and carotenoids (tetraterpenoids responsible for
color) - are quite nutritious. (3) All this in the beautiful
fall fruit we cut into jack-o-lanterns that young
and old alike enjoy…including Wilson Family Chiropractic and our Millville
chiropractic families!
AGE MATTERS
Age is of importance in the lifespan
of the pumpkin and the human! For the
pumpkin, the mature stage of its ripening – as opposed to the
young and ripened stages – had the highest
phenolic and flavonoid content (33 compounds!), the greatest
antioxidant activity, and the greatest antibacterial activity. (4)
For the human, aging brings increasingly more
molecular harm to cells in reaction to
oxidative stress from environmental, lifestyle, and disease issues.
The suitable intake of antioxidants is key
as we age. The cucurbita fruits (varieties of pumpkin/squash)
are great in these antioxidants as well as in zinc and copper. Researchers
even proposed that these should be eaten daily! (5) Our aging cells would be grateful! In
a study of extracted seed oils like pumpkin, melon, and black cumin,
researchers discovered a treasure trove of useful
cytoprotective – cell-protecting - properties related to the prevention
of age-related diseases triggered
by oxidative stress. (6) Wilson Family Chiropractic is in favor of
protecting cells and the well-being of our Millville
chiropractic patients.
CONTACT Wilson Family Chiropractic
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. James Cox on The
Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he
illustrates the importance of managing
inflammation as well as chiropractic spinal manipulation treatment with The Cox® Technic System of
Spinal Pain Management.
Make your Millville chiropractic
appointment soon. Wilson Family Chiropractic appreciates
the pumpkin for all its nutritional benefit. And we still look
forward to the annual cutting, decorating, and baking!