The Healing Powers of Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti squash (also known as vegetable spaghetti) is a winter vegetable that is valued by its nutty flavour and fantastic nutrient profile!

Spaghetti squash is closely related to vegetables such as pumpkins, squash, and zucchini. It comes in multiple shapes, sizes, and colors, ranging from off-white to dark orange.

This scrumptious and wholesome pasta-like vegetable is low in calories, packed with essential nutrients, and is associated with a number of health advantages. To learn more about this popular healthy pasta-alternative, explore the key 10 health benefits of incorporating spaghetti squash into your diet.

Loaded with Vitamins and Minerals

Spaghetti squash is nutrient-rich food, which means that it is low in calories but high in several important vitamins and minerals. Generally speaking, spaghetti squash is a good source of fiber, vitamin C, manganese, and vitamin B6.

One cup (155 grams) of cooked spaghetti squash provides the following nutrients:

Calories: 42

Carbs 10 grams (5.5 net carbs)

Fiber: 2.2 grams

Fat: 0.5 grams

Vitamin C: 9% of the RDI (Reference Daily Intake)

Manganese: 8% of the RDI

Vitamin B6: 8%

Pantothenic acid: 6% of the RDI

Niacin: 6% of the RDI

Potassium: 5% of the RDI

In addition to the vital nutrients that are written above, spaghetti squash contains small portions of thiamine, magnesium, folate, calcium and iron.

High in Antioxidants

Antioxidants are healing compounds that can aid in the fight of free radicals, than inhibiting oxidative stress and reducing damage to your cells.

Research says that antioxidants may help in preventing chronic illnesses like heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

Winter squashes like like spaghetti squash are packed with antioxidants.

Antioxidants provides a sufficient amount of beta-carotene- a potent plant pigment that can help protect your cells and DNA from damage.

Spaghetti squash also contains high amounts of vitamin C, which doubles as an antioxidant and has been proven to play an important role in disease prevention.

May Aid in the Promotion of Digestive Health

Unlike many vegetables, spaghetti squash is a fantastic source of dietary fiber. One cup of spaghetti squash is loaded with 2.2 grams of dietary fiber, which compromises 9% of your daily fiber necessities. Fiber moves slowly through your digestive system, which means it adds bulk to your stool and supports regularity and ameliorates digestive health problems such as constipation.

Increasing your daily fiber intake is an advantage for several components of digestive health. Research recommends that a high-fiber diet could be helpful for treating diseases such as diverticulitis, intestinal ulcers, hemorrhoids, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Adding another two servings of spaghetti squash along with other fiber-rich foods into your diet can improve regularity and keep your digestive system stable.

Helps with Weight Loss

Just like many other vegetables I've included into my diet, spaghetti squash is one vegetable that I always keep in the house. Since June 2020, I've been determined to lose weight, stay active and be overall healthy. It has been a slow process, nevertheless sticking with the non-starchy vegetables that I enjoy eating on a regular basis made it easier for me to be consistent and accountable. Spaghetti squash is a childhood favourite of mine and I enjoy eating it as an adult to manage my weight loss and reduce my caloric, sugar and refined starch intake.

As I explained above, spaghetti squash is a low-calorie, fiber-dense vegetable, which makes it a healthy alternative and addition to a well-balanced, weight-loss diet. Fiber aids in weight loss by slowing the emptying of your gut and stabilizing your blood sugar levels to decrease hunger and appetite.

Promotes Eye Health

Since I was 18 years old, I've been suffering from myopia (near-sightedness) which means I'm required to wear glasses on a daily basis. Until I made some gradula changes to my diet, I've grappled with seeing properly and my eyes would be constantly tired. I still need to wear glasses, nevertheless my eyes are doing much better than before I made changes to my lifestyle. Thanks to regular consumption of spaghetti squash, I don't experience many eye problems on a regular basis.

