In the golden autumn, there is a "gold among vegetables" on the market, and it is pumpkin. The old pumpkin tastes sweet and full of moisture, and the Beibei pumpkin is dense and soft. When you bite into it, you will feel the autumn atmosphere~ However,Compared with other leafy vegetables, the "shortcomings" of pumpkin in the "vegetable world" are still relatively obvious. It has high carbohydrate content and high calories. If you eat too much, it is easy to exceed the calorie limit.If it is made into cream pumpkin soup, baked pumpkin with salted egg yolk, etc., it will be even more caloric.
In order for everyone to enjoy the delicious taste of pumpkin, today I will recommend to you an awesome way to eat pumpkin——Replace some staple foods with pumpkin, I really strongly recommend you try it! ! !
Pumpkin, which has entered the "staple food world", not only has a higher dietary fiber content and a stronger satiety than the staple food made of polished rice and white flour, but also contains rich carotenoids and is far ahead in potassium content. In addition, it has a soft and sweet taste, which is really excellent.
So, how to "use pumpkin to replace some staple foods"? How to choose from the wide variety of pumpkins on the market? Let’s go through them one by one below.
Use pumpkin as a staple foodTwo keywords to note
When using pumpkin as a staple food, you should pay attention to two key words, one is substitution and the other is part.
substitute, which means that we cannot eat pumpkin as an after-dinner snack after eating the staple food, as this will easily lead to too much extra calories;
part, it means that it is not recommended to only eat pumpkin as a staple food. After all, the calories of pumpkin are much lower than other staple foods. If you only eat pumpkin as a staple food for a long time, it is easy to cause a caloric deficit and malnutrition.
As can be seen from the table below,No matter what kind of pumpkin it is, its calories are lower than common staple foods, usually about 1/5 to 1/10 of steamed buns, noodles, and rice.
In comparison, the carbohydrate content of pumpkin is not high. Even chestnut-faced pumpkin, which tastes glutinous and pink, has only 8.8 grams/100 grams of carbohydrates, which is about 1/5 of steamed buns. However, the dietary fiber content is higher. For example, the dietary fiber content of chestnut squash is twice as high as steamed buns and 8.6 times as high as rice.
It can be seen that using pumpkin to replace some of the staple foods of polished rice and white flour can not only help us reduce the total calorie intake, but also provide a stronger feeling of satiety.
Data comes from "Chinese Food Nutritional Composition Table" (Sixth Edition)
It is worth mentioning thatWhen using pumpkin as a staple food, it is best to pair it with other beans such as red beans, mung beans, and kidney beans, and whole grains such as brown rice and whole wheat., can not only obtain enough calories, but also provide sufficient dietary fiber and B vitamins, and blood sugar will not rise too fast after a meal.
However, the protein content of pumpkin is slightly lower than other staple foods.If you usually eat a vegetarian diet, when eating pumpkin as a staple food, you should pay attention to adding some high-quality protein-rich foods such as egg milk or tofu.
Compared to other staple foodsPumpkin also has this special advantage
There is another very recommended advantage of using pumpkin as a staple food, that isPumpkins are high in carotenoids, can reach 890~1518 micrograms/100 grams.
According to the recommendations of the "Reference Intake of Dietary Nutrients for Chinese Residents" (2023 Edition), normal adults should consume 660 to 770 microgram equivalents of vitamin A every day, which is equivalent to 3960 to 4620 micrograms of carotenoids.
If 100 grams of pumpkin is the staple food in a day, it can meet about 22% to 40% of the demand. With a variety of dark green vegetables, you can easily meet the daily recommended amount.
Vitamin A, converted from carotenoids, is an important component of retinal photosensitive substances. When vitamin A is deficient, not only will the ability to adapt to the dark decrease and "night blindness" occur, but it will also aggravate dry eyes, eye astringency and visual fatigue.
Adequate intake of carotenoids can well supplement the source of vitamin A, and the protection of the eyes is self-evident.
Moreover, many domestic and foreign studies have confirmed thatCarotenoids have good antioxidant effects.
For example, it can help fight against oxidative damage induced by air pollutants. It can protect cardiovascular health and delay aging by scavenging free radicals, inhibiting lipid peroxidation, and inhibiting low-density lipoprotein oxidation. Its powerful antioxidant capacity can also reduce the damage of oxidative stress to the immune system, thereby improving human immunity.
If you can add some pumpkin to your staple food, and choose more dark green, orange, purple-red vegetables such as purple cabbage, spinach, and carrots, as well as blueberries, strawberries, kiwis, oranges, tangerines and other fruits every day, you can say that this dietary structure is full of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capabilities from staple foods to fruits and vegetables!
besides,The potassium content in pumpkin is also 3 to 10 times higher than staple foods such as steamed buns, which can help regulate blood pressure and reduce the risk of stroke and other cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.For those who eat a lot of salt and have a heavy taste, it is also beneficial to eat more pumpkin on the basis of maintaining a light diet.
different kinds of pumpkinsHow to choose and eat?
