Pumpkin flour: health benefits and harms

Pumpkin seeds are one of the most healthy foods. They have many medicinal properties. But their scope for a long time was limited by the fact that they were either eaten raw or dried, or they were made from oil. In recent years, another product of their processing has appeared that has all the useful properties of seeds - this is pumpkin flour. Today it is increasingly used in cooking and cosmetology.

What is more useful: pumpkin or wheat flour

This question cannot be answered unequivocally. On the one hand, wheat flour has a higher calorie content - 342 kcal per 100 g, and pumpkin flour - about 305 kcal. At the same time, wheat contains more proteins, it has a higher nutritional value.

Wheat flour, on the other hand, contains gluten protein, which can cause diseases like celiac disease. There is no gluten in pumpkin flour, so it is suitable for people suffering from this ailment. Moreover, it contains many trace elements. Often, nutritionists advise mixing both types of flour to get the most benefit.

Composition and calorie content

The energy value of pumpkin flour is quite high - about 305 kcal per 100 g. But the unique chemical composition makes it incredibly useful.

Pumpkin flour contains the following components:

1. Immune enhancing ascorbic acid.
2. Carotenoids that have beneficial effects on vision.
3. B vitamins, including folic acid.
4. Valuable omega-3 fatty acids necessary for the normal functioning of the body.
5. A rich set of minerals, including phosphorus, selenium and zinc (in this case, by the content of zinc, she is considered a champion, since more of this element is found only in sesame seeds).

It should also be noted that in 60 g of pumpkin flour there is phosphorus and magnesium in an amount sufficient to meet the daily needs of an adult.

Pumpkin flour has many flavonoids and several tens of amino acids, which makes it a valuable dietary product.

What is useful pumpkin flour

General benefit

Pumpkin flour contains many useful substances, thanks to which it can be used:

• to normalize digestion;
• strengthening natural immunity;
• cardiovascular improvement;
• helminthiasis treatment;
• weight loss and diabetes prevention.

Also, pumpkin flour helps to significantly improve the condition of the skin, hair and nails due to the high content of vitamins and zinc.

For women

For women, pumpkin flour is, first of all, a beauty product, because it helps to cope with problem skin and helps rejuvenate the body. But also this product is important for normalizing hormonal levels. It is especially useful during menopause, because it allows you to avoid complications and unpleasant symptoms associated with it, to prevent the deterioration of cardiovascular activity associated with this period.

For men

For representatives of the stronger sex, this product is interesting in that it contains a lot of zinc. This allows you to get rid of inflammatory diseases of the prostate gland and generally has a good effect on erectile function and the condition of the organs of the reproductive system.

During pregnancy

For expectant mothers, this product is important in that it helps to prevent various forms of anemia - many pregnant women face this problem, since most of the vitamins and minerals are spent by the body on the development of the fetus.At the same time, pumpkin flour allows you to get rid of puffiness and helps regulate weight, which is also very important during pregnancy.

When breastfeeding

There are studies that prove that the substances contained in pumpkin flour can improve the emotional state. For young mothers, this is important because it helps prevent postpartum depression. Also, the use of pumpkin flour will help get rid of extra pounds gained during pregnancy, as well as tidy your skin and hair.

For kids

For children, pumpkin flour is useful in that it contains many vitamins necessary for the normal development of the body. In addition, there is no gluten in it, and many modern children suffer, if not from intolerance, then from excessive sensitivity to this protein. Pumpkin flour can be added to the diet of children after a year, adding it little by little to cereals.

When losing weight

Pumpkin flour itself is not a fat-burning product. But it helps to establish metabolism, which leads to a decrease in body fat. In addition, with its help, you can normalize the digestive processes, which will get rid of toxins.

Some nutritionists advise following a three-week diet, in which one meal is replaced with a sour-milk cocktail based on fermented milk products and pumpkin flour. The remaining tricks should simply comply with the rules of a healthy diet, that is, you will need to abandon fried and fatty foods, alcohol, sweet soda and butter buns.

The cocktail reception scheme will be as follows:

1. During the first week for breakfast, you need to drink half a glass of a cocktail based on 100 ml of low-fat yogurt or kefir mixed with 1.5 teaspoons of pumpkin flour.
2. During the second week, breakfast will be more nutritious - already 3 teaspoons of pumpkin flour per 100 ml of low-fat kefir or yogurt.
3. During the third week, the volume of the morning portion increases - this is 4 teaspoons of flour per 150 ml of kefir or yogurt.

During this time, you can lose 5-7 kg of excess weight. This may not seem like an overly impressive result. But it will be stable, excess weight will not return for a long time, especially if you periodically drink such a cocktail to cleanse the body. In addition, weight loss is the most safe way for the body.

How to take pumpkin flour for medicinal purposes

The unique composition of pumpkin flour makes it an excellent therapeutic tool. It is rarely used as an independent medicine, but is an important part of complex therapy. Among its advantages, among other things, is that it can be combined with any dishes without losing its useful properties. In addition, it can be taken in combination with any medication. Sometimes it is prescribed as a prophylactic when you need to take a lot of different drugs. Pumpkin flour in such cases allows you to remove the additional burden from the liver and acts as a hepatoprotector.

