Raw Pumpkin Seeds

[Jingthing]

I am looking into adding some health promoting foods to my diet, and raw pumpkin seeds sounds like a good one.

So far I have only found roasted ones, salted and unsalted, of course unsalted is better.

However, I read that to get the "good fat" that reduces bad cholestorol you need to eat the raw seeds. Are they available anywhere in Pattaya or Bangkok?

[rak sa_ngop]

I am looking into adding some health promoting foods to my diet, and raw pumpkin seeds sounds like a good one.

So far I have only found roasted ones, salted and unsalted, of course unsalted is better.

However, I read that to get the "good fat" that reduces bad cholestorol you need to eat the raw seeds. Are they available anywhere in Pattaya or Bangkok?

Raw sunflower seeds are pretty easy to find, even 7-11 have them in small packets (maybe a bit of salt added?)

Raw peanuts and cashew nuts are also easy to find in supermarkets, but not sure if they are as healthy as other nuts.

I have seen other nuts such as walnuts, almonds in the baking sections of supermarkets but in small quantities and at high prices.

I have never seen raw pumpkin seeds, but as pumpkins are grown in Thailand I expect they are available somewhere. I would be interested to know also.

[pumpuiman]

Buy a pumpkin, you'll have a months supply of fresh seeds.....and you can bake a nice pie for yourself

[lawling]

I am looking into adding some health promoting foods to my diet, and raw pumpkin seeds sounds like a good one.

So far I have only found roasted ones, salted and unsalted, of course unsalted is better.

However, I read that to get the "good fat" that reduces bad cholestorol you need to eat the raw seeds. Are they available anywhere in Pattaya or Bangkok?

There are largish bags of raw unsalted pumpkin seeds for sale in Friendship Supermarket. I'm not in Thailand at present so I can't be precise but I seem to recall they cost about 150 baht. The last time I saw them they were on the bottom shelf (floor level) of one of the aisles - to the right with your back to the cash-outs.

My doctor swears that pumpkin seeds are good for people with prostate problems.

[Jingthing]

Lawling, I bought the 150 baht bag at Friendship last night. They are green and the package is in Thai. I am not sure if they are roasted or raw but I assumed they are not raw. I also read the raw ones must be refrigerated and these were sold not refrigerated. I also thought the raw ones are white, these are green. Maybe they come in different colors? I still strongly suspect those are roasted which means they are not valuable as good fats but they do taste good (on breakfast cereal, yumm). Suppose I need to show the package to a Thai speaker. Yes, the raw seeds are supposed to be good for prostate among other things.

I am kind of on a kick lately to add health promoting foods. What do people think about cinnamon? This is so cheap and easy I started the next day after reading this. Read somewhere else it prevents diabates as well as is good for people who already have it.

Cinnamon

This old-world spice usually reaches most men's stomachs only when it's mixed with sugar and stuck to a roll.

Why it's healthy: Cinnamon helps control your blood sugar, which influences your risk of heart disease. In fact, USDA researchers found that people with type-2 diabetes who consumed 1 g of cinnamon a day for 6 weeks (about 1/4 teaspoon each day) significantly reduced not only their blood sugar but also their triglycerides and LDL (bad) cholesterol. Credit the spice's active ingredients, methylhydroxychalcone polymers, which increase your cells' ability to metabolize sugar by up to 20 times.

How to eat it: You don't need the fancy oils and extracts sold at vitamin stores; just sprinkle the stuff that's in your spice rack (or in the shaker at Starbucks) into your coffee or on your oatmeal.

Edited January 20, 2008 by Jingthing

[Jingthing]

OK, now I get the white vs. green part. So if they are green, they aren't the seed and hull, but only the hull. Still don't know if the hulls sold in the big 150 bag at Friendship are roasted or not though. Roasting is popular to improve the taste.

Commercially available green pumpkin seeds, also known as pepitas, have had their fibrous white hull removed. To hull your home-prepared seeds, crack each seed individually between your teeth, discard the hull and savor the tender kernel.

[wpcoe]

So if they are green, they aren't the seed and hull, but only the hull. Still don't know if the hulls sold in the big 150 bag at Friendship are roasted or not though. Roasting is popular to improve the taste.

Isn't that backward? If they are green, they are seeds (without a white hull), so if the contents of the bag at Friendship are green, it is a bag of seeds, not hulls, no?

[lawling]

I'm not sure about the raw business but the same green, dry ones are sold in UK health shops. Also in supermarkets where, for example, the Tesco package claims that they "are a source of protein, essential for growth and repair."

[Jingthing]

So if they are green, they aren't the seed and hull, but only the hull. Still don't know if the hulls sold in the big 150 bag at Friendship are roasted or not though. Roasting is popular to improve the taste.

Isn't that backward? If they are green, they are seeds (without a white hull), so if the contents of the bag at Friendship are green, it is a bag of seeds, not hulls, no?

Yes, you are correct. That would be a good business, selling a bag of hulls.

I am not really up on my seed terminology, but I am learning.

[bina]

green is the hulled seed; white is the seed enclosed within the hull and u crack it between your teeth;

u just take a pumpkin , open it, take out the seeds and air dry them... take off all the flesh of the fruit (it is a fruit not a vegetable technically. melon family) as it makes the seeds slimier and icky afterwards.

they taste disgusting that way.... we sun dry ours and then roast them ourselves

same same for watermelon seeds , sunflower seeds....

to roast: tiny bit of water mixed w/salt in a flat pan, spread the seeds, and put in oven.. watch carefully and stir them up occassionaly....

this used to be the israeli pastime for women who wanted to save money on buying roasted seeds at the local kiosk of snack foods...

peanuts are done the same way although u can do them in the microwave also.... thats what i do.

i dont roast my own cashes.

raw almonds are very very healthy.

bina

israel

Edited January 22, 2008 by bina