Moriarty Chiropractic Shares Pumpkins Nutritional Benefits

“Respect the pumpkin! Respect the pumpkin!” Poor thing! The pumpkin wants to share its healthy gifts with us! What do we do? We cut the pumpkin into spooky, fun, silly looks for Halloween and mash it up for a Thanksgiving pie! Moriarty Chiropractic is making light of the pumpkin’s plight and admits to liking the pumpkin fun while also appreciating its tasty, healthy aspects for our Nashua chiropractic patients who are being treated for back pain or neck pain and their supportive families.

RESPECT FOR THE NUTRITIOUS PUMPKIN

Appreciation for the pumpkin keeps growing! 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 attributes 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 beautiful fall fruit we cut into jack-o-lanterns enjoyed by young and old…including Moriarty Chiropractic and our Nashua chiropractic families!

AGE MATTERS

Age is of importance in the pumpkin's and the human's lifespan! For the pumpkin, the mature stage of its ripening – versus the young and ripened stages – exhibited the greatest phenolic and flavonoid content (33 compounds!), the highest antioxidant activity, and the greatest antibacterial activity. (4) For the human, aging generates more and more molecular harm to cells in response to oxidative stress from environmental, lifestyle, and disease factors. The proper intake of antioxidants is key as we age. 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 useful cytoprotective – cell-protecting - properties related to the prevention of age-related diseases precipitated by oxidative stress. (6) Moriarty Chiropractic is in favor of protecting cells and the health of our Nashua chiropractic patients.

CONTACT Moriarty Chiropractic

Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. James Cox on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he describes the importance of containing inflammation as well as chiropractic spinal manipulation treatment with The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.

Schedule your Nashua chiropractic appointment now. Moriarty Chiropractic respects the pumpkin for all its nutritional benefit. And we still anticipate the annual cutting, decorating, and baking!