pumpkin health benefits Archives

Fall has arrived and with it comes one of my favorite holidays, Halloween. Time to harvest the pumpkins and carve them for decoration. Even better, cook with them because of their many healing properties.

The benefits of pumpkin to your health listed below make perfect reasons to carve a pumpkin using these free pumpkin stencils especially if you are a dog lover. You can use the insides of the carved pumpkin or cut a whole pumpkin into chunks to add to recipes for both you and the dog.

Make Spicy Pumpkin Soup for a healthy lunch or dinner or to take to a gathering. You’ll be asked for the recipe for certain.

Pumpkins grow here in Hawaii year round, I’m stoked about that. But know that the canned version provides health benefits and can be found all 12 months of the year as well. Just note that you should use can whole canned pumpkin not pumpkin pie filling as it has sugar and other additives your dog doesn’t need.

Pumpkin for Dogs

Bake these Pumpkin Dog Biscuits for a tail wagging treat that’s actually good for your dog’s health. They make great holiday gifts and are perfect dog training treats high on the healthy scale.

Pumpkin has been used for both weight loss and to help with an upset stomach or diarrhea in dogs. To assist in weight loss cut the appropriate amount of dry dog food by 1/3 and add pumpkin to it.

*make sure it is not pumpkin pie mix as it contains sugar and other ingredients not good for your dog.

The recommended kibble serving size on the bag may be too much for your dog. Check Pet Obesity Prevention for help with recommended serving sizes.

For dog upset stomach or diarrhea substitute pumpkin and feed 1/2 to 1/3 the amount of food you would normally provide and add 2 or 3 tablespoons of pumpkin depending on the size of your dog. Start with 1 tablespoon for small dogs. Canned pumpkin is the easiest to feed when treating for these issues.

Use pumpkin seeds to assist in eliminating parasites. Use a food processor to grind them into small pieces or even a paste and add to meals regularly.

Treatments and Health Benefits of Pumpkin for People

Having a yellowish-orange color, pumpkin is rich in anti-oxidants and beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is a vitamin that can be converted by the body into vitamin A. This helps the body in its process of regeneration, slowing down the aging process. Pumpkin pulp contains vitamins, especially pro-vitamin A, vitamins E and C, salts and minerals, carbon hydrates, and proteids. The seeds contain oil, proteids, resines and enzymes with antihelmintic properties. The pumpkin’s core contains lecithin, tyrosine, peporesine, phosphorus and vitamins B and A.

Pumpkin seeds contain the strongest therapeutic effects. These help in eliminating intestinal parasites, cleaning blood vessels, adjusting cholesterol level and stimulating kidney activity.
In treating cancer, leukemia, sclerosis, or various diseases which are hard to cure, pumpkin seeds have an energizing role.
Pumpkin oil extracted from the seeds is recommended for reducing excess cholesterol. Pumpkin offers protection against heart diseases by containing antioxidants.
The vegetable has a laxative action, being useful in case of dyspepsia and constipation. Fried pumpkin is healthy for those who suffer from heart diseases.
Pumpkin juice is indicated for ulcer and high acidity. It has to be drunk three times a day, half an hour before meals. It is also useful in cases of insomnia, having sedative properties.
Pumpkin is also indicated in cases of hormonal disorders or adolescent behavior, menopause disorder, intestinal parasites or sexual hyper-excitability.
In external use, pumpkin is recommended for treating burns, inflammations and abscesses. It softens the skin and diminishes the inflammatory processes of mucous.
A number of hydrating and anti-wrinkle creams contain pumpkin.

*credit Live and Feel for the reprinted medicinal information.

Though many of these symptoms and treatments are human related I believe the benefits to the health of dogs include many of the above properties as well.

Aloha Wags!

Thanks for reading. My hope is to give you inspirational ideas to live a life well played with your dog.

Jt Clough has worked with dogs in many capacities for the past 16 years, she is an author and an athlete.

Jt has helped dogs and their people from training to healthy living and her latest inspiration is with Wonder Dog Fund, created to help pay veterinary bills for dogs that are in need of health care. When her own dog was riddled with a neck injury that came with a $12,000 fee, she realized how many people are faced with difficult decisions when a sudden injury or illness strikes their dog. A portion of every purchase from WonderDogGear.org goes to Wonder Dog Fund, providing financial relief for dog veterinary fees.

Pumpkins have amazing healthy qualities to them and are so much more than a holiday decoration carved for what many of us enjoy immensely, Halloween.

Pumpkin can help with your dog’s digestive system from constipation to diarrhea to urinary health and weight loss.

Carve a pumpkin as a greeting from your dog at the door using these free breed pumpkin carving stencils. And use what would have been waste to bake some healthy treats for your dog too.

Ingredients for Pumpkin Dog Treat Biscuits

Put the insides of the pumpkin you carved into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. You can use any part other than the skin as the pumpkin ingredient for these dog treats. If you are using the flesh of the vegetable cut into small chunks before putting in the blender or food processor.

If you don’t have a real pumpkin to use, canned is great, just make sure it is not the pie form which contains sugar and other ingredients not good for your dog.

1 cup pumpkin
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon milk
2/3 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup corn meal
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup water

Mix ingredients. The dough should be thick so add water last and cut back on the amount if your dough is not quite thick enough to roll. Add flour and/or oats to thicken if dough is not stiff enough to roll.

Roll the dough to about 1/4″ thick.

Cut in squares or use a cookie cutter if you want to be super creative.

Place squares on on a lightly greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 250 degrees for one hour on the middle rack. They can brown easily so check them often to make sure they are not getting to dark and adjust the temperature.

After 1 hour turn the oven off and let the biscuits stand overnight.

Store at room temperature for a couple of weeks or put in the refrigerator for up to a month.

They make awesome gifts for dog lovers over the holidays and perfect dog training treats with low calories yet high on the healthy scale.

Get more pumpkin dog food + treats recipes here.

Aloha Wags!

Thanks for reading. My hope is to give you inspiration and thought provoking ideas to take your very next step in creating your best life for you and your dog! Please Join my Inbox ReVIBE | Dogs + Joy + Vibrance for more on dogs, natural remedies, recipes and things to do. Follow me on Twitter and join my dog discussions on G+

Jt Clough lives in Maui, Hawaii and practices health, happiness, natural remedies and training for dogs and their people. Her uncanny way of communication with both dogs and people is healing and her training is effective physically and emotionally. Her work at ReVIBE | Dogs + Joy + Vibrance is for people looking to live healthier and happier lives through their dogs and her passion for it has helped so many to find and do that thing they’ve been talking about or wishing to happen for so long. She is a dog whisperer for our best friends and studies natural dog remedies, nutrition and communication. Her latest publications are Treading for Dogs DVD, Pumpkin Dog Food + Treats Recipes and 5K Training Guide | Running with Dogs.