In autumn, it's as much a part of the landscape as colorful leaves and morning mist. In Lower Austria, orange globes pile up at farmers' markets, farm shops, and in vegetable aisles. The pumpkin is so familiar that it's easy to forget how extraordinary it is.
In 2005, the garden pumpkin was named the medicinal plant of the year. Not because of a single active ingredient — but because of the exceptional combination of beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, zinc, potassium, vitamins C and E, and pumpkin seeds, which together form a nutrient package that hardly any other local vegetable can offer in this form.
And just like carrots, tomatoes, and red onions, the same applies here: pumpkin is only a superfood if it is truly nutrient-rich. The intense orange says a lot — but not everything.
Orange as a sign of quality — Beta-carotene and Alpha-carotene
The intense orange of Hokkaido — and many other pumpkin varieties — comes from carotenoids (natural pigments from the group of secondary plant compounds). Not only from beta-carotene, which we know from carrots, but also from alpha-carotene — a secondary plant compound (a protective substance that the plant produces itself) that occurs in this concentration in hardly any other food.
150 grams of pumpkin — a small portion of soup — are enough to completely cover the daily requirement of beta-carotene. The body converts beta-carotene into vitamin A as needed — good for eyesight, skin, and mucous membranes. As needed means: no overdose possible, unlike with ready-made vitamin A from supplements.
Alpha-carotene is less known — but at least as fascinating. A study of over 15,000 people showed a connection between higher alpha-carotene levels and a longer lifespan. This is not a promise of salvation — but it is a strong signal that these plant compounds have an effect in the body.
Both carotenoids — beta-carotene and alpha-carotene — are fat-soluble (can only be absorbed by the body in combination with fat). This means: a dash of olive oil or a spoonful of good butter in pumpkin soup significantly increases their absorption in the body. The combination of pumpkin and good fat is therefore not only brilliant in taste — it is biochemically (at the level of body chemistry) sensible.
Zinc — the autumn mineral
Here lies one of the most underestimated benefits of pumpkin — and it comes at exactly the right time.
Zinc is the central mineral of the immune system. It activates T-cells (white blood cells that fight pathogens) which are responsible for specific immune defense, controls wound healing and is involved in the production of over 300 enzymes (protein molecules that control chemical processes in the body) in the body. A zinc deficiency is noticeable through frequent infections, poor wound healing, loss of taste and dry skin.
Pumpkin flesh contains zinc — but the actual zinc source of the pumpkin are the seeds. Pumpkin seeds are among the best plant-based zinc sources available. 30 grams of pumpkin seeds daily provide about 2.5 milligrams of zinc — a significant proportion of the daily requirement.
The combination of beta-carotene plus zinc plus vitamin C makes pumpkin the perfect autumn food — precisely when cold viruses are in peak season and the immune system needs special support.
What else is in pumpkin — the complete nutrient profile
Potassium — 340 milligrams per 100 grams. Potassium regulates blood pressure, supports heart function, and balances sodium levels. The high potassium content also makes pumpkin slightly diuretic — which is therapeutically used for kidney and bladder complaints.
Vitamin C — 14 milligrams per 100 grams. This corresponds to 14 percent of the daily requirement — not a peak value, but synergistically effective (mutually reinforcing) in combination with beta-carotene and zinc.
Vitamin E — as a fat-soluble antioxidant (protective molecule against cell damage), it protects cell membranes from oxidative stress (cell damage by aggressive oxygen molecules) and works together with beta-carotene.
Lutein and Zeaxanthin — the same carotenoids we know from broccoli. They protect the retina from age-related macular degeneration (wear and tear of the center of the retina responsible for sharp vision).
Dietary fiber — Pectin and other dietary fibers nourish the gut microbiome (the community of beneficial bacteria in the gut), regulate blood sugar, and promote satiety.
L-Tryptophan in the seeds — an essential amino acid (a vital protein building block) that the body cannot produce itself. L-tryptophan is the precursor to serotonin (the messenger substance responsible for well-being and mood) — the so-called happiness hormone. This explains the old popular belief that pumpkin seeds have a calming and mood-lifting effect.
