Who Said Pumpkin is Only Good at Thanksgiving?

 

Anytime of the year is the perfect time to eat healthy fruit and pumpkin is a healthy fruit.

“Pumpkin is a fruit?” you ask. Yes, because it has seeds. Who doesn’t love roasted pumpkin seeds? Pumpkin health benefits are very similar to the health benefits of veggies. Why is pumpkin so healthy? 

• Pumpkins are packed with vitamins and minerals especially beta-carotene, a carotenoid that your body turns into vitamin A. Vitamin A can strengthen your immune system and help fight infections

• Pumpkins contain antioxidants such as alpha-carotene that can neutralize free radicals, stopping them from damaging your cells

• Pumpkin is high in vitamin C which can also help boost your immune system

• Pumpkin is one of the best sources of lutein and zeaxanthin, two compounds linked to lower risks of age-related macular degeneration and cataracts

• Pumpkin is low in calories, only 49 per cup 

• Pumpkin is a good source of fiber and potassium which helps lower blood pressure

So be sure and buy some fresh or canned pumpkin this holiday season. Add it to your soups, salads, roasted veggies, pancakes, or chilis. Just be careful if you buy canned pumpkin that it is 100% pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling which has added sugar.

Have a lovely, wonderful holiday. Stay safe and eat healthy! – Lisa!

PS: If you have any questions about what you should or should not eat over the holidays, send me an email and I’ll get back to you. _L

Homemade or Canned Soup? To Make or Not to Make.

Opening a can of soup for lunch seems like a great idea. Right? It’s fast, it’s easy and soup is good for you, right? But is it really?

The average can of soup, and who does not eat the entire can, has between 1400 and 1800 mg. of sodium. Wow, the recommended daily amount of sodium is 2300 mg. If you have high blood pressure, the recommended daily amount of sodium is only 1500 mg. “How about reduced sodium soup?” you ask. Check this out, even a Campbell’s Healthy Request soup has 820 mg. of sodium per can. That’s way too much! Know this, that the term “healthy request” or even “reduced sodium” is relative and can still be quite high. Only foods that say “low sodium” are required to be 140 mg. of sodium or less per serving.

What about saturated fat? It is recommended to have no more than 20 grams per day of saturated fat. Chowders and bisques are typically high in saturated fat.  Panera’s Lobster Bisque has 19 grams in a single cup, incredible!

We all know that BPA, which is a component of the can’s liner, can leach into the soup. BPA has been associated with a greater risk of certain cancers and is still prevalent in aluminum cans. Another reason to avoid canned soup.

So, what’s the solution? It’s simple! Make your own healthy, lower sodium soup like this month’s recipe for tomato soup made with low-sodium vegetable broth and no salt added tomatoes (here’s the link for the recipe: https://lisaprincenutritionspecialist.com/healthy-recipes). Another one of my recipes, this time for chicken noodle soup is also on the same page as the tomato soup recipe, as are my recipes for Mexican soup and gingered carrot sweet potato soup. They’re all there. In addition to my recipes, there are plenty of easy, healthy homemade soup recipes on sites like www.Eatingwell.com Take a look and see what you like.

If you are in a pinch and do not have a delicious homemade soup in your freezer, and yes, I freeze left-over soup all winter long, then try a can of Amy’s Light in sodium minestrone or lentil soup which is BPA free, has 0 grams of saturated fat, and a reasonable 440 mg. of sodium for the entire can. 

I am eager to hear which of my soup recipes you try and how you enjoy them. As always check with me if you have any questions or want to share a recipe. Yours in good health! Lisa