“Respect the pumpkin! Respect the pumpkin!” Pitiful
thing! The pumpkin wants to share its healthy gifts with us! What do we do? We cut the pumpkin into spooky, funny, silly looks
for Halloween and puree it up for a Thanksgiving pie! Aaron Chiropractic Clinic
is playing with the pumpkin’s quandry and admits
to liking the pumpkin fun while also valuing
its edible, healthy features for our
Fort Wayne chiropractic patients who are undergoing chiropractic care for back pain or neck pain and their supporting 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 hot tolerant and resistant
to insects and disease…as well as the essential ingredient for amazing
pumpkin pies! (1) Recognized for its being nutrient-dense
and recipe-flexible, the pumpkin is described as 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, etc.
(2) The scent, flavor, and color traits 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 Aaron Chiropractic Clinic and our Fort Wayne
chiropractic families!
AGE MATTERS
Age counts in the lifespan
of the pumpkin and the human! For the
pumpkin, the mature stage of its ripening – versus the
young and ripened stages – proved to have the highest
phenolic and flavonoid content (33 compounds!), the highest
antioxidant activity, and the highest antibacterial activity. (4)
For the human, aging brings increasingly more
molecular damage to cells in response to
oxidative stress due to environmental, lifestyle, and disease factors.
The suitable intake of antioxidants is important
as we age. The cucurbita fruits (varieties of pumpkin/squash)
are great in these antioxidants as well as in zinc and copper. Researchers
even suggested that these should be consumed every
day! (5) Our aging cells would be grateful! In
a study of extracted seed oils like pumpkin, melon, and black cumin,
researchers discovered a bunch of useful
cytoprotective – cell-protecting - properties related to preventing age-related diseases brought on
by oxidative stress. (6) Aaron Chiropractic Clinic is in favor of
protecting cells and the well-being of our Fort Wayne
chiropractic clients.
CONTACT Aaron Chiropractic Clinic
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. James Cox on The
Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he
illustrates the importance of controlling
inflammation as well as chiropractic spinal manipulation treatment with The Cox® Technic System of
Spinal Pain Management.
Make your Fort Wayne chiropractic
appointment now. Aaron Chiropractic Clinic respects
the pumpkin for all its nutritional benefit. And we still anticipate the annual carving, decorating, and cooking!