Seeds to enjoy all year 'round

When my children were small, I used to love when we’d carve out all those pumpkins during the upcoming weeks.  I love the taste and smell of roasted pumpkin seeds.  Up until the past five to ten years, you did not easily find pumpkin seeds on the shelves of your local store all year round, but fortunately thing have changed.

Pumpkin seeds, also known as pepitas, offer nutritional benefits that should not be passed up.  They have a delicately sweet and chewy texture.  Although the shells are quite edible, some prefer the varieties without shells.

Native Americans were among the first to notice the health benefits of pumpkin seeds. They referred to them as cucurbita and used them to treat kidney problems and to eliminate parasites from the intestines.

For those concerned with urinary and prostate conditions, pumpkin seeds appear to improve bladder function and difficulty with urination.  People who have suffered from kidney stones will be glad to hear that they prevent calcium oxalate stone formation, which is the most common form of kidney stone.

Depression?  Pumpkin seeds contain L-tryptophan, which has been effective in treating depression. Because pumpkin seeds are high in zinc, they are a natural protector against osteoporosis and your immune system will benefit from this as well.

Some form of inflammation affects many individuals.  Pumpkin seeds have a natural anti-inflammatory (omega-3) affect as well as containing magnesium.  Just ? cup of pumpkin seeds contains 92% of your minimal daily need for magnesium.  Most Americans are extremely deficient in magnesium as evidenced by symptoms of nighttime muscle cramping and constipation.

These nutritional wonders also contain phytosterols, which have been shown to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol but only when eaten raw roasted.  In addition, they may be effective in the prevention of many different forms of cancer.

As a colon therapist I am privileged to see intestinal parasites on a regular basis.  I commonly recommend pumpkin seeds, as parasites hate them.

Mostly females will suffer from chronic anemia.  Pumpkin seeds may help alleviate this condition as they contain iron.  A half cup provided you with half your daily dose of iron and is much easier to tolerate that those pills.

Pumpkin seeds are a high-protein (10g in ? cup of raw), low calorie snack that also provides the body with manganese, phosphorus, calcium copper, some of the B vitamins and Vitamin K.  They also contain the essential omega-3 fats. Many individuals pay to take these supplements in synthetic forms.  Vitamins and minerals that have been created in a lab are far less efficient than getting them from food sources.  Your body actually knows what to do with them when they come from foods, they are much more efficient and require less of a dose.

Pumpkin seeds can be added to salads, cereals or can just be eaten plain.  Although many prefer to eat them roasted, the benefits of eating them raw are worthy to note.  Eating them raw does not mean eating them wet — they are just dehydrated at temperatures no higher than 105 degrees Fahrenheit in order to preserve the beneficial enzymes.  Some individuals add tamari, some just add a small amount of hand harvested sea salt.

I hope you might now consider adding pumpkin seeds to you diet year round and just not this time of year.  I hope some of you decide to carve out a few extra pumpkins this year in order to stock up!

Block Party planned for Riley Children's Foundation

A Block Party, including fun, food and games, will be held to support the Riley Children's Foundation August 13 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the parking lot of 1700 Lincoln Way.

"We have all kinds of games for kids," said Linda Rinkel, owner of House of Stitches. "Things for adults to do like food and fun. There will be music, magic and a clown."

Rinkel has worked hard to make this the second annual Block Party. There will be a raffle drawing and ticketed gift baskets filled with gift certificates that have been donated by local restaurants, a video store and the Indianapolis Children's Museum.

Included in the Block Party is the Midwest Stash Exchange. At the Stash Exchange, people are invited to shop, swap and sell needlework related stash. The funds are raised through table rental.

"They can buy, sell and trade so it's like a big garage sale for stitchers," said Rinkel.

All of the funds raised from the Block Party go to the Riley Foundation, providing all kinds of activities, crafts, games and toys for kids while they are at Riley.

"If they had to have an icky procedure, there was something fun waiting for them at the end," said Rinkel.

Rinkel believes in supporting Riley because she said she has seen the love and care they provide for kids. Her 6-year-old granddaughter, Grace, has visited Riley on several occasions due to complications with a kidney stone.

"It was a problem with the kidney, and the little tube that connects it to the bladder," said her mother, Sarah Rinkel. "We thought she had a kidney stone, but they found a bigger problem once they took a closer look."

Grace had one major procedure, and she has been back several times since then for visits.

"We did 14 visits down the road to Riley in one summer," said her father, Jon Rinkel.

As far as her parents know, Grace is making a good recovery, and they hope to have their last visit to Riley in December. Grace's parents express their gratitude towards Riley, and the compassion they have for children and their families.

"I can't say enough good things about Riley Hospital," said Jon. "You can tell that everybody there loves kids and wants to work with kids. It's just a phenomenal place."

Last year the Block Party raised $1,620, and they hope to raise even more this year.