We think pumpkin seeds are one of Nature’s perfect foods.  Anytime you combine delicious with nutritious, you know you have a winner; but pumpkin seeds go beyond the “health” factor of most foods.  Pumpkin seeds are chock full of zinc (and phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, iron and copper) and vitamin E.  While there are lots of foods that give you more vitamin E than pumpkin seeds, few foods give you the diversity of vitamin E that pumpkin seeds offer.  Pumpkin seeds are such powerhouses of zinc and vitamin E that the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends them as a way to obtain these two nutrients.

In case you don’t know, zinc is an important mineral to the human body.  Zinc is found in cells all over the body and it helps strengthen the immune system so you can fight off bacteria and viruses; it also helps the body to heal its wounds.  Everyone needs zinc to make proteins and DNA; pregnant women and children need zinc for proper growth, and believe it or not, zinc is an important factor in taste and smell. That was a new one to us.  Most multi-vitamin supplements contain zinc, as do homeopathic cold remedies and some lozenges.  Zinc, because it is so important to the immune system, is thought to lessen the duration of the common cold, and we know lots of people who swear by it.  One thing to beware of: nasal sprays and gels containing zinc.  They’ve been associated with a loss of smell, which in some cases has been permanent.  Besides healing our boo-boos and fighting off infections, pumpkin seeds keep on giving.

Vitamin E, as we said, is in lots of foods but few other foods have the variety of vitamin E that pumpkin seeds hold.  The following forms of vitamin E are found in pumpkin seeds: alpha-tocopherol, gamma-tocopherol, delta-tocopherol, alpha-tocomonoenol, and gamma-tocomonoenol.  If you’re looking at this list and thinking, “This means nothing to me,” then you’re not alone.   The last two types listed here have only recently been found in pumpkin seeds and are the topic of much scientific research into vitamin E because their bio-availability may be more than some other types of E.  Variety is said to be the spice of life, but in the case of vitamin E it’s also vital.

If you want to get the most out of your roasted pumpkin seeds, then don’t roast them for more than fifteen to twenty minutes.  Changes in pumpkin seed fat occur around that time, so pop them out of the oven before you lose their full power.  In case you need some pumpkin roasting tips, we have a few. Check them out:

1.  Clean ‘em up!  Get all of those slimy pumpkin innards off them.  We recommend you cook and eat the rest of that pumpkin, but to get nice crispy seeds, clean them off and rinse them with cold water in a colander.

• 2.  Boil for 10 minutes in salt water.  Toss the seeds into a medium-sized pot of water with 1 tsp. of salt.  Bring the water to a boil,  then reduce the heat to a simmer (low-medium heat) and let the seeds cook for about 10 minutes.

• 3.  Drain the seeds and dry them a bit with a towel or paper towels.

• 4.  Spread them out on a baking sheet and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil (1/2 to 1 tsp), then rub the oil in with your hands.  Spread the seeds out in a thin layer (try not to overlap much), and add a nice sprinkle of fine sea salt.  Bake for 10 minutes in a 325 degree oven.  Then, take the seeds out of the oven, stir them around and bake for another 5 minutes or so.  Feel free to take a few out in those last five minutes and test the seeds to make sure they’re not burning on the inside!

If you’re making Jack-o-Lanterns, then be sure to enjoy every bit of them that you can and save those seeds for roasting!  Healthy snack foods don’t get better than this.

Everyday is Food Day here at Brown Bag, but we’re always happy to see people paying attention to the topic of healthy, sustainable food in the world at large—and large is an appropriate word for this day because events will be taking place all across the country to celebrate!

Food Day’s hope is that people will “Eat Real.”  In other words, they want people to turn away from sodas, chips and other processed, salty/greasy foods, and meat containing chemicals like hormones and antibiotics.  They want to people to pull out of that drive-thru line and hit the nearest farmer’s market, pick up organic fruits and veggies, feast on proteins raised in humane and sustainable ways, and get back to a food system that works.

