11 Recipes Featuring Acorn Squash as the Star Ingredient (2024)

FAQs

Does acorn squash raise blood sugar? ›

Packed with important nutrients

Unlike refined carb sources like white rice and white pasta, acorn squash is an excellent source of fiber, which slows digestion, helps regulate blood sugar levels, and promotes feelings of fullness ( 6 ).

Acorn squash is rich in antioxidants, which can neutralize potentially harmful molecules called free radicals. These antioxidants can help to protect people against health issues like arthritis, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, and certain cancers.

Acorn squash is primarily a carbohydrate, though it does supply small amounts of protein too. This fiber-rich vegetable is full of many nutrients, with some of the most notable being magnesium, potassium, manganese, vitamin C, and iron.

The orange color of acorn squash is a sign of high beta-carotene, which is a liver tonic and good for eyes.

Acorn squash has very low-fat content, with only 0.1 grams per 100g. Most of this fat (0.042grams) is polyunsaturated, a beneficial source for weight loss. Furthermore, it contains fewer sugar molecules than other winter and summer varieties. As a result, squash is a perfect low-carb diet.

Toxic squash syndrome can result from continuing to eat the bitter fruit. Some of the most rampant symptoms and indicators of toxic squash syndrome include diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Toxic squash syndrome can be so severe that it can cause swelling in the pancreas, liver, gallbladder, and kidneys.

How to avoid toxic squash syndrome. Due to the intense and unpleasant bitterness of plants with a high cucurbitacin concentration, you can usually tell when squash is bad. If you take a bite of squash and notice a nasty taste, spit it out and throw it away.

Acorn Squash

Starchy vegetables like winter squash also provide fiber to help you poop. Acorn squash is a small winter squash with orange flesh; its exterior is typically green but can also be white or orange.

Acorn squash: It has less vitamin A than butternut but provides even more fiber (9 grams per cup) and potassium (896 mg).

A hearty side dish or precursor to a soup, roasted winter squash is a delicious and versatile fixture in the diets of people with diabetes. Though technically classified as fruits, acorn squash and butternut squash are considered starchy vegetables that can serve as healthy replacements for russet potatoes.

Is acorn squash a super food? ›

This squash has a lot of antioxidants, which can boost your immunity and help your body to fight off certain diseases. Acorn squash contains antioxidants like vitamin C that help strengthen bones and blood vessels. It also has vitamin A, which helps improve the health of your lungs, heart and other vital organs.

Sweet potatoes are a good source of dietary fiber, and squash provides an additional boost with vitamin E and calcium. Neither vegetable has a negative impact on weight or health maintenance in its natural state.

Kidney-friendly squashes include yellow crookneck, scallop, and spaghetti. Some that should be enjoyed on occasion in half serving sizes (due to their potassium content) include pumpkin, butternut, acorn, hubbard and zucchini.

Skip eating most hard-skinned squash raw. "Hard skinned squash is difficult to eat raw," Marz says. "They are usually much larger in size, have a harder flesh, and are much more fibrous." Examples of hard-skinned squash that should not be eaten raw include: pumpkins, delicate, butternut, Hubbard, and acorn.

Per cup, butternut also offers 3 grams of fiber to benefit gut health. Due to it's high antioxidant activity, and presence of the carotenoid zeaxanthin, research has suggested butternut squash may help protect your eyes from macular degeneration, support heart health and play a role in immune function.

Its fiber helps with blood sugar. Butternut squash contains a type of fiber that's not digestible. If you have diabetes, it can help keep your blood sugar from rising after eating. Butternut squash also has a low glycemic index, which means that its carbs are digested more slowly.

Starchy potatoes

“Potatoes are a vegetable, but the health value of all vegetables are not interchangeable. White potatoes in particular have a very high glycemic load. As a result, a baked white potato can also raise blood sugar even more than a glazed doughnut.”

Nguyen said that people with diabetes can "confidently" eat butternut squash and sweet potato interchangeably, "as per their individual needs of carbohydrate intake." However, when in doubt, always consult with your doctor (and moderation is key).

Butternut Squash- Cooked butternut squash has nearly 22 grams of carbs, but nearly 7 grams of fiber, which makes it higher in sugar than many other vegetable options.