Its Pumpkin Season!
Pumpkins are great in so many ways, each year I learn something new about them! It’s not even November yet and I’ve already tried pumpkin spice coffee, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin spice beer (trust me I am NOT a beer drinker but this was pretty good) and pumpkin bread. I dug up all my pumpkin recipes in preparation but have yet to start cooking.
I went shopping a few weeks ago and walked by the seasonal aisle. There were displays for pumpkin filling, flour, chocolate chips, holiday cake and cookie ingredients. It prompted me to pick up a couple cans of pumpkin. I came home all ready to bake but ended up postponing due to the arrival of some last minute house guests. To make a long story short, that weekend I ended up going to the vet with my two sick kitties. The doctor told me that because I give my cats all natural foods, they may not be getting enough fiber. She recommended that I add pumpkin to their food since it is high in fiber. Imagine that, one more reason why pumpkin is good for you (and your pet)!
I came home and started to give my kitties pumpkin mixed in with their normal food, they loved it and it really helped. I actually tried some pumpkin straight out of the can mixed in with yogurt; it was pretty good and helped me as well! Out of curiousity, I Googled ‘pumpkin as fiber’ and was surprised to see how many sites list pumpkin as being high in fiber and a great alternative to taking pills or fiber supplements. Turns out that each ½ cup serving of pumpkin (fresh or from a can) has 3.4 grams of fiber. If you want to compare, a ¾ cup of cooked oatmeal has 3.9 grams of fiber. That’s nearly 20% of your daily recommended amount (R.D.A varies person to person based on weight and individual body needs)
Who knows what I’ll learn next year, but for now I’m happy with my new find. Make sure you check back on gourmandia.com for my article that will have some great pumpkin recipes.
