Winter Park, FL –Pumpkin Baby! The Season of Great Food and Fertility!

As fall has settled in and Thanksgiving is just around the corner, pumpkins are all around us. Between pumpkin spice lattes and pumpkin pie, tasty pumpkin treats are readily available this time of year. Incorporating more pumpkin in your diet may help your fertility journey as well as your overall health.

There are many general health benefits of eating pumpkin. Pumpkin is a great source of Vitamin A, which is great for boosting your immunity if you seem to always find yourself getting sick. Pumpkin is also full of fiber, which is extremely important in your digestive health. Vitamin C and potassium are also largely found in pumpkin, which can benefit your overall cardiac health as well as lessen your risk for heart related illnesses like heart disease.

But did you know that pumpkin, especially pumpkin seeds are great for fertility in both men and women?

Consuming healthy amounts of Pumpkin on a regular basis is a great way to positively influence your fertility journey. Pumpkins generally include trace amounts of beta carotene. Beta Carotene has many health benefits but specifically can have positive changes on pregnancy and conception related issues. Additionally, eating pumpkin can have positive fertility effects on men and women alike.

For men: Pumpkin seeds contain copious amounts of zinc. Increasing your zinc intake can help:

Increase your sperm count
Increase your sperm’s motility
Increase your ability to conceive

For women: The zinc in pumpkins and pumpkin seeds is an important dietary factor in the:

Production of mature eggs
Regulation of hormone levels
Increase your chances of conception

If you are looking to incorporate this healthy orange fruit or its seeds into your diet this can be both easy and inexpensive. Some easy (and not to mention tasty) pumpkin-based recipes:

Roasted pumpkin seeds
Stuffed Pumpkins
Baked Pumpkins
Low sugar pumpkin pie

If you don’t like pumpkin, no worries! You can supplement with a quality zinc supplement. But before you do ensure that you know your zinc levels. An over or under absorption of any supplement/vitamin can be detrimental to your health. Our center will test your vitamin/mineral levels to determine if your body is absorbing the supplements you are taking and determine what you are deficient in.