‘Tis the Season for Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice

6 Health Benefits of Pumpkin Spice

We love that fall is here! Grocery stores and coffee shops are filling their shelves with pumpkin spice flavored products ranging from pumpkin pie to cheerios and Oreos. For many, fall is associated with enjoying delicious pumpkin spiced lattes. There’s no doubt pumpkin spice products are popular, with over half a billion dollars of such products sold in the United States in 2018.

Pumpkin spice, which contains nutmeg, has been a fan favorite for quite some time now (around 3,500 years!). In fact, nutmeg residue has been found in ancient pottery shards in Indonesia. Such discoveries have allowed researchers to conclude that humans have been using nutmeg as food for more than 3,000 years - 2,000 years earlier than previously thought.

The popular pumpkin spice flavor is a mixture of nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and allspice. Nutmeg, in specific, was used in food and medicine by people in Pulau Ay, one of the Banda Islands in Indonesia, and was even traded to countries such as the Middle East and North Africa. The spice became so popular with the Dutch, that they traded their colony of New Amsterdam to Britain in exchange for nutmeg spices in the 1600s. This colony was later renamed New York as part of the United States today.

Health Benefits of Pumpkin Spice

Pumpkin spice can come as a ready-made mixture or you can mix all the individual constituents together to create your own mix (your preference). Whether you are baking with pumpkin spice to make delicious foods like cookies or pies, or enjoying it in grocery store products, there are plenty of health benefits in pumpkin spice. Read on to learn more about the nutrition benefits of the six main ingredients in this flavorsome spice mix.

Ginger

Ginger can reduce muscle pain, help with nausea and even improve dental hygiene. This spice is also replete with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agents that can prevent diseases and help manage symptoms during cancer treatments.

Cinnamon

This popular spice has been linked to lower blood sugar levels and reduced heart disease risk. Cinnamon is also loaded with antioxidants, which protect your body from oxidative damage and reduce cholesterol and blood pressure.

Nutmeg

Nutmeg has been reported as an effective way to treat acne and boost overall skin health. This delicious spice can also relieve pain, strengthen cognitive function and help detoxify the body.

Cloves

This spice contains a plethora of important nutrients. One teaspoon of ground cloves contains only 6 calories, 1 gram of fiber and an abundance of vitamins and minerals. Cloves are a rich source of manganese, which your body requires to properly function.

Allspice

There are plenty of medicinal properties associated with allspice. Rich in antioxidants, allspice can relieve pain, ease an upset stomach and can even be used in some cancer treatments. Allspice is also part of the carminative family of herbs, which are used to soothe the digestive tract. This spice can also be diffused in the air to ease headaches and sinus pain.

Pumpkin

One cup of pumpkin contains more Vitamin A than kale! Pumpkin, a great source of fiber loaded with blood-pressure regulating minerals, can also boost your immunity and help provide oxygen to red blood cells.

There you have it! Pumpkin spice is both tasty and good for you! Satisfy those pumpkin spice cravings with Timoti’s pumpkin dessert cups at our Fernandina Beach and Nocatee locations.