We usually think of squashes as vegetables, but botanists characterize them as fruits because they develop from the flower of the plant and contain seeds. More than 350 different types of squash are commonly grown in North America. The diverse offerings can be categorized into winter and summer varieties, a reference to the time of harvesting. Summer squashes are soft-skinned, like zucchini and patty pan, and can be eaten fresh or cooked, while the more prolific winter varieties have hard exteriors.
Winter squashes belong to the Cucurbita (Latin for “gourd”) genus, a type of vine native to the Andes and Mesoamerica. Squash has been cultivated for over 10,000 years in Central America and in Peru, where images of gourds commonly appear on Moche ceramics. Today squash is grown in almost every U.S. state, with Florida leading the way.
Nutritional Value of Squash
Winter squash is nutrient-rich. Although squash varieties vary both in calories, carbohydrates and fiber and also in their micronutrient composition, they all supply healthy carbohydrates, the body’s main source of energy. A one-cup serving of cooked squash is low in calories, ranging from 42 calories for spaghetti squash to 115 calories in the acorn variety.
Squash rivals lentils and barley in its high fiber content, especially soluble fiber, the type responsible for regulating blood sugar and cholesterol levels. Winter squash is ranked among the top three food sources of carotenoid antioxidants and it’s also an excellent source of the minerals magnesium and potassium, which help regulate blood pressure, and immune system strengtheners vitamins C and A.
Nutritional Value of Certain Squash Varieties
There are so many types of winter squash available, why not be adventuresome and try one you’ve never tasted this winter? It may become your new favorite. Here are some popular varieties:
Acorn Squash Nutrition Facts
This deep-green skinned fall variety has a mild flavor and is named for its acorn-like shape. Some have christened acorn the nutrition heavyweight of the winter squash world. This hefty squash weighs in with large doses of folate, calcium, and magnesium and contains more potassium than two bananas. But it’s a little higher than most squashes in terms of calories (115) and carbs (30 gram) per one cup of cooked squash.
Butternut Squash Nutrition Facts
Butternut squash is among the most widely available types of winter squash. It has a sweet, nutty taste, similar to that of a pumpkin. This bell-shaped squash earns its tough covering while maturing on the vine. If you’re prone to kitchen accidents, you may find cutting into butternut squash somewhat daunting. Avoid the wait at Urgent Care by microwaving a butternut squash before taking a knife to its seemingly impenetrable skin. To cut butternut squash, chop the neck from the body and work with each section separately.
One cup of butternut squash has 82 calories, 22 grams of carbs and is an excellent source of beta-carotene. Butternut squash has a glycemic index ranking of 51. Based on a serving size of about 1/3 of a cup of boiled, mashed squash, butternut squash has a very low glycemic load of 3.
Delicata Squash Nutrition Facts
This fall heirloom squash is cream-colored with green stripes on a pale yellow background. Unlike most winter squashes, the thin skin is edible because it actually belongs to the summer squash species. Delicata squash is also known as peanut squash or sweet potato squash, and contains only 40 calories and 9 grams of carbs in a one-cup serving. Although it doesn’t supply much fiber, it will satisfy your daily needs for vitamin A and is also a rich source of vitamin C, calcium and iron.
Kabocha Squash Nutrition Facts
Kabocha is the Japanese word for squash, which is why these squat green gourds, available in early to mid-winter, are often referred to as Japanese pumpkins. They have a rich, sweet flavor and are well suited for baking or mashing. A one-cup serving of kabocha squash is very low in calories and carbs — just 40 calories per serving and 7 grams of carbs — while supplying 70% of the recommended daily intake of vitamin C for older adults.
Spaghetti Squash Nutrition Facts
Spaghetti squash is a unique, yellow-gold oblong squash with a nutty taste that’s best eaten in the fall. Once cooked, scrape its deep orange flesh from the skin and watch it magically separate into spaghetti-like strands. This unique characteristic has made this squash popular as a low calorie pasta substitute. Where a one-cup serving of pasta has about 220 calories, a one-cup serving of spaghetti squash contains a meager 42 calories. Spaghetti squash has glycemic index ranking of less than 20.