It’s very difficult to eat a spoon of pumpkin flour just like that, dryly. Therefore, it is recommended to add it to fermented milk products in the amount of 1-2 teaspoons per 100 ml of kefir or yogurt. Such a tool can be taken no more than twice a day. The duration of treatment is a month, after which it is recommended to take a break. In total, 3-4 such courses can be completed during the year.

Application in cosmetology

Pumpkin flour obtained from the pulp of this fruit is recommended for use in home cosmetology. It contains B vitamins, ascorbic acid, as well as zinc, which has anti-inflammatory properties, which makes this product incredibly useful in the fight against acne. At the same time, components such as methionine and lysine are contained in pumpkin flour. These are amino acids that stimulate the production of collagen, a protein responsible for youthful and firm skin. Therefore, products based on pumpkin flour have a rejuvenating effect.

For example, you can prepare the following masks:

1. For dry skin. Need to take 2 tbsp. tablespoons pumpkin flour from seeds, mix with 1 tbsp. a spoonful of kefir or sour cream, the same amount of flower honey and lemon juice. Apply the mixture to cleansed face for 15 minutes, then rinse thoroughly. The composition has a slight whitening effect. It also has a wound healing effect, so sometimes it is applied only to the affected areas.
2. Mask against pigmentation. Mix pumpkin flour with hot water so that a very liquid consistency product (like cosmetic milk) is obtained. Add pumpkin juice or freshly squeezed lemon juice into it and wipe the areas with pigmentation instead of lotion.
3. Anti-aging mask. You need to boil about 20 g of flour in a small amount of boiling water so that there are no lumps, and then hold it over low heat until thickened, and then turn it off and wait until it cools down. Meanwhile, wipe the skin with a mixture of olive oil and lemon juice, then apply a pumpkin mask and rinse it off with warm water after 15 minutes.

Similarly, pumpkin flour is used to care for the skin of the hands and cuticles. You can combine it with various oils.

Also, pumpkin flour is added to the finished hair masks in order to remove inflammation from the scalp and get rid of seborrhea.

Harm and contraindications

Although pumpkin flour is generally beneficial and does not cause allergies, its individual intolerance cannot be ruled out. When this product is included in the diet, it is always worth a couple of days to observe the reaction of the body before starting regular use.

Taking pumpkin flour in an amount of more than 4-5 teaspoons a day is not recommended, as this can cause digestion, diarrhea or constipation, depending on the tendency of the body. With irritable bowel syndrome, flatulence can occur from so much fiber.

How to store pumpkin flour

This product is stored in the same way as any other flour, that is, it provides protection from moisture and direct sunlight. If the flour will stand where sunlight will constantly fall on it, it will change the smell, it will become slightly rancid. Her taste in this case will also deteriorate.

The best option is to store the flour in a dark and dry place at room temperature. Many manufacturers release it in sealed packaging on a special lock. If the flour is consumed quickly, you can leave it in this package. Otherwise, it is better to pour it into a glass jar, the lid of which is tightly closed.

How to make pumpkin flour at home

Pumpkin flour is offered by trading companies specializing in organic products. With all the positive qualities of such flour, it has a serious drawback - high cost. But you can cook such a product at home. This is especially true for those people who grow pumpkin themselves, because in such cases they can be completely confident in the quality of the feedstock.

From seed

As already noted, pumpkin flour is most often prepared from seeds. But far from every pumpkin you can get seeds that are suitable for the production of flour. Practice shows that large-fruited varieties give the best results. At the same time, hard-bred varieties should be preferred. In some countries, specially gymnospermous gourds, also called holoserine, were even bred. For example, these are varieties such as Heracles or Golosemyannaya 14 (selection of the Gribovsky station). In such varieties, the seeds have practically no peel, and are covered only with a thin film, which facilitates their processing and allows you to get flour with improved properties. It can easily be used for baking bread, muffins or pancakes.

But, if such pumpkin varieties are not available, you can restrict yourself to ordinary ones. You just need to understand that the yield of flour will be small, since there are not so many seeds in the fruits. For example, if a vegetable weighs 3-4 kg, then on average about 100 g of flour will be obtained from its seeds. So in any case, it can be considered a premium product.

So, to obtain flour, the fruit is thoroughly washed, then wiped with a cloth. The purification step is very important because the seeds do not undergo heat treatment.

Then the pumpkin is cut, the seeds are selected, trying to immediately clean them of adhering pulp. After that, they are laid out in a single layer on clean paper (in no case on a newspaper), and then dried in a natural way. If there are pets or small children at home, it is best to place the seeds on a shelf that cannot be reached.

Peeling seeds from the peel is not recommended. The fact is that there is a green film under the skin, and it contains the substance cucurbitacin, which, as studies show, helps fight even malignant tumors.

At the next stage, the dried seeds are ground in a coffee grinder or a special mill for grain. Each time, a portion is laid in the device so that the knife can move freely. During the initial processing, the knife will crush the seeds, dividing them into large pieces. In this case, the seed itself is destroyed faster than the shell. At all subsequent stages, the peel will also be crushed, but still, by the time the seed turns into powder, its particles will be larger than the rest of the flour. So at the final stage, the resulting product must be sieved to get rid of bran.

