We carve pumpkins or paint faces on them for the amusement of others, but are there other uses? Well, pumpkins make great additions to recipes, but they aren’t guaranteed to be low fat meals. What people don’t know is that eating pumpkin on its own gives the best nutritional value and taste.

Pumpkins have been around for a long time. Native Americans used pumpkins for both food and materials. Long strips of pumpkin were dried and used to weave mats. Some was dried for the pumpkin version of beef jerky.

Pumpkins are highly nutrition by themselves. Eaten fresh from the pumpkin, the fruit provides zero cholesterol, less than 100 calories, and low sodium. When we add sugar, eggs, butter, and other ingredients, our pumpkin recipes get heavy and calorie laden.

Pumpkin can be pureed and added to recipes like muffin mixes and cakes without extra calories. The trick is to substitute the butter for applesauce and liquid oil to flavor the batter. Pumpkin puree can be given to babies to boost their intake of Vitamin C.

Speaking of Vitamin C, pumpkin contains large amounts of the antioxidant beta-carotene. It aids in giving the pumpkin its deep orange color. We have heard about the benefits of antioxidants. They work to reduce the signs of aging and various diseases.