Pumpkin, gourd or chestnuts: who is more dietary and healthy? | Dr. Maya Roseman

The practical guide to the common types of pumpkin – regular pumpkin, gourd and chestnut pumpkin. We will talk about calories, then about vitamins and minerals.

The most dietetic

Their names are a bit misleading, and in the end they all belong to “vegetables” that can be freely consumed during a diet, but there is still a difference between the types. To know which pumpkin to include in the menu, it is not enough to look at the caloric table per 100 grams. The real difference lies in the way we eat them and the average weight of one unit.

1. Chestnut squash: the personal unit that can be misleading

The chestnut pumpkin is the most unique of them all because it comes in a “personal portion”. Usually a whole unit is prepared in the oven and eaten as it is. Unit weight: an average unit weighs between 350 and 500 grams (before cleaning the kernels). How many calories is it really? Although there are only about 40 calories in 100 grams, eating a whole unit brings us to 140 to 200 calories per unit.

2. The pumpkin: 2 times more calories than the pumpkin

Delorit is the sweeter “big sister”. It contains about 45 calories per 100 grams, despite the short name that sounds like “calorie” it is not more dietary, and actually contains almost 2 times more calories compared to the regular pumpkin.

3. The classic pumpkin: the winner

It contains only 26 calories per 100 grams and is characterized by a very high percentage of water (92%). She is actually in the end the real “calorie”.

The vitamin test: are they all equal in terms of health?

When it comes to vitamin A (beta-carotene), there is a big difference between the different types.

The Delorite is the winner:

The regular pumpkin:

Chestnut squash:

in third place in this category. Because its insides tend to be lighter (yellowish and not deep orange), the amount of vitamin A in it is significantly lower – it contains only about 15% of the amount found in a bell pepper. In a chestnut squash: only about 18 mcg. The difference is dramatic – in a squash there is 30 (!!!) times more vitamin A than in a chestnut squash.

The mineral battle: who supplies the most potassium and magnesium?

If in the vitamins the acorn won, when you dive into the minerals the picture changes – and it is precisely the chestnut pumpkin that gives work:

Potassium (which is needed for normal blood pressure)

The chestnut pumpkin is the undisputed winner with about 440 mg of potassium per 100 grams. The sweet potato gives about 350 mg, and the regular pumpkin lags behind with only about 230 mg.

Magnesium (which is important for muscle and bone health)

Again, the chestnut pumpkin leads with almost double the amount of the others (about 33 mg compared to about 12-14 mg in the gourd and the pumpkin).

iron

Here the differences are less dramatic, but still the chestnut and acorn squash provide about 0.7 mg, slightly more than the regular pumpkin (0.8 mg in its cooked state, but less because of the volume of water).

The bottom line

If you are looking for an anti-aging bomb for the skin and vision – go for the Delurit. If you want support for your heart, blood pressure and muscles – the chestnut pumpkin is your choice. In terms of calories… the regular pumpkin is ultimately the most dietary, but all of them are suitable for inclusion in menus for weight loss and improving health, and if possible – on a daily basis.

Recipes with pumpkin

Shlomit’s recipes from my diet course on Facebook, who has already lost 30 kg and has kept it off for over 4 years.

Chestnut squash chips

Cut into slices, spray with oil, salt and pepper and put in a hot air fryer

Regular pumpkin chips

– Cut the pumpkin into strips, transfer to a bowl, spray a little oil spray, a teaspoon of sauce

– Sweet chili, salt and mix.

– Transfer to a frying pan without oil or bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes

Chestnut squash in the oven

Cut into 2 chestnut pumpkins and empty the seeds

– Mix soy, maple and black pepper and brush the inside of the pumpkin with the sauce.

– Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, remove and add a sprig of rosemary and place on the pumpkin

– Return to the oven for 5 minutes.