In 2011, there were 2300 events across the country to celebrate Food Day and educate people about healthy food, eating better, and looking at ways to get us back to the source of our food instead of plucking it out of a vacuum-sealed bag.  In 2012, there were 3200 events.  Every year, the number of people turning away from processed foods and taking a closer look at what they’re really eating (and how what they’re eating affects the world at large) is growing—and we couldn’t be happier!

Food Day lists its national priorities as:

Promote safer, healthier diets.

Support organic and sustainable farms.

Reduce hunger.

Reform factory farms to protect the environment and farm animals.

Support fair working conditions for food and farm workers.

In support of Food Day, all over the country people will be taking part in educational programs to teach kids about healthy eating habits, food safety, and cooking; there will be festivals, food drives and even green house projects so that students can grow their own vegetables.  In Nyack, New York, a group is hosting a “Focus on Food” art exhibit.  But Food Day doesn’t have to be a huge event for everyone, and it doesn’t have to just last one day.

If you’re a loyal Brown Bagger, then you know how we feel about eating healthy (and making that healthy food delicious and fast!) and doing our part to reduce our negative impact on the Earth.  We do this everyday.  What the people behind Food Day are hoping is that you will, too.  Food Day is intended as a focal point, a day to celebrate the work that people have been doing every day, all year long to educate and empower people to take more interest into what they put into their bodies and how their food choices affect the big picture—the Earth as a whole.

What will do you for Food Day? Find a local celebration and go mingle with some like-minded foodies?  Go meatless?  Let this be the first day of your journey toward being a more informed eater?  We’re going to keep doing what we do: spreading the food word on eating healthy, sustainable food, and doing all we can to take care of the planet we inhabit.  Visit our Facebook or Twitter pages and let us know what you have planned!

You might be wondering why anyone would want to skip the cooking process of any meal.  Maybe you keep your raw food in your salad bowl—and that’s it!  Maybe you should think again.  A raw diet is based on eating unprocessed, whole plant-based (hopefully) organic foods, and to really adhere to this way of life, ¾ of your diet should be made up of uncooked food.  Followers of this way of eating believe that the more raw your diet, the healthier you’ll be.

The truth is that we could all do with less processed food, but does a raw diet really make you healthier?  Here are the pro’s:

The Digestion Question:  While some people report problems with irritable bowl when they begin a raw diet, most said that these symptoms improved over time.  Most raw foodists report that their digestion improved when they made the switch to a raw diet.  One reason raw foodists believe that people shouldn’t cook their food is that they believe that natural and essential enzymes in food are destroyed at temperatures above 116 degrees Fahrenheit.  When you eat raw food, your body is more easily able to digest and absorb the nutrients, and so digestion moves more quickly and comfortably.

Watch the Pounds Melt like the Butter You’re Not Eating:  Another benefit people point to is weight loss.  It only makes sense that when you replace your (probably) higher calorie snacks with fruits, veggies and nuts that you’ll begin to lose weight.  We all know that dieting can sometimes make people feel deprived and hungry, but when you’re eating nuts and seeds, which naturally contain loads of protein and healthy fats, you won’t spend the day listening to your stomach growl.  You’ll be getting loads of vitamins and minerals and losing weight without feeling like a starving bear. Win!

Energizer Bunny:  Raw foodists also say that after a period of adjustment to the diet, they feel more energized, lighter (see above), and ready to go!  They also purport having better skin and sharp-as-ginzu-knives memories.  A big boatload of vitamins and minerals are coming into your body on a raw food diet—instead of empty calories and heavy foods— so it only makes sense that your body will respond with a renewed sense of energy and life, right?  Vitamins and minerals are good stuff!

The Great Germ Blocker:  When you eat a raw food diet, your chances of developing heart disease, diabetes and cancer are reduced as well.  A raw food diet helps people maintain a healthy weight and eliminates unhealthy, fatty foods from your diet; and if you’re not eating them, then they’re not clogging your arteries!  Raw foodists also report having fewer coughs and colds and generally stronger immune systems.