Buttercup, Blue Hubbard, Cushaw and Butterkin Squash
Countless other varieties of winter squash are becoming more readily available in the produce bin. Buttercup squash is small blue-gray gourd that tastes like a sweet potato.
At the other end of the size spectrum is the large, lumpy blue hubbard squash, which is often sold in pre-cut wedges. Boil or bake it, and serve it mashed or pureed. Cushaw is a still relatively unknown Mexican crookneck squash, with green and white skin, that can weigh as much as 20 lbs. Eat it roasted, as a pureed soup or as a variation on traditional pumpkin pie.
A new variety of squash is the butterkin, which is a hybrid of a butternut squash and a pumpkin. This fall offering resembles a flattened pumpkin. Due to its manageable size and sweet taste creamy texture, it’s rapidly gaining in popularity.
7 Reasons Squash is Good for Your Health
1. Eating squash may give you a longer life.
Foods like squash that are rich in alpha-carotenoids (plant pigments) are associated with a reduced risk of dying, according to a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which tracked the health of 15,000 adults through medical exams and blood samples.
Carotenoids prolong life by reducing the cell damage that occurs as we age. The study revealed that the participants with highest alpha-carotene levels had a 39% lower risk of dying over the 14-year course of the study, compared with those with the lowest rates.
2. Eating squash may lower risk of cardiovascular diseases.
A placebo-controlled trial, which analyzed a cohort of 1,900 men from the Lipid Research Clinics Coronary Primary Prevention Trial who suffered from hyperlipidemia (an abnormally high concentration of fats or lipids in the blood) determined that participants with higher serum carotenoid levels experienced a decreased incidence of cardiovascular disease.
3. Squash may help prevent cervical cancer.
Studies have shown that low levels of beta-carotene (which is converted into vitamin A in the body) are often found in cervical cancer patients. A study conducted at the University of California, Irvine provided beta-carotene supplements to patients with a premalignant form of cervical cancer and monitored them for one year. The results showed that a large percentage of the patients responded well to the supplementation, which shows promise in preventing cervical cancer
4. Squash may prevent macular degeneration.
Age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness in older adults. Consumption of the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, plentiful in winter squashes, provide a protective effect against this eye disease.
5. Squash consumption boosts breast cancer survival rates.
Postmenopausal women who had suffered from breast cancer were asked to complete food-frequency questionnaires for the year prior to their cancer diagnosis to analyze the impact of carotenoid intake on survival rates. The research showed higher intakes of folate, vitamin C and carotenoids, all plentiful in squash, to be “significantly associated with reduced mortality.”
6. Squash may decrease risk of prostate cancers.
A case-control study found that diets rich in beta-carotenoids played a role in preventing prostate carcinogenesis (the formation of a cancer).
7. Eating squash may help prevent colorectal cancers.
More than 90% of colorectal cancers occur in people older than 50. An observational study completed on 890 Japanese men and women found that consuming foods rich in beta-carotenes, including pumpkins, helped prevent polyps and colorectal cancers.
How to Cook and Enjoy Squash, Plus 3 Recipes
The options for cooking winter squash are practically endless. It can be cooked with any technique you favor, including steaming, sautéing, grilling, roasting, even microwaving. After cooking, squash lends itself nicely to being pureed into soup, added to smoothies, baked in muffins or stuffed into ravioli shells. The flavor of squash pairs equally well with sweet spices like cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg and savory flavors such as Italian spices, smoked paprika or chipotle chili powder.
Here are three healthy recipes using winter squash to try:
1. Roasted Acorn Squash with Cinnamon Butter from Martha Stewart
A popular way to enjoy the sweetness of acorn squash is to cut the squash in half, remove the seeds, top the halves with brown sugar or cinnamon and butter and then bake it.
Martha Stewart
2. Spaghetti Squash with Soft Herbs and Robioloa from Chef Mario Batali
Spaghetti squash is a favorite of celebrity Chef Mario Batali, who has found a way to “approach it with an Italian-ness.” In this recipe he bakes it after adding olive oil and seasoning it with Italian parsley or sage and salt and pepper.
Chef Mario Batali
3. Roasted Winter Squash from Rachel Ray
Rachel Ray has a very simple roasting recipe that works with any winter squash, such as pumpkin, acorn, kabocha or butternut.
Rachel Ray
