Happiness, thy name is pumpkin

Oh how I love the fall! Not only for the wonderfully cool, sunny weather, but it begins the season in which you can start eating pumpkin with impunity. Oh, sure, you can sneak some pumpkin into your oatmeal in the middle of May, but if you were spotted doing it people would think you were a bit off season – like sporting your flip flops in February – and talk about you behind your back.

But in the fall! Pumpkin products fill the marketplace and the glorious scent of pumpkin candles, pumpkin room sprays and pumpkin potpourri fill the air. And in the privacy of your own home you can luxuriate in pumpkin soap, pumpkin body scrubs and pumpkin face masks.

All of these things combine to get my salivary glands working overtime with thoughts of pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin pudding, pumpkin fudge and, of course, pumpkin cookies!

You can drink pumpkin tea and pumpkin coffee – don’t forget the pumpkin cream – and how we all look forward to the limited-time-only pumpkin spice lattes!

But before I go completely orgasmic right here in the middle of my blog, let’s get down to the point. And, yes, there was one. The point is, in addition to being so sinfully delicious, pumpkin is also good for you. Of course, one can debate how good it can be for you once you load it up with sugar and top it with Cool Whip, but pumpkin itself is a great source of beta-carotene (an anti-oxidant) as well as potassium, calcium and vitamins A and C.

And at only 24 calories per ½ cup serving, pumpkin is a perfect fat-free, cholesterol-free, gluten-free food choice. Oh, and it’s got some fiber and protein in there, too.

So load up on your pumpkin products while you can and then get out there and enjoy the beautiful fall weather before its gone.

(If you are looking for some lower-calorie pumpkin recipes, I have a few over on my Wiki.)