Click here to view. Pumpkin Dip recipes. What a veggie this red pumpkin is! It seems to steal everybody’s heart with its unique texture, pleasant colour and mellow taste.

This dashing dip boosts the flavour of red pumpkin with mint for a herby touch and green chillies for a bit of spice. Garlic and cumin seeds powder add to the pungency while curd gives the Pumpkin Dip a nice tanginess.

With its rich mouth-feel and vibrant flavour, this dip a sure-shot winner. Serve it with Lavash bread.

Is Pumpkin Dip healthy?

Yes, this is healthy. But restrictions apply to some.

Let's understand the Ingredients.

What's good.

1. Red Pumpkin ( kaddu, bhopla) :  A cup of pumpkin cubes fulfils your day’s requirement of Vitamin A (5526 mcg), thus making it a super food for your eyes. Kaddu  can be included in safe amounts or restricted amounts by diabetics. The magical combo of antioxidants and Vitamins A and Vitamin C  create a shield against cancer cells. The antioxidants help reducing LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) from oxidizing and clogging the blood vessels, which if persists would increase the risk of heart disease. Read is pumpkin healthy? 

2. Mint Leaves (Pudina) : Mint (pudina) being an anti-inflammatory reduces the inflammation in the stomach and shows a cleansing effect. Sipping on a healthy drink like fresh mint and lemon tea is the best option to overcome nausea for mums-to-be. Moreover it's vitamin A (10% of RDA) and vitamin C (20.25%) serve as an additional boost to bring relief from cough, sore throat and also cold. Mint (pudina) is a leafy vegetable which is sure to create nourishing dishes without piling on calories, carbs or fat for that instance. What is has to offer instead is FIBER. See here for detailed benefits of mint leaves. 

3. Olive Oil : Olive oil is a strong antioxidant and good for heart. Also its has anti inflammation properties. This is one of the healthiest oil you can opt for. It has around 77% of MUFA. Olive oil, especially the extra virgin olive oil, is unrefined oil in its natural state and free of chemicals. Moreover, olive oil also possess polyphenols – a type of antioxidant which protects body cells and maintains heart health as well. Popular in Mediterranean cooking, this oil works best for salad dressings or quick sautéing recipes. They cannot be used for prolonged cooking at high temperatures.Note that its a fat at the end of the day so don't consume too much. Read the super article of  which oil is the healthiest avoid vegetable oil. 

4. Garlic : Garlic has been proven to lower cholesterol. The active ingredient allicin present in garlic aids in lowering blood pressure. Garlic is also alleged to help regulate blood glucose levels for diabetics. Garlic is great for the heart and circulatory system. Garlic has an antimicrobial, antiviral and antifungal function and can help in relieving common cold and other infections. The thiosulphate compound, Allicin found in garlic acts as a strong antioxidant and protects our body from damage of free radicals.  Read here for complete benefits of garlic. 

5. Curd + Low fat Curds :  Curds help in digestion as it has very good bacteria. Probiotics in curds acts as a mild laxative but, in case of diarrhoea and dysentery, it is a boon, if curd is used with rice.They help in weight reduction, good for your heart and build immunity. The only difference between curds and low fat curds is the fat level. Read the benefits of curds to include in your daily diet. 

Can diabetics, heart patients and over weight individuals have Pumpkin Dip?

Yes, this recipe is good for diabetics, heart and weight loss BUT restricted amounts for diabetics. A cup of pumpkin cubes fulfils your day’s requirement of Vitamin A (5526 mcg), thus making it a super food for your eyes. Kaddu  can be included in safe amounts or restricted amounts by diabetics.

Can healthy individuals have Pumpkin Dip?

Yes. Mint (pudina) being an anti-inflammatory reduces the inflammation in the stomach and shows a cleansing effect. Sipping on a healthy drink like fresh mint and lemon tea is the best option to overcome nausea for mums-to-be.

8 Pointers to get healthy on a Indian diet

1. Eat healthy and say yes to good home cooked food. Prefer whole grains like oatmeal, quinoa, buckwheat, barley and healthy flours like bajra flour, jowar flour, quinoa flour, wheat flour etc. rather than refined ones like maida. Have healthy Indian fats like ghee, coconut, coconut oil in your diet.

2. Opt out of junk food, packaged food, deep fried foods. Prefer steamed snacks and other non-fried snacks. Check out some Healthy Indian Snacks. Remember to eat small frequent meals through the day as that will keep you always full and prevent your blood sugar from dropping. By starving your body through some diet, will not help you one bit. In fact, dieting will make you binge on 2 to 3 meals which is not good. 

3. Have 4 to 5 servings of vegetables and 2 to 3 servings of fruit is a must. Follow the logic of a vegetable in each main meal of the day and a fruit in-between meals. Check out a few Healthy Indian Soups and Healthy Indian Salads  recipes using this food group.           

4. Cut down on sugar and salt in your diet and pick honey ( very small amounts) or dates to sweeten your food. Slowly cut the sugar habit as this is not going to happen over night. Sugar  is also called white poison. It is a simple carbohydrate with zero nutritional value. On intake, sugar will cause inflammation of the body which will last for many hours. It will spike your blood sugar level and shut down the fat burning process. This also causes high blood sugar levels in your body. The development of prediabetes comes from uncontrolled eating sugar and refined food products for many years and the classic symptom is if you have excess belly fat. This leads to diabetes and further onwards to heart attack, high blood pressure, strokes, impotence and kidney damage. 

Salt and blood pressure. Apart from stress and obesity, one of the main reasons for high blood pressure is excessive sodium and salt intake. Most people find it difficult to limit the amount of salt in their cooking, thinking it will affect the taste of their favourite dishes. 

This is not true. Bajra and jowar are rich in potassium and critical for those with High Blood Pressure as it lessens the impact of sodium. Eating more Potassium Rich Foods will remove more sodium from your body through urine. So include the basic bajra roti and jowar roti in your daily diet to have with Lower Blood Pressure Subzis Recipes. 

5. Befriend a few healthy seeds and nuts like chia seeds, flax seeds, sesame seeds, walnuts and almonds. 

6.  Sprouts are called ‘living food’. They are high is most nutrients and easy to digest as well. Let them feature in your meals at least thrice a week. Also Read : All Benefits about Sprouts. 

7.  Exercise 45 minutes every day. No excuse. You can walk fast, run, do weights, play your favourite sport or go to the gym. No activity reduces muscle tissue which will lead to muscke loss and all kinds of problems with that. 

8.  Sleep early and get up early. Get your body into rhythm and it will function best. Sleep helps your body to recover and makes you look much younger. Also getting good sleep prevent muscle loss. 

How to burn 16 calories that come from Pumpkin Dip?

Walking (6 kmph) = 5 mins

Running (11 kmph) = 2 mins

Cycling (30 kmph) = 2 mins           

Swimming (2 kmph) = 3 mins

Note: These values are approximate and calorie burning differs in each individual.