If you’re among the millions of people who’ve replaced fresh pumpkin with the canned variety, oh boy do I have some disappointing news for you. As it turns out, many popular canned pumpkin purees don’t actually contain much real pumpkin.
For that, you can thank the United States Department of Agriculture’s sneaky standards. As per their laws, canned pumpkin is defined as:
The canned product prepared from clean, sound, properly matured, golden fleshed, firm shelled, sweet varieties of either pumpkins and squashes by washing, stemming, cutting, steaming and reducing to a pulp.
So, moms of America. That epic ‘pumpkin pie’ you’ve been making for the past umpteen Thanksgivings? It’s really ‘squash pie.’
Why?
Why, why have manufacturers misled us like this? Have they no humanity?
Alright, look. Technically speaking, the whole ‘squash masquerading as pumpkin in a can’ thing isn’t all that huge of a deal. Even though most consumers put pumpkins on a pedestal above all other festive orange fruits, they’re really a type of squash.
Squash is not as externally beautiful as pumpkin but what’s on the inside is nearly indistinguishable to most people. So much so that the USDA doesn’t bother distinguishing between the two in canned products.
Also Read: THIS Is Why You Should Never Buy A Pumpkin Spiced Latte!
And that, my friend, is why manufacturers can legally label canned squash as ‘100% canned pumpkin.’
So, does this mean ‘canned pumpkin’ is totally safe to eat? Er, not quite.
Warren Price Photography / Shutterstock.com
Canned anything really isn’t all that good for you. For one, the stuff is sitting in an aluminum can. Over time, the food absorbs aluminum free radicals. This stuff is no joke; as your body accumulates it, your Alzheimer’s risk goes way up.
Food cans are also lined with BPA. That’s an estrogen-mimicking compound linked to fertility problems, increased cancer risk, heart problems, ADHD, autism and brain damage.
Canned foods also tends to contain lots of salt as a preservative measure. While this keeps the food from going bad, it has disastrous effects on your body. We, on average, already eat way too much salt, raising the risk of cardiovascular disease and hypertension.
Canned foods are also notorious for being of low quality – especially if that food, like pumpkin puree, is all mashed together. Consumers just have no way of judging the quality of their food when it comes in one processed clump.
Then, of course, there’s the issue of many canned pumpkin products containing GMOs and, by extension, the nasty pesticides used to grow them.
All in all, you’re much better off using fresh pumpkin in your festive recipes this fall. The purist in you will be happy, as will your body.
Learn how to make your own pumpkin pie filling from scratch in the video below!
Sources:
TropicHomeAndFamily.com
Seattle Organic Restaurants
The Kitchn
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