Pumpkin seed oil — Styrian pumpkin seed oil is in a class of its own. Rich in essential fatty acids, vitamin E, and plant sterols (natural plant compounds that positively influence cholesterol levels). The positive effect of pumpkin seeds and pumpkin seed oil on benign prostatic hyperplasia is scientifically proven.
Hokkaido — why it's the best choice
Among pumpkin varieties, Hokkaido is the most nutrient-dense and also the easiest to prepare — because you can eat it with the skin. And the skin is important: the highest concentrations of beta-carotene are found directly under the skin — the same principle as with carrots.
Those who peel Hokkaido lose a significant portion of the most valuable ingredients. Simply brush it well, halve it, remove the seeds — and prepare it with the skin on.
The intense orange-red color of Hokkaido is no coincidence. It is the visible signal of a high carotenoid content. A pale, light-yellow pumpkin has less beta-carotene than a deep orange one — the same principle as with carrots and tomatoes.
What the Brix value reveals about pumpkin
According to the Reams reference table, pumpkin falls within the range of 6 to 14 °Brix — depending on the variety and cultivation method.
Poor: under 6 °Brix — watery pumpkin, little flavor Average: 8 °Brix Good: 12 °Brix Excellent: 14 °Brix and more
A pumpkin with 12 to 14 °Brix tastes more intense, sweeter, nuttier — and contains measurably more beta-carotene and zinc. A pumpkin from mineral-rich soil with active microorganisms and regular foliar fertilization develops more dry matter, a higher carotenoid concentration, and a deeper color.
The Brix check for pumpkin is simple: light pressure on some pulp, a drop on the refractometer — in seconds you can see whether this pumpkin is truly nutrient-rich.
How to eat pumpkin correctly — three important tips
With fat. Beta-carotene is fat-soluble — without fat, it is hardly absorbed. Olive oil, butter, pumpkin seed oil — all of these significantly improve carotenoid absorption.
With skin for Hokkaido. The skin contains more beta-carotene than the flesh. Peeling is a mistake here.
Gentle cooking. Steaming or baking preserves more vitamins than long cooking in a lot of water. Roasting in the oven also develops the most intense aroma — and beta-carotene tolerates moderate temperatures very well.
Pumpkin as a seasonal food — and why it matters
Pumpkin ripens in autumn — and that is exactly the right time. When the days get shorter, the immune system needs special support, and the body craves warming, nutrient-dense foods — that's when pumpkin is there.
Seasonal foods harvested when fully ripe are more nutrient-rich than year-round products that are harvested unripe, transported, and stored. Pumpkin has a special advantage: it stores excellently — cool and dry, it keeps for several months without significant nutrient loss.
This makes it an ideal bridge food from autumn deep into winter.
The connection that unites everything
The intense orange of Hokkaido, like the beta-carotene of carrots, the lycopene of tomatoes, and the anthocyanins (red and blue plant pigments with protective effects) of red onions, is a protective reaction of a vital plant. Carotenoids are UV protection, antioxidants (protective molecules against cell damage), defense substances — all in one.
A pumpkin plant that performs intense photosynthesis, is well supplied with minerals, and grows in living soil forms more carotenoids. It becomes a deeper orange. It tastes more intense. And it nourishes the person who eats it with exactly the substances they need in autumn.
Healthy soil. Vital plant. Nutrient-rich food. This is the cycle that becomes as visible with pumpkin as with hardly any other vegetable.
How beta-carotene, lycopene and other carotenoids are formed in various vegetables — in the article about carrots and beta-carotene.
Why soil determines nutrient density — in the article about minerals and degraded soils.
Measure the Brix value yourself — instructions and Reams table — Brix article.
Sources: Zentrum der Gesundheit, Pumpkin Nutrients and Effects | EatSmarter, Pumpkin Product Knowledge | Biomagazin, Pumpkin as Medicinal Plant of the Year 2005 | Colorado State University, Pumpkin and Macular Degeneration | Study Alpha-Carotene and Lifespan, over 15,000 subjects | Dr. Carey Reams, Brix Reference Tables
