Neha Grover | Updated: July 25, 2019 17:42 IST
Squash for good health
We consume squash all the time but know little about it. We have refreshing drinks made of a squash or eat delicious foods made of it, without giving much thought to the enigmatic taste and healthfulness that the food offers. Commonly thought of as vegetable for cooking, but botanically defined as fruit, squash belongs to Cucurbita family of plants and can be classified into several types of squashes. There are summer squash and winter squash, which further branch out into yellow squash, orange squash and green squash. It may not be easy to identify squash; here's a lowdown on the most commonly used squash around us to help us gain more perspective on the wonder food.
We bet many of you didn't know this - yes, zucchini is a kind of squash. It is a green summer squash that has fast gained popularity for its proven nutritive properties. It is low in carbohydrates and calories and contains healthy fats.
(Also Read: Summer Squash Salad Recipe)
It is a winter squash that is slightly sweet in taste. It is used both in savouries and desserts, including its kernels. Pumpkin has towering antioxidant properties due to the presence of alpha and beta carotenes.
It is an oval-shaped, yellow or orange-coloured winter variety. After cooking, it can be separated into long, thin strands that look somewhat like spaghetti. That's why, it is often used as a low-cal, healthy substitute to conventional spaghetti.
This is also a winter squash and is relatively bigger in size. The whole fruit, with its seeds and rind, is usually roasted and made into appetisers, snacks or light meals. It is recognised for its high content of vitamin, beta carotene, antioxidant, which protect from heart ailments and other chronic illnesses.
Also known as scallop squash due its scalloped edges, patty pan squash is a small, yellow, summer variety. It is a good source of folate, manganese and vitamin C, and ranks extremely low in calorie count.
(Also Read: Litchi Squash Recipe)
All the above information will give you a good enough reason to bring home some squash and adopt the nutritious food in your regular diet.
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About Neha GroverLove for reading roused her writing instincts. Neha is guilty of having a deep-set fixation with anything caffeinated. When she is not pouring out her nest of thoughts onto the screen, you can see her reading while sipping on coffee.