Pumpkins belong to the squash family.  They are usually bright orange or yellow and contain large amounts of seed.  The bright colour of the pumpkin and other squashes tells us that they are bound to be good for us.  The squash family contains lots of vitamin A and the antioxidant carotenoids alpha-carotene and beta-carotene, plus lutein, and zeaxanthin which are antioxidants important for eye health.  In addition, they are also good sources of vitamins B5, B6 and folic acid, vitamin C, manganese, potassium and copper.  And don’t throw away the pumpkin seeds.  These are rich in the omega 3 fats, phytoestrogens, vitamin E, magnesium and folic acid.

I love having home-made pumpkin lanterns on the door step ready for the trick-or-treaters but I never like throwing away the fleshy contents of the pumpkin, particularly when it is so nutritious.  Here are some tips for getting the most out of your pumpkin this Halloween.

Pumpkin Lanterns

To make pumpkin lanterns, slice off the top of the pumpkin (try a slanted cut to give a jaunty look to your pumpkin). Scoop out the flesh but be careful to pull it out as chunks rather than slices.  Once all the flesh and seeds have been removed, use a sharp knife to cut out shapes to form eyes, nose and mouth.  Place a tea light inside and pop the ‘top’ of the pumpkin back on and there it is!
Buy pumpkins of varying sizes and group them around your door step – they will look lovely.
Once you have made your lanterns, take the flesh and remove the seeds as best you can.  This isn’t always easy but persevere because it is worth it.  Wipe the seeds on kitchen roll, removing any remaining flesh and leave to dry overnight.

Roasted pumpkin soup

This is one of my favourite recipes from Delia Smith.  I have adapted it a little though and quantities are approximate to allow for different sizes of pumpkin.

Take the pumpkin chunks and place on a baking tray lightly oiled with coconut oil.  Brush each chunk with melted coconut oil and place in the oven at 200°F for about 20 minutes, or until tender. In the meantime, chop a large onion (one for every one and a half kg of pumpkin) and fry in half a tablespoon of coconut oil until soft.  Add the roasted pumpkin chunks and enough good home-made vegetable or chicken stock to cover and simmer gently for 25 minutes.  Place the soup into a liquidiser adding about 50g of soft cheese for every pint, and half a teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg. Whizz it all together and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Warm through for a warming lunch or supper.

If you don’t have pumpkin on your Metabolic Balance plan, then use this lovely warming soup as part of your treat meal.  If it is on your plan, use your personal cheese selection – I find soft goat or sheep cheese goes well – in the recipe, or have a portion of soup with toasted rye bread topped with the rest of your cheese portion and dunk into the hot soup.  Scrummy!

Roasted pumpkin seeds

When the seeds are dry, spread over a lightly oiled baking tray, baste with a little melted coconut oil (coconut oil gives a lovely flavour) and roast in the oven at 150-160°F for about 20 minutes.  When done, allow to cool and store in an airtight jar.  Roasting seeds at higher temperatures destroys the good fats so don’t be tempted to increase the heat.  Use the seeds in your favourite muesli, grind them and sprinkle on porridge, or use them as a sprinkle in salads.

US scientists linked the condition, also known as ME, to a mouse-like virus in 2009 after finding it in blood samples.

Now, UK experts say the discovery was a “false positive”, caused by cross contamination in the lab.

The illness may still be caused by a virus, they say, but not the one at the centre of recent controversy.

“Our conclusion is quite simple: XMRV is not the cause of chronic fatigue syndrome,” said Professor Greg Towers, a Wellcome Trust senior research fellow at University College, London, who led the research.

“It is vital to understand that we are not saying chronic fatigue syndrome does not have a virus cause – we cannot answer that yet – but we know it is not this virus causing it.”