Farmers have managed to cultivate beautiful orange pumpkins that are perfect for carving into Halloween jack-o-lanterns. But they haven’t managed to breed beautiful orange pumpkins that are perfect for carving and perfect for eating. Many people know this, of course, either from fateful first-hand experience, or from reading about it in a cookbook. Carving pumpkins are just not bred to have delicious flesh, nor are they bred to have delicious seeds.

Here’s the deal: You can have a pumpkin that’s good for carving, a pumpkin with good-tasting flesh, or a pumpkin with good-tasting seeds—but you cannot have more than one of those things simultaneously.

The most common cultivar of pumpkin grown specifically for its seeds is the Styrian pumpkin, which yields the small, smooth green seeds sold in grocery stores. Styrian pumpkin seeds are ideal for eating because they are rich in oil and naturally hull-less. (The hull is the white outer layer that makes carving pumpkin seeds taste like nothing so much as fingernails.) Blech!

So if you want something crunchy and wholesome to munch on during your annual Halloween screening of “A Nightmare on Elm Street” or for anytime you are looking for a healthy snack, head to the bulk aisle of your local health food store and pick up some pumpkin seeds (or pepitas) that are actually fit for human consumption.

Research shows that pumpkin seeds are rich in nutrients known to support weight loss, such as fiber, protein, and unsaturated fatty acids. A 1/2-cup (72-gram) serving of pumpkin seeds without their shell provides 21 grams of protein, 5 grams of fiber, while a 1/2-cup (23-gram) serving of seeds with their shells on provides 7 grams of protein and 1.5 grams of fiber. While pumpkin seeds are a nutritious, high fiber snack that can help support weight loss, it’s important to remember that moderation is key when it comes to your intake of any food. Like other nuts and seeds, pumpkin seeds are energy-dense, meaning that they contain a substantial number of calories and fat in a small serving size.

In addition to it’s valuable weight loss attributes, pumpkin seeds are packed with powerful antioxidants that can help solve dietary deficiencies and may protect against various health problems. In fact, pumpkin seeds have been shown to improve heart health, blood sugar levels, fertility, and sleep quality. They may even protect against certain types of cancer.

Pumpkin seeds can be enjoyed in a number of ways, such as:

• Raw, in homemade trail mix, granola, or granola bars

• As garnish on soups, salads, waffles, tacos, or avocado toast

• Baked into muffins or on top of breads

• Mixed into yogurt and oatmeal

• Blended into smoothies

• Mixed into warm noodle dishes or stir-fries

• Made pumpkin seed butter

• Blended in a food processor with nutritional yeast, bread crumbs, and seasonings to make vegan “Parmesan” cheese

If you have a favorite recipe with pumpkin seeds, let us know in the comments below. If you are interested in a complimentary assessment with a certified Success Studio personal trainer, click the button below.