Use Of Pumpkins In Halloween

Register to read the introduction… Early Jack-o’-lanterns were carved from turnips and potatoes by the Irish and Scottish and carried in the Celtic celebration of the Feast of Samhain. Lumps of coal were lit on fire and placed inside the hollowed root vegetables. Later on, Irish children used to carve out potatoes or turnips and light them for their Halloween gatherings to commemorate Jack, a villain who angered the devil and was turned away from heaven and hell when he died. He was doomed to wander the earth in search of a resting place with only a light in a carved turnip to guide his search. Irish immigrants to North America continued this tradition, using pumpkins as substitutes for the hard-to-find turnip.
Nutritional and health benefits
Winter squash, especially the darkerfleshed ones such as pumpkin and acorn squash, have a number of beneficial nutrients including excellent levels of carotene, good amounts of vitamin C, manganese, B vitamins (B1, B3, B6) and folate. The seeds, particularly pumpkin seeds, are small powerhouses of nutrients containing good levels of phytosterols, manganese and magnesium.
Protection against cancer …show more content…
A study earlier this year found that patients with higher levels of carotenoids (of which carotenes are one type), in their blood, had a lower risk of death or reoccurrence of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, a type of skin cancer, while a recent 2010 study demonstrated that beta carotene exerted a protective influence with regard to breast cancer development. In 2009, researchers reported that study participants with certain blood levels of carotenoids were associated with a 50% reduction in breast cancer risk. This risk reduction was specifically correlated to women with the highest measurements of breast density. Increased breast density has been associated with a higher risk of breast cancer