Autumn is finally here.
The leaves of the trees are colored orange to red and fall dancing to the ground. It's cold, wet and gray and when you come home in the evening or have an appointment for a drink, the desire for a spritz runs straight through your ice-cold, stiff fingers at the thought of the glass filled with ice cubes.
The cool Spritz is really something for the mild summer evenings. We say goodbye with thanks, look forward to next year and officially open the red wine season!
A steaming pumpkin soup - the color goes better with autumn.
After summer is before summer!
And we also do something to present ourselves rejuvenated, refreshed, beautiful and vital next spring, when it slowly gets lighter again and the first warm rays of sunshine lure us out of our caves and among people.
Yes, you read that right - rejuvenated!
Autumn offers us a lot to carry us not only healthy but also radiantly youthful through the winter into the next spring.
How it works? - Quite simply actually and certainly nothing new! Read and heard umpteen times. The magic word is: good nutrition!
The pumpkin as a secret weapon
Nutrition in autumn, everyone immediately thinks of the dear pumpkin. It must not only be used to scare small children with an evil carved face. No! Be sure to eat, eat, eat! - so the squash, of course. And as much as possible, as a soup, as a casserole, puree, even jam - there are no limits here.
First of all, the pumpkin itself is absolutely low in calories, which is the first thing our figure will thank us for, because we still have a certain challenge ahead of us with Christmas, cookies, dumplings and mulled wine!
Depending on which variety you take, 100 grams of pumpkin have between 22 and 28 calories. It is therefore a real slimmer and full of valuable vitamins and minerals. Vitamin A, vitamin C and E, obtained from beta-carotene, are particularly important for the skin. Also important minerals such as potassium, magnesium, calcium and iron.
The very popular Hokkaido even contains more beta-carotene than carrots. This secondary plant substance protects the skin from UV radiation from the inside, acts against free radicals and is generally regarded as an active cell protection.
Another carotenoid found in abundance in pumpkins is apha-carotene. It inhibits tumor growth, slows down the aging process and reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Vitamins, vitamins, vitamins
The vitamin C contained in the pumpkin also fights free radicals, has an anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antiviral effect and strengthens your immune system. Furthermore, it stimulates the production of collagen, which is noticeable in firm and healthy skin.
The contained B vitamins (B1, B3, B5, B6) are important for the nerves. So they help you to become more stress-resistant, support your metabolism, the detoxification of your body and even help to balance your hormone levels.
The wet, cold, dark days can certainly get on the nerves of some people and pave the way for one or the other anger/worry line.
The pumpkin can help here too! How? Very easy. With pumpkin seeds as a snack! The amino acid L-tryptophan contained in the pumpkin seeds is involved in the production of the happiness hormone serotonin. Just a handful of this power snack is enough to act as a natural mood enhancer.
It also provides high-quality proteins that protect the bladder and also counteract hair loss.
Pumpkin as a face mask
Finally, the pumpkin acts as a beauty elixir - you can also make a wonderful face mask with some leftover pulp.
The vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E and beta-carotene it contains have a nurturing, regenerating, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory anti-aging effect.
To do this, mix four tablespoons of cooked pumpkin with 1 teaspoon of honey and ½ teaspoon of milk. Apply the mask to the carefully cleaned (oval) face and rinse off thoroughly with lukewarm water after 15 minutes. Hello Beautiful!
So that you can get through the cold autumn and winter not only healthy but rejuvenated - GET THE PUMPKIN - even after Halloween!