Health Benefits - Vitamins and Minerals in winter squash

Do you know how great delicious winter squash is for you - Not only is it packed with a myriad of vitamins and minerals such as beta carotene and vitamin A, it's also been shown to be a great source of phytonutrients and even benefit lung health.

Winter squashes, such as butternut, hubbard, buttercup, ambercup, acorn, spaghetti squash and pumpkin, are harvested at a more mature stage of the squash, which is generally the end of summer.

Health Benefits of Winter Squash

• Winter squash contains high levels of fiber, which aids in proper digestion.
• The high level of Vitamin A found in winter squash can help protect against the debilitating effects of emphysema and other lung disorders attributed to smoking cigarettes.
• The beta-carotene also helps prevent atherosclerosis, regulates blood sugar and reduces the risk of colon cancer. It also lowers blood pressure from the potassium content.
• Eating folate rich foods like winter squash before and during pregnancy helps prevent some types of birth defects. Folate also helps prevent heart attacks and reduces colon cancer.
• It's easy to see how traditional cultures stayed healthy on whole foods when we look at the rich nutrients of the foods they ate. If we stay away from processed foods and eat more whole foods in their original package we can reclaim our health and boost our immune systems!

Amount

• One cup of cubed winter squash, baked with no added salt contains 5.7 grams of fiber.

Proteins   -   1.82 grams

Calories  -   76

Vitamins Contained

• Vitamin C - 19.7 mg
• Niacin - 1.015 mg
• Vitamin B1 (thiamine) - 0.033 mg
• Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) - 0.137 mg
• Vitamin B6 - 0.33 mg
• Folate - 41 mcg
• Pantothenic Acid - 0.48 mg
• Vitamin A - 10707 mg
• Vitamin K - 9 mcg
• Vitamin E - 0.25 mg
• Contains some other vitamins in small amounts.

Minerals Contained

• Potassium - 494 mg
• Phosphorus - 39 mg
• Magnesium - 27 mg
• Calcium - 45 mg
• Sodium - 2 mg
• Iron - 0.9 mg
• Zinc - 0.45 mg
• Copper - 0.168 mg
• Manganese - 0.383 mg
• Selenium - 0.8 mcg
• Also contains small amounts of other minerals.