Squash, butternut

Butternut squash is a fruit that can be roasted and toasted and also be puréed or mashed into soups, casseroles, breads, and muffins. In Australia it is regarded as a pumpkin, and used interchangeably with other types of pumpkin.

The butternut and related species of squash originate from around Mexico—separate from pumpkins or "winter squash", which originate in South America.

Butternut squash and acorn squash have been known to cause an allergic reaction called contact dermatitis in many individuals, especially in food preparation where the squash skin is cut and exposed to the epidermis. Food handlers and kitchen workers should take precautions to wear rubber or latex gloves when peeling butternut and acorn squash to avoid temporary butternut squash dermatitis. A contact dermatitis reaction to butternut or acorn squash may result in orange and cracked skin, a sensation of "tightness", "numbness", "roughness" or "rawness".

Butternut squash Nutrition Facts: Calories, Carbs, and Health Benefits

The composition of butternut squash is 86.41% water, 11.69% carbohydrates, 1% protein, 2% dietary fiber, and 0.1% fat. If you consume one cup of diced butternut squash it will provide you with 16.366 grams of carbohydrates. That translates to 12.59 percent of the 130 grams of carbohydrates people should include in their daily diet. That same in an amount measuring 100 grams (3.5 Oz), butternut squash provides 188 kilojoules (45 kilocalories) of energy and is a rich source of Vitamin A (total, RAE) and Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) (76% and 28% of the Daily Value, respectively). This means that if you add butternut squash in your diet it will help your body to reduce the risk of lung and prostate cancer, trap pathogenic bacteria, maintain your reproductive system's health and will be 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 good amount of Manganese (11.22% DV) and Magnesium (10.97% DV).