Pumpkin Seeds

By: Tanya Taylor, PhD | Oct 11, 2007

Every October, it seems pumpkins become all the rage (only to be forgotten shortly after), and it seems like that's the only month that I'm reminded of pumpkin seeds. Sure, you can go out and buy Davids Pumpkin Seeds, but since you are dutifully carving that pumpkin for Halloween, why not use those seeds and make your own tasty treat. Here is a recipe for roasted pumpkin seeds from Yum Sugar, and if you like it sweet, here is a recipe for spicy sweet pumpkin seeds from A Veggie Venture.

As with all nuts and seeds, the nutrition facts are something you want to be aware of, especially if you are dieting. One 1/4 cup serving (138 grams of the edible portion) has 187 calories, 25% of the recommended daily amount of total fat (16 grams), 15% of the RDA for saturated fat (3 grams), 8.4 grams of protein and only 6 grams of total carbohydrates, which includes 5.5% of the RDA for fiber (a little over 1 gram) and almost no sugar. That's a lot of fat and a lot of calories for just a handful!

Pumpkin seeds do tend to be very good sources of many minerals, such as Vitamin K, zinc, iron, and a few others, and it has been shown to help in maintaining good postate health. They are also one of the top 5 richest sources of phytosterols which are natural cholesterol lowering compounds (265mg/100g - WHFoods).

Nuts and seeds are great natural sources of energy, so I'm not saying to avoid them at all - but, as with every meal when you are on a diet, measure or weigh it before you start eating - helps avoid eating too much. Just imagine that 1 cup of pumpkin seeds is over 750 calories!
[Photo credit: WordRidden on Flickr].

Rating

Taste:

Nutrition:

Price:

Overall:

See more on: Nuts , Vegetarian , seeds   comments (4)