Pumpkin
Botanically it is a fruit, referring to a plant part which grows from a flower; however, it is widely regarded as a vegetable in culinary terms, referring to how it is eaten.
Pumpkin growers often compete to see whose pumpkins are the most massive. Festivals are often dedicated to the pumpkin and these competitions. Half Moon Bay, California, holds the annual Pumpkin and Arts Festival which includes the World Champion Pumpkin Weigh-Off. Farmers from all over the west compete to determine who can grow the greatest gourd. The winning pumpkin regularly tops the scale at more than 1200 pounds. The Pumpkin Festival draws over 250,000 visitors each year.
Pumpkin Nutrition Facts: Calories, Carbs, and Health Benefits
TweetPumpkin is composed of 91.6% water, 6.5% carbohydrates, 1% protein, and negligible fat. If you consume one pumpkin you will get 292.5 grams of carbohydrates. It is equal to 225 percent of the 130 grams of carbohydrates you should include in your daily diet, according to the Institute of Medicine (US). That same a 100 gram reference serving of pumpkin provides 26 calories and is a very rich source of Vitamin A (total, RAE) (60.86% of the Daily Value). This means if your diet contains pumpkins, it helps your body to reduce the risk of lung and prostate cancer, trap pathogenic bacteria, maintain your reproductive system's health and it is effective against night blindness or nyctalopia which is caused by vitamin A deficiencydevelopment of acne due to excess secretion from sebaceous glandsimpairment in bile production that leads to unabsorbed lipids. At the same time it contains a modest amount of Copper (14.11% DV).
