Known for their vibrant colour and unique shape, pumpkins have become integral to Mzansi’s culinary heritage, weaving their way into traditional dishes and festive celebrations. From Sunday’s 7-colour plate to being served to family at funerals, pumpkins are part of our homes.
Tshifaro Makungo from Johannesburg says what interests her about pumpkin is the ability to enjoy it in many different ways.
“I like to put pumpkin in the pot, add sugar and butter, and make it seem like frying. Then, close it in that manner, and it will produce the water that’s enough to allow it not to burn.”
“With pumpkin, you would feel full and see no need to add starch… Mom also enjoys cooking pumpkin, adding maize meal, and making this other dish that I enjoy so much,” says Makungo.
Kanya Ntshongwana from the Eastern Cape enjoys pumpkin with cinnamon. She says, “What I love about pumpkins is that I can make multiple dishes from them, like mashed pumpkin, grilled, and boiled pumpkin. I like the boiled ones more because they’re very healthy, and I like to top them up with cinnamon.”
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Good for the gut
Ntshongwana adds that recently, he found out he suffers from ulcers. His doctor suggested that he should eat boiled pumpkin to help ease the runny tummy, which helped him a lot, he says.
According to Centurion-based dietitian Ditebogo Mpati, eating pumpkin has several health advantages. The primary bioactive substances, such as vitamins, carotenoids, and fibres are linked to health benefits. Due to their antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-diabetic properties, all of these chemicals have some significant advantages.
“Pumpkin is a rich source of carotenoids and vitamin C. Carotenoids have a wide range of biological functions that contribute to therapeutic effects such as anticancer, immunomodulation, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, anti-diabetic, and neuroprotection.”
Dietitian Ditebogo Mpati
“Pumpkin is suggested as a treatment for intestinal and digestive diseases due to its high level of fibre, antioxidants, and minerals. Because it is high in fibre, pumpkin is used to relieve constipation,” she says.
According to her, pumpkin has less energy than other vegetables but it is rich in dietary fibre, minerals (potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, iron, iodine, zinc), vitamins (A, C, B1, B2, B9), carotenoids, polyphenols, flavonoids, pigments that are significant because of their antioxidant activity, polysaccharides, pectin, and dietary fibre.
“Pumpkin offers us the energy and carbohydrates our bodies require to function. A high-fibre food like pumpkin helps you feel fuller for longer periods and lessens the need to snack in between meals. Even more regularly scheduled bowel movements are encouraged by the substantial fibre content. The species, variety, maturity, climate, and geographic location all affect the chemical composition of pumpkins.”
Seeds are nutritious too
In addition to their nutritional value, the skin and the seeds are also packed with power.
“Pumpkin seeds are high in proteins and biologically active substances, such as essential and nonessential amino acids, tocopherols, carotenoids, and other compounds thought to have beneficial dietetic and medicinal properties. They are also a great source of unsaturated fatty acids, fibres, and minerals.
“Since they contain several components that are advantageous to the human body and have a favourable fatty acid composition, pumpkin seed oil is considered to be among the oils with high nutritional value. Pumpkin peel also contains different amino acids.”
Dietitian Ditebogo Mpati
Mpati cautions that adding sugar to pumpkins during the preparation process will alter the glycemic load of the vegetable, leading to an increase in the effect on your blood sugar, which is disadvantageous, especially in diabetics.
“It is recommended to use healthy cooking methods when preparing pumpkins to preserve their nutritional composition and obtain optimal nutritional benefits while in the process. Healthy cooking methods include steaming, grilling, roasting, and baking. With these methods, it is easier to use all components of the pumpkin to get optimal nutritional value.
“Like any other thing in life, too much of anything is not good for you. Eating a lot of pumpkins may cause a reaction akin to a ‘water pill’, boosting the quantity of salt and water your body excretes in urine because it is regarded as a mild diuretic.”
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