Pumpkin: it's high in carotenoids, lutein, zeaxanthin, iron, and zinc. And besides these wonderful nutrients, pumpkin is high in antioxidants and fiber.

Even pumpkin seeds are super nutritious—they're high in protein. One ounce of seeds provides about seven grams of protein. They also contain copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, and zinc. And their oil is high in phytosterols, plant-based fatty acids that are chemically so like cholesterol that they can replace it in the human body—contributing to the reduction of blood cholesterol levels.

And then there's pumpkin seed oil, which is high in essential fatty acids (EFAs). And it has vitamin E, which acts like lutein and zeaxanthin to get rid of free radicals. All this makes for a good case to include more pumpkin in our diet. And it'll be full blown fresh pumpkin season in just another couple weeks. So all this said, here are some tips for using pumpkin more often in our meals:

The bigger the pumpkin, the tougher the meat; that's why pie pumpkins, also called baking pumpkins, are so much smaller than the ones used for carving. But you can still cook and eat the meat of a carving pumpkin; it just won't be quite as soft.

If you don't like the taste of pumpkin, try adding a small amount of orange juice.

If you're planning on cooking rather than carving the pumpkin, you don't have to go to the trouble of scooping out the inside after you remove the top. You will have to remove the seeds, but after that you can just cut the entire pumpkin into pieces, remove the skin with a peeler, and boil the pieces in water for about 20 minutes. After the pieces have been boiled, drain the water and either mash the pieces by hand or puree them in a blender. (NOTE: save the drained water, let it cool, dilute it and water houseplants with it—they LOVE this TLC!)

A whole pumpkin can be stored at room temperature for up to a month, or in the refrigerator (if it'll fit!) for up to three months.

Besides pies, pumpkin can be used to make pudding, custard, cookies, and of course pumpkin bread. But it's also great as soup, or as a side dish for the main course of a meal.

Pumpkin seeds can be sprinkled with oil and other flavorings and roasted at 300° for about 30 minutes. However, most nutritional experts believe that roasting weakens a lot of the nutrients, so they recommend that the seeds be eaten raw. Whole seeds can be added to steamed vegetables, salads, cereals, and cookies, and ground seeds can be added to burgers.

Pumpkin seed oil can be used in recipes or just taken by the teaspoon or tablespoon, like other EFA oils (for example, flax seed, evening primrose, borage seed, or black currant seed oils).

So the next time you're carving a pumpkin and are tempted to just throw out the insidea—don't! Save it, cook (or bake) it, and eat it instead. And if you're not into pumpkin carving, don't pass by those small specimens in the produce section. Finally, if all that cutting and boiling is too much work or too time-consuming, turn to already-cooked pumpkin in the can. Now here's a great pumpkin recipe Dennis at Prepared Pantry (www.preparedpantry.com) developed just for this time of year!