Squash is often recommended as one of the best vegetables to consume during the winter months. It’s filling, satisfying and its unique texture and sweet flavor makes it a comforting veggie to serve up on cold, winter evenings. However, did you also know that it comes with a whole range of health benefits?
Here, you’ll discover 5 ways squash is healthy for you.
1 – Excellent Anti-inflammatory Properties
While inflammation is largely associated with conditions such as arthritis, it can also occur due to fever associated with colds and flu, along with many other conditions. Squash contains plenty of anti-inflammatory benefits thanks largely to its high omega-3 content.
However, it’s not just omega-3’s which make this vegetable awesome for combatting inflammation throughout the body. It is also one of the few foods to contain homogalacturonan; a more unique and lesser common type of anti-inflammatory polysaccharides.
These anti-inflammatory properties have linked squash to the prevention of duodenal and gastric ulcers. It also means the vegetable is great for Diabetes Type II prevention; a condition closely linked to inflammation.
2 – Helps Boost the Immune System
In winter, the immune system tends to weaken, resulting in the development of frequent colds, or worse, the flu. Therefore, if you’re looking to stay healthy this winter you’ll want to focus on boosting the immune system and squash is one vegetable which can really help with that.
It contains a very high level of nutrients, such as magnesium, Vitamin C and numerous other fantastic antioxidants. They work to basically neutralize the free radicals floating around the body, known for their potential to cause some pretty nasty illnesses.
3 – Improves Vision
Perhaps one of the more unique benefits of squash is its ability to potentially improve vision. Of course, it isn’t the only vegetable linked to vision-enhancing benefits. Carrots have long been said to help you see better in the dark due to their carotene levels. Squash also contains beta-carotenes, along with a high dose of Vitamin A.
In fact, it’s said that just one single serving of squash provides the body with 400% of its daily Vitamin A requirement.
Although it’s unlikely to help you see in the dark, eating squash will help you to potentially improve your eye health. Studies have shown that high levels of beta-carotene are linked to reduced risk of eye conditions such as glaucoma, macular degeneration and cataracts.
4 – Helps Regulate Blood Circulation
Numerous types of squash are also known to contain high levels of iron and copper. These are essential for the body’s red blood cells. Therefore, eating a good amount of squash can help to reduce the risk of developing conditions such as anemia, as well as boost the blood circulation and provide the body with a lot more energy.
5 – Helps with Weight Loss
Finally, eating squash regularly can also aid in weight loss. One of the best things about it is its low-calorie content. While the majority of vegetables are low in calories, few of them fill you up as much as squash does.
Squash is also low in fat and compared to potatoes, is also low in carbs too. So, if you’re following a weight loss plan, squash is one of the best vegetables you can consume. It’s said that yellow squash is particularly great for weight loss as it contains around just 36 calories per cup.
As you can see, there’s plenty of health benefits you can experience when you add squash to your daily diet. Overall, these are just 5 ways squash is healthy for you, but it also boasts many other great benefits. Remember to invest in a range of different types of squash if you want to experience the most benefits.