Finally, we have reached the “how to choose and how to eat” part that everyone loves to hear.
There are so many kinds of pumpkins on the market now, and they are round, yellow, and green, and it’s dazzling to see. In fact, if you remember a few simple rules, it’s not that complicated to pick up:
Old pumpkin: sweet taste and low in calories
Old pumpkins are the orange-yellow, big, long pumpkins that were most common when we were children. The biggest feature of this kind of pumpkin is that it has high water content and low carbohydrate content. It tastes moist and sweet, and is very delicious. It is very suitable for friends who need to lose weight.
Not only can it be steamed directly and eaten as a staple food, but you can also use steamed old pumpkin instead of water to make noodles to make sweet pumpkin buns and cookies; or mash it to make a thick soup, which is warm and suitable for autumn and winter.
In addition, this kind of pumpkin can also be sliced and stir-fried when it is not too old, giving it a crispy texture.
Beibei pumpkin/chestnut pumpkin: soft, glutinous and sweet, playing both leading and supporting roles
Both are chestnut-faced pumpkins. What they have in common is that they have lower moisture content than old pumpkins, a softer, waxier taste, and a more mellow sweetness. In comparison, chestnut pumpkin is larger and tastes drier and flourier, much like chestnut.
These two kinds of pumpkins are high in carbohydrates and calories, so they are a good choice to replace some staple foods. You can also use babe pumpkin and chestnut pumpkin directly as containers to make stews or desserts.
For example, using Beibei pumpkin as a bowl to steam milk and egg pudding, it not only borrows the sweetness and softness of pumpkin, but also combines it with the high-quality protein of milk and eggs. It is a low-sugar and healthy dessert with rich taste and suitable for all ages.
Beibei's Pumpkin Steamed Pork Ribs is also delicious. The pre-marinated pork ribs are steamed until they fall off the bones, which is both delicious and easy to chew. The pumpkin powder used as a container is glutinous and absorbs the broth, making the aroma even more attractive. It is a quick "hard dish" to entertain friends and family.
No matter which pumpkin you choose, pay attention to the processing method. Foods that are high in sugar and oil, such as butter pumpkin soup, baked pumpkin with salted egg yolk, and caramelized pumpkin, are fine to eat once or twice to satisfy your cravings, but they are not recommended to be eaten regularly.
The most recommended way is to steam it, which is not only simple and delicious, but also better protects carotenoids, and is very cost-effective!
Eat pumpkinavoid this misunderstanding
There is another misunderstanding to note about pumpkins:
In the past few years, some middle-aged and elderly people have been superstitious about "eating pumpkin to lower blood sugar", consuming large amounts of pumpkin, and even skipping daily anti-sugar drugs. This approach is really not advisable.
Although pumpkin polysaccharides in pumpkin have shown hypoglycemic effects in animal experiments, there is not enough evidence to show that they have the same effect in humans. The carbohydrate content in pumpkin is lower than that of staple foods, but much higher than that of leafy vegetables and fruits.
Moreover, pumpkin is easy to digest, and its glycemic index is not too low (75), making it a high glycemic index food. Fortunately, due to its low carbohydrate content, its glycemic load is not too high (3.9~6.6), making it a low glycemic load food.
Taken together, pumpkin cannot be regarded as a "lowering blood sugar" food. If you eat too much (especially chestnut-faced pumpkin, which contains high carbohydrates), your blood sugar will also be affected. If after eating staple food, you eat a lot of pumpkin in order to "lower blood sugar", your blood sugar will rise faster.
therefore,Friends who have blood sugar problems should follow the doctor's advice and use medication rationally. It is more reasonable to use pumpkin to replace part of the polished rice and white flour in their diet.
References
[1] Yang Yuexin. Standard Edition of Chinese Food Composition List (6th Edition/Volume 1) [M]. Peking University Medical Press, 2018.
[2] Chinese Nutrition Society. "Reference Intake of Dietary Nutrients for Chinese Residents (2023 Edition)" [M]. People's Medical Publishing House, 2023.
[3] Fan Xiaolan, Yang Jun, Mi Mantian, Yang Hui. Antioxidant effect and disease prevention of β-carotene [J]. Chinese Public Health, 2003, 19, 4: 479-480.
[4]Rodriguez-Amaya,DeliaB.2-Carotenesandxanthophyllsasantioxidants[J].Handbook of Antioxidants for Food Preservation, 2015:17-50.
[5]Mueller,L.;Boehm,V.AntioxidantActivityofβ-CaroteneCompoundsinDifferent inVitro Assays. Molecules 2011, 16,1055-1069.