Health Benefits of Pumpkin Seed

Health Benefits of Pumpkin Seed

Raw pumpkin seeds provide a rich source of fiber, a type of carbohydrate that prevents constipation and benefits digestive health. The seeds also boost your intake of protein -- each ounce of seeds provides almost 9 grams of the nutrient. You also increase your mineral intake when you eat pepitas. The seeds contain iron, a mineral important to red blood cell function, as well as potassium, phosphorus, zinc and magnesium. Because fiber, protein and minerals are not destroyed by roasting, these nutrients are found in roughly equal amounts in both raw and roasted pumpkin seeds.
Benefits for us:-

1.  Heart and Liver Health
Pumpkin seeds, rich in healthy fats, antioxidants and fibers, may provide benefits for heart and liver health, particularly when mixed with flax seeds.

2.High in Omega 3s, pumpkin seed oil has been shown in studies to reduce the incidence of benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH)—a condition in which the prostate gland becomes enlarged.

3.They bolster your immunity
There’s a reason that treatments to prevent and quell the common cold generally contain zinc; it’s an important mineral that plays a significant role in immune function. The National Institutes of Health recommends 8 mg of zinc daily for adult women, and a cup of pumpkin seeds will almost meet that with its 6.59 mg.

4.Pumpkin seeds are also high in the prostate-protecting mineral zinc, making these seeds the ultimate snack for men’s health.

5.Antioxidants
Pumpkin seeds are unique in their abundance of antioxidants. WHFoods.org notes that the seeds contain numerous forms of vitamin E, as well as the phenolic acids hydroxybenzoic, caffeic, coumaric, ferulic, sinapic, protocatechuic, vanillic and syringic acid. Antioxidant phytonutrients like lignans are also found in pumpkin seeds, including the lignans pinoresinol, medioresinol and lariciresinol. Importantly, says the site, “this diverse mixture of antioxidants in pumpkin seeds may provide them with antioxidant-related properties that are not widely found in food.” They're special!