The vitamin A and vitamin E content in spaghetti squash are vital for protecting your eyes from the oxidative damage that is the primary cause to age-related macular degeneration. Getting these nutrients from foods like spaghetti squash as opposed to supplements provides health benefits and diminishes the toxicity risk caused by supplementation.

Enhances Memory

The B-vitamins in spaghetti squash allow the brain to communicate memories and messages from one part to another. In addition, unregulated diabetes is a variable to having Alzheimers disease. The effect of having high blood sugar levels on the formation of Alzheimers has been a cause to having "type 3 diabetes" by some health care experts. To keep blood sugar levels low, choosing non-starchy vegetables can help alleviate these types of negative effects.

Ways To Enjoy Your Favourites Food By Using Spaghetti Squash

Just like all delicious, popular, Asian or Italian pasta dishes that use any type of noodles such as carrot noodles, zoodles (zucchini noodles), egg noodles, almond flour pasta, tortellini, or ramen noodles, you can enjoy all of your traditional Italian and Asian noodle/pasta dishes with spaghetti squash! When I was a child, my mom used to make spaghetti squash with her famous meatsauce that she would use in pretty much all of our pasta dishes.

Since I no longer consume meat, I'm starting to get creative and enjoy making pescetarian-friendly spaghetti squash dishes with shrimp, vegetables, cheese, tomato sauce, oilve oil, spices, and many more scrumptious add-ins! Here are a few ideas for you to explore, if you are stuck!

Create Your Own Spaghetti Squash Boats (as you can see above):

- These have been my favourites lately! To make them in the way you prefer, include anything you want into your spaghetti squash boats: vegetables, meat, seafood, spices, beans, cheese, tofu, and healthy oils (I typically use olive oil, but you can use any oil you desire). I love to add shrimp, meat alternatives, spices, legumes, veggies, cheese, tomato and alfredo sauce to create some of my favourite Italian dishes like Shrimp Alfredo and Vegetable Macaroni and Cheese. Get creative, have fun and experiment with different noodle dishes from different cuisines like Asian and Italian. Just make sure you have all the ingredients, otherwise you can buy them online or at your local supermarket!

Concoct and Enjoy a Spaghetti Squash Pasta Bake

For those who don't know, I am a huge fan of pasta! I would eat pasta with anything like cheese, shrimp, tilapia, veggie burgers, vegetables, hummus (definitely would not go with spaghetti squash!), vegetables, spices, and olive oil. When I don't feel like eating a simple meal like boiled pasta with tomato sauce and cheese, I would bake spaghetti squash with mozzarella cheese, tomato sauce, seafood, meat alternatives, vegetables, spices and/or alfredo sauce, just like how I use to enjoy pasta as a child! I love lasagna, but I try not to eat it regularly, because of the refined sugar and flour in the traditional lasagna noodles, so I just bake spaghetti squash with cheese and any other toppings!

Make Some Spaghetti Squash Fritters!

Asides from being a "pasta junkie", I'm also a huge "pancake lover"! Whether I'm eating vegetable pancakes, original breakfast pancakes, crepes, or low-carb pancakes; I would eat any kind of pancake! Making spaghetti squash fritters has enabled me to enjoy those classic delicacies I've had in my youth, such as potato latkes during Hanukkah or any special occasion while watching my caloric intake. During the summer and fall, I've concocted some tasty, yummy and unique spaghetti squash fritters with cheese, garlic, onions, crumbled broccoli, coconut flour, almond flour, and other vegetables that I've stored in the refridgerator. I've made spaghetti squash fritters that looked like the traditional baked potato latkes, as well as "waffle-resembling" fritters by using a silicone waffle mold that I purchased on Amazon. They came out great! If you are a pancake lover like myself, experiment with different fritter recipes that call for spaghetti squash, instead of tubers like yams and white potatoes! Think outside the box, use your favourite vegetables, and anything that is appetizing to you! Spaghetti squash fritter recipes are easy to find on the Internet, so you won't have an issue finding any good spaghetti squash recipes that you may find interesting and fun to cook!