8 facts about the beneficial properties, contraindications and effects of pumpkin on the heart and blood vessels

Pumpkin is inferior in popularity to its closest relatives — watermelon and melon. Many housewives do not use it at all when cooking. But these fruits should be added to your diet. When cooked properly, they can be very tasty. In addition, pumpkin brings many health benefits — in particular, it improves the condition of the heart, blood vessels and blood.

Chemical composition

Fruits consist of peel, pulp and seeds. They make up 15%, 75% and 10% of the total weight, respectively. The pulp and seeds contain in their composition:

• Proteins;
• Carbohydrates — monosaccharides and disaccharides;
• Organic acids;
• Vitamins;
• Carotenoids;
• Minerals;
• Fiber;
• Ash;
• Water.

Thanks to this composition, pumpkin has a positive effect on both the condition of the heart and blood vessels, as well as on other organs and systems of the body.

Effects on the heart and blood vessels — 8 facts

1. Potassium, contained in pumpkin, is necessary to maintain the normal rhythm of the heart. If consumed in sufficient quantities, the risk of impaired tone of the heart muscle and blood vessels decreases.
2. Vitamin A reduces the manifestations of angina pectoris, facilitating the course of this disease.
3. Substances contained in fruits help reduce high blood pressure.
4. With regular consumption of pumpkin fruits the concentration of bad cholesterol in the blood decreases . As a result, the risk of developing atherosclerosis decreases.
5. These fruits are also useful for anemia, as they are included in their composition Iron, vitamin B12 and vitamin A improve hematopoiesis.
6. In diseases of the heart and blood vessels, pumpkin can not cause any harm. Therefore, people with diseases such as arrhythmia, angina pectoris, tachycardia and others can consume it in any quantities.
7. For the treatment and prevention of atherosclerosis you can use both the pulp of pumpkin fruits and the juice or oil obtained from it. To get the effect, it is enough to drink 1 teaspoon of oil 3 times a day before meals.
8. In the prevention and relief of hypertension pumpkin seeds are especially useful. In this disease, they can be consumed separately, including in the diet in large quantities.

How to cook it — 5 recipes

Pumpkin for diseases of the cardiovascular system can be consumed in any form. There are many varieties and varieties of this fruit on sale, and all of them are useful for the cardiovascular system.

There are many recipes for dishes, among which you can choose the appropriate ones.

1. Pumpkin fruits can be used to make porridge. The classic recipe involves the use of milk. Boil half a kilogram of the pulp for 10 minutes, drain the water and mash it into a puree. Then pour it with milk, bring to a boil, add two tablespoons of rice and salt and cook until the cereals are ready.
2. To bake the fruits in the oven, put the pulp peeled from the seeds on a baking sheet, pour half a cup of water and put it in the oven, preheated to 180 degrees, for half an hour. After that, you need to get it, pour honey over it and bake for another 5 minutes.
3. You can make vitamin puree from the seeds. To do this, grind 100 g of seeds, 200 g of viburnum and 4 teaspoons of honey in a blender.
4. With the help of a juicer, you can make a delicious and healthy drink from the pulp of fruits. To make pumpkin juice tastier, you can add honey to it.
5. For making smoothies it is necessary to grind 100 g of fruit pulp, an apple or carrot and half a cup of water in a blender.

All this yummy stuff looks something like this:

4 more medicinal properties of this vegetable

The beneficial properties of pumpkin fruits are not limited to a positive effect on the cardiovascular system:

1. With its regular use reduces nervous tension and anxiety , sleep quality improves;
2. She has a positive effect on the condition of the liver and gallbladder in diseases of these organs — hepatitis and cholecystitis;
3. She promotes cleansing the intestines of toxins and toxins ;
4. Its use has a positive effect on the condition of the kidneys and bladder and is indicated for diseases of these organs.

Also check out the infographic:

Anyone who wants to lose weight needs to keep in mind that pumpkin fruits are a low—calorie nutritious product. Therefore, dishes based on them can be an excellent addition to the diet, the purpose of which is to get rid of extra pounds.

Contraindications to use

Not everyone should include pumpkin in their diet. Contraindications to its use are:

• Gastritis;
• Stomach ulcer;
• Diabetes mellitus (in some cases).

It can also cause allergies. If after eating it there are characteristic signs of food intolerance, it is worth refusing to include it in the diet.

Also be sure to watch the video:

By adding pumpkin to your usual diet, you can get a lot of health benefits. With its regular use, the condition of the heart and blood vessels improves. But its beneficial properties are not limited to this — it also has a positive effect on the state of the nervous system, kidneys and bladder. Pumpkin dishes, when cooked properly, turn out to be very tasty and can become a real decoration of the table.