“Respect the pumpkin! Respect the pumpkin!” Pitiful
thing! The pumpkin wants to share its healthy gifts with us! What do we do? We carve
it into spooky, funny, goofy looks
for Halloween and puree it up for a Thanksgiving pie! Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC
is making light of the pumpkin’s quandry and confesses
to enjoying the pumpkin fun while also appreciating
its tasty, healthy aspects for our
La Grande chiropractic patients who are undergoing chiropractic care for back pain or neck pain and their supportive families.
RESPECT FOR THE HEALTHFUL PUMPKIN
Appreciation for the pumpkin keeps growing! The commonly known 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 favorable functional
properties known today are wound healing, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory,
antioxidative, anti-ulcerative, spermatogenesis-enhancing, etc.
(2) The scent, flavor, and color qualities 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 nutritious. (3) All this in the pretty
fall fruit we cut into jack-o-lanterns enjoyed by young and old…including Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC and our La Grande
chiropractic families!
AGE MATTERS
Age is significant in the lifespan
of the pumpkin and the human! For the
pumpkin, the mature stage of its ripening – as opposed to the
young and ripened stages – proved to have the highest
phenolic and flavonoid content (33 compounds!), the greatest
antioxidant activity, and the highest antibacterial activity. (4)
For the human, aging brings increasingly more
molecular injury to cells in response to
oxidative stress from environmental, lifestyle, and disease factors.
The suitable intake of antioxidants is key
as we age. The cucurbita fruits (varieties of pumpkin/squash)
are high in these antioxidants as well as in zinc and copper. Researchers
even proposed that these should be eaten daily! (5) Our aging cells would be grateful! In
a study of extracted seed oils like pumpkin, melon, and black cumin,
researchers found a cornucopia of beneficial
cytoprotective – cell-protecting - properties linked to preventing age-related diseases precipitated
by oxidative stress. (6) Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC is in favor of
protecting cells and the health of our La Grande
chiropractic patients.
CONTACT Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. James Cox on The
Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he
describes the importance of controlling
inflammation as well as chiropractic spinal manipulation treatment with The Cox® Technic System of
Spinal Pain Management.
Schedule your La Grande chiropractic
appointment now. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC appreciates
the pumpkin for all its nutritional benefit. And we still look
forward to the annual cutting, decorating, and cooking!