From Curing Cough To Boosting Immunity, Celebrity Nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar Reveals The Several Health Benefits Of This Vegetable

The best part about vegetables is that they are extremely delicious.

Ever wondered why is it important to include vegetables in your diet? The reason you should include maximum vegetables in your diet is that the health benefits of all the vegetables are uncountable. Nutrient dense; all the vegetables shield the human body from numerous diseases and infections. The best part about vegetables is that they are extremely delicious and can be eaten in a number of ways. One such vegetable which can be eaten at any time of the year and is extremely flavoursome is pumpkin. Like all the other vegetables, pumpkin is also loaded with all the essential nutrients and offers numerous health benefits. You can incorporate pumpkin into desserts, soups, salads, and the vegetable can be enjoyed as a simple dish as well. You can even make pumpkin curry and eat it along with pooris, add it to your curries, sambar or make halwa.

Pumpkin can help lose weight
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Also read: 6 Vegetables Which May Help In Gaining Weight

Celebrity Nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar in her recent Instagram post reveals the health benefits of pumpkin.

Have a look at some health benefits of pumpkin:

1. Lose weight:

A cup of this nutritious orange vegetable provides a healthy dose of fiber. As an added benefit, the vegetable is low in calories and no fat at all. Fibre is associated with weight loss. Foods that are rich in fibre promote satiety; since your body takes longer to digest them. This helps to control your hunger pangs and you do not tend to overeat in the next meal. Therefore, you should include pumpkin in your diet as it helps you to keep full for longer.

A cup of this nutritious orange vegetable provides a healthy dose of fiber.
Photo Credit: iStock

2. Boosts immunity and fights infection:

Pumpkin can help boost immunity. Pumpkin pulp and seeds are high in both vitamin C and beta-carotene. These offer a boost to the immune system using a powerful combination of nutrients. Beta-carotene is converted into vitamin A. This triggers the creation of white blood cells that helps fight infection. Also, pumpkin is the richest source of vitamin A, carotene, xanthin and zeaxanthin which can help speed up recovery. 

Also read: 5 Vegetables That Have High Content Of Protein Than Eggs

3. Iron:

Iron is an essential nutrient and we mostly get it from our food choices. Low iron levels can cause iron deficiency(anemia) which will lead to low energy, dizziness, pale skin and peeling nails. You can get your iron in the most delicious way possible by eating this nutritious orange vegetable.

4. Skin and hair:

Pumpkins are an amazing source of vitamin A. Vitamin A is an anti-aging nutrient that helps in your skin's cell renewal process and increases the production of collagen for smooth and vibrant looking skin. Moreover, the hemoglobin level in the vegetable leaves you feeling fresh and helps in fighting acne. As an added benefit, eating this vegetable will help you keep dandruff free these winters. Even the application of this vegetable can help in smooth and a radiant skin. The pulp of the pumpkin also makes a great natural face mask that exfoliates and soothes the skin.

Vitamin A is an anti-aging nutrient that helps in your skin's cell renewal process
Photo Credit: iStock

Also read: Pumpkin Seeds: 7 Amazing Health Benefits

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.