March 28, 2024

Don’t Miss these Nutritional Benefits

Don’t Miss these Nutritional Benefits
Have you overlooked one of the most nutritious winter vegetables? This time of year is ideal to stock up! You’ll be saving money and saving your health. According to Dr. John La Puma, the carotenes found in pumpkin are converted to Vitamin A, which is essential for a strong and healthy immune system. One cup of pumpkin a day will get you to the recommended daily dose.

Dr. La Puma is twice a New York Times best-selling author, a board-certified specialist in internal medicine and professionally trained chef. He leads a national movement to help you get stronger, leaner and healthier with what you eat.

Dr. La Puma’s Pumpkin Soup
This pumpkin soup recipe from Dr. La Puma (http://drjohnlapuma.com/about) is so easy to make and delicious, you’ll want to freeze it to always have on hand.

Ingredients
3 lb pumpkin (such as Sugar Baby)
3 cups chicken stock
1 onion, halved and roasted
3 garlic cloves, roasted
Salt and pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 400° F.
Cut the pumpkin in half and roast it for 45 minutes, face down.
Scoop out the seeds and set them aside.
Scoop out and place half the pumpkin flesh into a blender jar along with the roasted garlic, half the onion and half the chicken stock, with more if needed to blend. Blend to your desired consistency.  Pour into a heavy bottomed stock pot over medium heat. Repeat. Bring to a simmer, and season to taste. Garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds, if desired. ©  Chef Clinic, Inc.

The leading practicing physician voice for healthy food in health care, Dr La Puma is also an award-winning TV co-host for Lifetime TV’s “Health Corner” with Joan Lunden, host of “What’s Cooking With ChefMD?” and the PBS Special “Eat and Cook Healthy with Dr John La Puma!” Read his blog at http://drjohnlapuma.com and get his free monthly newsletter, or join his Facebook page at http://facebook.com/drjohnlapuma. He has appeared on Dr Oz, Today, Good Morning America and NPR and has been published in the New England Journal of Medicine and JAMA. Repeatedly named “One of America’s Top Physicians” by Consumers’ Research Council and called a “Secret Weapon” by The Wall Street Journal. He is based in Santa Barbara, California.