Pumpkin seeds have long been valued as a source of the mineral ZINC, and the World Health Organization recommends their consumption as a good way of obtaining this nutrient!
The seeds will be inside your TeenasPrideCSA Seminole Pumpkin, of course! Before cooking your pumpkin, cut it in half and scoop out all your beautiful seeds.
Search our site for recipes to use these highly nutritious and delicious delicacies!
Although recent studies have shown there to be little zinc in the shell itself (the shell is also called the seed coat or husk), there is a very thin layer directly beneath the shell called the endosperm envelope, and it is often pressed up very tightly against the shell. Zinc is especially concentrated in this endosperm envelope. Because it can be tricky to separate the endosperm envelope from the shell, eating the entire pumpkin seed—shell and all—will ensure that all of the zinc-containing portions of the seed will be consumed.
Whole roasted, unshelled pumpkin seeds contain about 10 milligrams of zinc per 3.5 ounces!
Vitamin E: recent studies have shown that pumpkin seeds provide us with vitamin E in a wide diversity of forms. From any fixed amount of a vitamin, we are likely to get more health benefits when we are provided with that vitamin in all of its different forms. In the case of pumpkin seeds, vitamin E is found in all of the following forms: alpha-tocopherol, gamma-tocopherol, delta-tocopherol, alpha-tocomonoenol, and gamma-tocomonoenol. These last two forms have only recently been discovered in pumpkin seeds, and their health benefits—including antioxidant benefits—are a topic of current interest in vitamin E research, since their bioavailability might be greater than some of the other vitamin E forms. The bottom line: pumpkin seeds’ vitamin E content may bring us more health benefits that we would ordinarily expect due to the diverse forms of vitamin E found in this food.
Pumpkin seeds are a good source of phytosterols, which are plant compounds that are similar in nature to cholesterol. If eaten in large amounts, phytosterols can lower cholesterol and even protect against certain cancers. Phytosterols are a coveted compound and are sometimes removed from corn or soy and are used to fortify other foods such as butter.
The nutrients found in pumpkin seeds promote prostate health. The compounds in the seeds and oil fight against the development of Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy, or BPH, a condition that involves the enlargement of the prostate gland.
ROASTING 15-20 minutes MAX.
We recommend a roasting time for pumpkin seeds of no more than 15-20 minutes when roasting at home. This recommendation supported by a new study that pinpointed 20 minutes as a threshold time for changes in pumpkin seed fats. When the seeds are roasted for longer than 20 minutes, a number of unwanted changes in fat structure are determined to occur more frequently.
Remember, search our website for GREAT RECIPES using Seminole Pumpkin Seeds!