Having said all of this, we should also say that consuming raw meats is discouraged due to the possibility of bacteria, parasites and viruses, though some eat them anyway (although the majority of raw foodists seem to be vegetarians and vegans).  Here’s a list of some foods that health professionals say should be eaten with caution:

Buckwheat

Kidney Beans

Cassava

Raw eggs

Peas

Alfalfa Sprouts

Apricot kernels

Parsnips

Meat

Milk

Even though we describe this as a raw food “diet,” it’s really more of a way of life.  You have to change some major things in your life to do this.  Are you a proponent of raw foods?  Tell us a little more about it on our Facebook  or Twitter pages—we want to know what you think!

You’re seeing them everywhere this time of year—big, fat, orange pumpkins—and they just scream autumn, but pumpkins are more than cheery, fall decorations.  Pumpkins are a super food!  Most of you think of pumpkins and two things immediately come to mind—jack ’o lanterns and pumpkin pie—but what you’ll be missing if you simply carve yours up and throw away the innards or load your pumpkin up with sugar and spices are some great health benefits.  Here are some of the reasons you should be eating pumpkin, not just in the fall, but all year ‘round.

1.  Pumpkins are orange, right?  Know what it means when fruits and veggies have a red or orange color (the deeper, the better)?  It means that they are loaded up with beta carotene, a potent antioxidant; and while beta carotene is not itself an essential nutrient, our bodies convert it to Vitamin A, which is.  Vitamin A is important to our bodies because it promotes healthy skin and mucous membranes, helps our eyes stay healthy, and it supports our immune systems.  Getting your beta carotene from natural food sources is the safest way to get your A.  In case you didn’t know, you can get too much of a good thing—at least you can from supplements.  If you overload your body with vitamin A supplements, the vitamin can be toxic; but if your beta carotene is coming from your food, your body converts only what it needs, so no toxicity.  Studies have shown that antioxidants like beta carotene protect the body from free radicals and can reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease.

2.  Did you know that pumpkin is a great source of fiber?  Fiber is important in a healthy diet because it keeps things moving, digestively speaking.  Fiber is the part of fruits and veggies that your body doesn’t digest; it creates bulk and that bulk helps to move things through the digestive system.  Not enough fiber, not enough moving, and people become constipated and irregular.  Fiber helps prevent colon cancer because it helps to move harmful things like carcinogens through your body and send them on their way.  If you don’t eat enough fiber, and those same carcinogens sit around in your body, that’s not good.  It also reduces your risk of heart disease and lowers cholesterol.  Anything else, you ask?  Yes!  It may even help you lose weight.  Fiber, because it creates bulk, can give you a “full” feeling which helps you eat less.  Other good news about pumpkin—it’s a low calorie food.  There are only about 49 calories in a one-cup serving of pumpkin.

3.  Pumpkins are rich in potassium.  You may have been told to have a banana after a workout to give your body some much needed potassium and replenish your electrolytes, but pumpkin is even better.  Bananas have about 422 milligrams of potassium, while one cup of cooked pumpkin has about 564 milligrams.

4.  Don’t skip the seeds!  The seeds of a pumpkin rival the goodness and health benefits of pumpkin flesh.  Pumpkin seeds are rich in phytosterols which can help to lower LDL (the “bad” cholesterol) levels, which in turn, helps your heart stay healthy.  Along with your healthy heart, you may even get a happy mind.  Pumpkin seeds contain tryptophan, an amino acid important in the production of serotonin.  Serotonin helps to regulate our moods, sleep and appetite–all pretty important to an overall happy person.  Pumpkin seeds aren’t going to change your life, but they may give your body the boost it needs to focus on trying.

Here’s the short story on pumpkin—eat it.  It’s good for you.  Eat it in breads, soups, stews, stir-fries, pies or all by itself.  Even more good news—canned pumpkin may be even better for you than the original.  The canning process concentrates the pumpkin, locking in all of the vitamins and nutrients that pumpkin is famous for; and the process of cooking the pumpkin also makes it easier for the body to process and absorb (the same is true of tomatoes!).  What are some of your favorite ways to eat pumpkin?  Drop us a line on our Facebook  or Twitter pages and let us know!