Goodbye September and HELLO OCTOBER! I love the fall! I love everything about fall! The colours, the smells, the warm chunky sweaters and the food! One of my favourite fall foods that we traditionally have at the end of every Thanksgiving dinner is pumpkin pie. I’m pretty sure that we can all agree that nothing completes a festive holiday meal better than a slice of pumpkin pie. So you may find yourself wondering why are we talking about pumpkin pie in an optometry blog? Well, did you know that optometrists love pumpkin because it is a great source of nutrition for eyes! Read our blog article this week to learn about the eye health benefits of pumpkin, along with a super scrumptious recipe for pumpkin pie!
Pumpkin is so delicious, and this makes us happy because along with being great in taste, it is great for body health as well. Read further to learn about the eye health benefits of pumpkin along with a yummy pumpkin pie recipe!
Eye Health Benefits of Pumpkin
Optometrists love pumpkin because of all the eye health benefits that pumpkins contain. Here are some reasons why your eyes should love pumpkin as much as your belly does!
Zinc – Zinc is important in eye health because it helps aid in keeping the retina healthy
Vitamins – Pumpkin is rich in vitamins A and C which have many health benefits for the eyes. Vitamin A helps protect the front surface of the eye, the cornea. It also helps us to see better in low light conditions. Vitamin C helps in reducing the risk of developing cataracts and macular degeneration.
Antioxidants – Lutein and zeaxanthin are both powerful antioxidants. They help combat harmful light and also help in the prevention of eye diseases.
Pumpkin Spice Doesn’t Count!
We don’t want to lead you astray with all the praise about pumpkin and send you running to the nearest Starbucks for a grande pumpkin spice latte! Not all pumpkin treats are good for you. Not all food with “pumpkin” in the label will benefit your health. A lot of pumpkin treats are made with pumpkin flavouring and not actual pumpkin. So when it comes to consuming pumpkin treats, try to find out how much “real” pumpkin they are made with!
Even our pumpkin pie recipe below should be consumed in moderation because of the added sugar.
Easy Classic Pumpkin Pie – Makes 2 shallow 9″ pies
- 1 3/4 cups canned pureed pumpkin (398 ml or 1 – 14 oz can)
- 2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ginger
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp cloves
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 Eggs
- 1 cup heated evaporated milk
- 2 – Frozen or fresh pie shells in a 9″ pie plate
Preheat your oven to 450F. In a large bowl stir together the brown sugar, salt and all the spices. Beat in the pureed pumpkin until the mixture is well blended. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs slightly and stir into the pumpkin mixture. Heat the evaporated milk in a small saucepan. Stir the hot milk into the pumpkin mixture until it’s well blended. Pour the mixture into the 2 pie shells.
Bake for 10 minutes at 450F. Reduce your oven heat to 350F and make for an additional 25-30 minutes. Ir until a knife inserted into the centre of the pie comes out clean!
Enjoy!
Article was written by Trina Vanaalst, Registered Contact Lens Practitioner and Licensed Optician.