“Respect the pumpkin! Respect the pumpkin!” Poor
thing! The pumpkin wants to share its healthy gifts with us! What do we do? We carve
it into scary, funny, goofy images
for Halloween and puree it up for a Thanksgiving pie! Yorkville Chiropractic and Wellness Centre
is making light of the pumpkin’s quandry and admits
to enjoying the pumpkin fun while also appreciating
its tasty, healthy features for our
Toronto chiropractic patients who are being treated for back pain or neck pain and their supporting families.
RESPECT FOR THE HEALTHFUL PUMPKIN
Appreciation for the pumpkin grows
and grows! The commonly known pumpkin or squash of the
cucurbita moschata species of fruits is insect-, disease-, and hot-tolerant…as well as the most common ingredient for tasty
pumpkin pies! (1) Recognized for its being nutrient-full
and recipe-flexible, the pumpkin is said to be a potent
source of proteins, metabolites, carbohydrates, monounsaturated fatty acids,
polyunsaturated fatty acids, tocopherols, carotenoids, tryptophans, sterols, and
more. A few of its most promising functional
properties recognized today are wound healing, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory,
antioxidative, anti-ulcerative, spermatogenesis-enhancing, etc.
(2) The scent, flavor, and color qualities 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 pretty
fall fruit we cut into jack-o-lanterns that young
and old alike enjoy…including Yorkville Chiropractic and Wellness Centre and our Toronto
chiropractic families!
AGE MATTERS
Age counts in the pumpkin's and the human's lifespan! For the
pumpkin, the mature stage of its ripening – versus the
young and ripened stages – had the highest
phenolic and flavonoid content (33 compounds!), the highest
antioxidant activity, and the greatest antibacterial activity. (4)
For the human, aging brings more and more
molecular injury to cells in reaction to
oxidative stress due to environmental, lifestyle, and disease factors.
The suitable intake of antioxidants is key
as we age. The cucurbita fruits (varieties of pumpkin/squash)
are high in these antioxidants as well as in zinc and copper. Researchers
even proposed that these should be consumed daily! (5) Our aging cells would be grateful! In
a study of extracted seed oils like pumpkin, melon, and black cumin,
researchers found a bunch of useful
cytoprotective – cell-protecting - properties linked to the prevention
of age-related diseases precipitated
by oxidative stress. (6) Yorkville Chiropractic and Wellness Centre is in favor of
protecting cells and the health of our Toronto
chiropractic clients.
CONTACT Yorkville Chiropractic and Wellness Centre
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 Toronto chiropractic
appointment now. Yorkville Chiropractic and Wellness Centre appreciates
the pumpkin for all its nutritional value. And we still anticipate the annual cutting, decorating, and cooking!