Made of pulp

Also, flour can be prepared from dried pumpkin pulp. Although it is rather just a vitamin powder, since it will not contain such an amount of protein and fatty acids. But there will be more carotenoids in it, and they have a pronounced antioxidant effect. Although such flour is not suitable for baking, it can also be added to smoothies, smoothies, sauces, soups and vegetable stew - for dietary and medicinal purposes.

To prepare such flour, they must take a ripe pumpkin, check it so that it is not spoiled. Then it is thoroughly washed, peeled and seeds selected. The pulp is crushed on a coarse grater, but can be cut into small cubes. Then it is dried either in the oven or in a household dryer, since with natural drying it would take too much time. The dried mass is ground in a blender or mill to a powder state, which will have a beautiful yellow or orange hue.

What can be cooked from pumpkin flour: recipes

Although this product has appeared in large quantities relatively recently, chefs have learned to use pumpkin flour in a wide variety of dishes. Unlike wheat, it has a characteristic pleasant aftertaste. And pastries made from it are considered more magnificent and fragrant. However, pumpkin flour is used not only for bakery products, but also as a thickener in the preparation of soups and sauces. It can be combined with various ingredients. For baking, for example, pumpkin flour is often mixed with wheat, rye, or oatmeal. It is also combined with flaxseed or sesame seeds, with nut kernels, etc.

You can try the following recipes.

Cottage Cheese and Pumpkin Casserole

For its preparation, 500 g of low-fat cottage cheese will require a glass of pumpkin flour (200 g), raisins or other dried fruits, sugar to taste, 2-3 chicken eggs (you can take more if they are small).

First, grind the cottage cheese with flour and sugar until a homogeneous mass is obtained, then add raisins or chopped dried fruits and mix thoroughly. Beat eggs separately, then pour in the resulting mass, mix again. If desired, add a little vanilla or cinnamon to this test. The baking dish is oiled or laid out with parchment paper. It is recommended to use corn or linseed oil and preferably unrefined to make the casserole more flavorful. The dough is distributed in shape, smeared with whipped yolk or sour cream. Bake in the oven at a temperature of 250 degrees.The mass is dense, but baked in about 15-20 minutes.

Pumpkin Flour Cookies

To keep the baking form better, it is recommended to mix pumpkin flour with wheat in a ratio of 1: 2. Cookies still retain useful properties, but will contain less gluten than normal. At the same time, it turns out to be quite beautiful and magnificent, while maintaining freshness for several days.

A glass of a mixture of pumpkin and wheat flour will need 100 g of butter, as well as 5 tbsp. tablespoons of sugar. The oil is heated until it becomes liquid, then sugar is added and mixed thoroughly until it dissolves, and then mixed with flour. If necessary, the dough can be made less dense by adding milk to it. To make the cookies lush, use either a baking powder or baking soda. To provide it with a pleasant aroma, add lemon zest. The finished dough is rolled out with a rolling pin and cookies are cut out of it using curly shapes. The resulting figures are baked on a baking sheet (on parchment or on a greased surface).

Traditional cupcake

For this dish you only need pumpkin flour - 0.5 kg per 1 cup of sugar and 5 eggs. To make the cupcake more aromatic, use a little rum or aromatic essence. For splendor you will need a baking powder or soda.

Beat the whites with a glass of sugar until a thick foam appears. Yolks are ground with a few tablespoons of sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. Meanwhile, the flour is sifted through a sieve so that it becomes more fluffy (and the dough is lighter), baking powder is added, then the yolks are whipped with sugar, rum and mixed. When the mass is ready, pour the whipped proteins. But this time, do not mix thoroughly. Such a mass unevenly strewn with proteins is distributed in shape and put in an oven heated to 80 degrees. At this temperature, the cake is baked for 20 minutes, then its condition is checked. A golden hue is a characteristic feature of the finished dish. When the cake has cooled, it is poured with coconut or chocolate icing.

Of course, baking with pumpkin flour dietary can only be called conditionally, since it still contains sugar, so you need to observe moderation in its use.

Pumpkin flour itself is often used to reduce the calorie content of traditional dishes. For example, ground meat products are breaded in it. When cooking, pumpkin pulp flour can be poured into whole grain cereals when cooking - you will get a vitamin supplement that will give the dish a beautiful shade.

Interesting facts about pumpkin

The fact that pumpkin has healing properties was known in ancient times. This is evidenced by both archaeological finds and the mention of pumpkins in many ancient myths of Egypt and the peoples of Eurasia. In the Middle Ages, Europeans did not yet know sunflower oil - they brought the sunflower much later from the New World. But they knew how to squeeze out oil from pumpkin seeds, which was often called black gold - because of their color, cost and useful properties. Then they began to process the remnants of grains formed after extraction into flour.

Already in the Renaissance, when new trade routes to Asia opened, pumpkin came to the countries of the Far East - China, Japan, India. It is here that most pumpkins for seeds are grown now. And pumpkin flour is one of the most popular food additives in this region.

Photo of pumpkin flour