Add Winter Squash to Your Diet for a Boost in Nutrients and Fiber

Don’t let the “winter” in winter squash fool you—it’s as much a part of autumn as falling leaves and lower temperatures. Along with making decorative centerpieces, the winter squash family provides a cornucopia of nutrients for your dinner table.

“Winter squash is high in vitamins A, C, potassium, fiber, and antioxidants,” says Rachel Stahl, MS, RD, CDN, CDE, a senior dietitian at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. It’s also very low in fat, and, although it is a starchy vegetable, it is a source of healthy carbohydrates because its fiber content causes it to break down more slowly and release glucose into the bloodstream at a steady pace.

Vitamins and Fiber

In general, winter squash is an excellent source of vitamins A and C. For example, one cup of baked butternut squash contains about 450 percent of the recommended daily value of vitamin A and about 50 percent of the recommended daily amount of vitamin C. A cup of acorn squash has a little less of those vitamins but is packed with about a third of the recommended daily value of dietary fiber (21 grams for women and 30 grams for men over age 50).

“Fiber aids in the prevention of heart disease by helping lower your ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol. In addition, a diet high in fiber can help with weight loss, since foods high in fiber tend to keep you feeling full longer,” says Stahl.

Antioxidants

Winter squash is also a source of phytochemicals called carotenoids, antioxidants that help prevent or delay damage to healthy cells in the body.

“Carotenoids are the orange, red, and yellow pigments that give color to winter squash and other foods, such as tomatoes and carrots,” says Stahl. This family of nutrients also provides benefits that may boost eye health and help protect against certain cancers and cardiovascular disease.

Minerals

Winter squash is also a good source of several minerals. One is potassium, which helps your body break down and use carbohydrates and build muscle. It also plays a major role in blood pressure.

Manganese is a mineral that aids in fat and carbohydrate metabolism, calcium absorption, and blood sugar regulation.

Magnesium is required for energy production, and it plays a role in protein synthesis, muscle and nerve function, blood glucose control, bone formation, and blood pressure regulation.

Warming Up to Winter Squash

Winter squash is a very versatile food. Most varieties can be baked, roasted, sautéed, grilled, steamed, or even microwaved. These seasonal treasures can be used in sweet or savory dishes.

Stuffed, roasted acorn squash is a fall favorite; for the stuffing, use whole-wheat bread crumbs or brown rice mixed with vegetables (onion, celery, carrots), nuts or seeds, and herbs. Buttercup squash can be used to make a vegetarian Indian curry. Pumpkin can be a main ingredient in chili, soup, pancakes, and muffins. And spaghetti squash is a great low-carb, low-cal (10 grams carbs, 42 calories in one cup) substitute for traditional spaghetti noodles (43 grams carbs, 220 calories in one cup).

“I encourage my patients to think of adding squash not only to lunch or dinner, but also to breakfast,” says Stahl. Cooked squash can be pureed with nonfat Greek yogurt, a banana, pumpkin pie spice, and low-fat milk or soymilk for a fall-flavored breakfast smoothie.

Prepping and Cooking Squash

Squash can be difficult to cut because they are so firm. To soften squash, cook it in the microwave on high for four or five minutes; if it’s still too firm to cut, continue microwaving in one-minute increments until your knife can pierce the rind and flesh. Microwaving also will reduce cooking time.

An easy way to prepare squash is to cut it in half, scoop out the seeds, turn the halves over on a baking sheet, and bake for 30 to 60 minutes until the flesh is easily pierced with a fork.

When shopping, select squash that has a firm rind free of soft spots, blemishes, or cracks. A squash that seems heavy for its size usually means it has a thick rind and plenty of fleshy pulp inside.

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