“Respect the pumpkin! Respect the pumpkin!” Pitiful
thing! The pumpkin wants to share its healthy gifts with us! What do we do? We cut the pumpkin into scary, funny, goofy images
for Halloween and puree it up for a Thanksgiving pie! Amelia Chiropractic Clinic
is playing with the pumpkin’s plight and confesses
to liking the pumpkin fun while also appreciating
its tasty, healthy aspects for our
Fernandina Beach chiropractic patients who are undergoing chiropractic care for back pain or neck pain and their supportive families.
RESPECT FOR THE NUTRITIOUS PUMPKIN
Respect for the pumpkin grows
and grows! The well recognized pumpkin or squash of the
cucurbita moschata species of fruits is insect-, disease-, and hot-tolerant…as well as the essential ingredient for great
pumpkin pies! (1) Well-known for 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. 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 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 healthful. (3) All this in the pretty
fall fruit we cut into jack-o-lanterns that young
and old alike enjoy…including Amelia Chiropractic Clinic and our Fernandina Beach
chiropractic families!
AGE MATTERS
Age is significant in the pumpkin's and the human's lifespan! For the
pumpkin, the mature stage of its ripening – versus the
young and ripened stages – proved to have the greatest
phenolic and flavonoid content (33 compounds!), the greatest
antioxidant activity, and the highest antibacterial activity. (4)
For the human, aging brings more and more
molecular injury to cells in response to
oxidative stress due to environmental, lifestyle, and disease issues.
A key to proper diet as we age is an adequate
intake of antioxidants. 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 appreciate that! In
a study of extracted seed oils like pumpkin, melon, and black cumin,
researchers discovered a treasure trove of beneficial
cytoprotective – cell-protecting - properties linked to preventing age-related diseases triggered
by oxidative stress. (6) Amelia Chiropractic Clinic is in favor of
protecting cells and the health of our Fernandina Beach
chiropractic patients.
CONTACT Amelia Chiropractic Clinic
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. James Cox on The
Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he
describes the importance of controlling
inflammation as well as chiropractic spinal manipulation treatment with The Cox® Technic System of
Spinal Pain Management.
Schedule your Fernandina Beach chiropractic
appointment now. Amelia Chiropractic Clinic appreciates
the pumpkin for all its nutritional benefit. And we still look
forward to the annual cutting, decorating, and baking!