Pumpkin Seeds
 

Yesterday, I was hungry, in a convenience store, and discovered David's roasted pumpkin seeds. According to the label on the bag, they only had a net carb count of 4g for the entire bag. Later, at the airport, I found a similar sized bag of Planter's pumkin seeds with a count of 14g for half the amount!

I looked them up on fitday and am just as confused. 1c of hulled seeds yeilds 30 total grams with 8.8 of fibre, but 1c of whole seeds yeilds 34 g and NO fibre. How does that compute? Isn't the shell pretty much all fibre?

So now I'm just trying to figure out if pumpkin seeds can be a part of my low-carb lifestyle on a regular basis or is it best to steer clear. Any insight would be appreciated.

How can you hull them
 

Piglet - I am all puzzled here - how can you hull pumpkin seeds - to me hull means without the shell like the black and white shell on a sunflower seed - the shell of a pumpkin seed is the pumpkin isn't it? :confused: whenever I roast the seeds of a pumpkin we eat the whole thing - is there some way to get to just a small kernel inside?

I agree with you, Koko.... it seems weird to think of hulled pumpkin seeds, but they do have a shell. It's IMPOSSIBLE to hull them though, in my opinion. I was waiting for a response to this cause the packages I've eaten of pumpkin seeds look fine for LC. Lots of sodium but only 4 ECC for a pretty large quantity. They're too salty to eat the whole bag in one sitting anyway.

Piglet, I think they're fine, but it's really hard to tell since the carb counts are all off. Waiting for someone who knows to respond.

:)

From Barbara Kraus
 

I have a very old copy of "Calories and Carbohydrates" by Barbara Kraus - it lists pumpkin seeds both hulled and unhulled - (maybe there is a machine somewhere in pumpkinland that does this???)

• Pumpkin seeds whole 4 oz by weigh - 12.6 carbs and 464 calories
• Pumpkin seeds Hulled 4 oz in weight - 17.00 carbs and 627 calories

Since its by weight I imagine that would be a lot of pumpkin seeds.


Thinking back - after the seeds are roasted - if you do them long enough - the outline of a small kernel is visible through the larger tear shaped papery hull - . Maybe a machine can heat them something like a corn popper and then the kernels could be mechanically seperated from the hulls???
:wave:

I think that when they are hulled they are green and called pepitas, I've never seen un-hulled (did I just make up a word :D ) pumpkin seeds for sale down here they are all pepitias .....

Fiona

Fionna Thanks for the pepita tip - I love knowing another name for something -

Piglet - I just used the carb counter at Atkins web site and it gives for 100gram pumpkin seed -

• 13.43 carb
• 3.90 fibre
• 32.97 protein (isn't that a lot of protein?)
• 9.53 ecc

13.43 carb

yup
 

fiona is right, the "hulled" pumpkin seeds are pepitas. its just like the sunflower kernal of a sunflower seed.

By the way, pepitas are DELICIOUS. They can be found not only in mexican grocery marts but many regular grocery stores as well. In fact the popular low carb snack Pumpkorn is just pepitas with lots of seasoning. The best is just plain roasted pepitas. VERY good and a nice salty snack that is rather different. Also very low in carbs! yumyum yum!

-Angie

I buy the organic pepitas at my grocery store in the bulk section. the carb count on the lable there says 4 carbs 3 fiber . I roast them up often for an afternoon snack. a little olive oil and salt and into the oven on 350 for 15 mins or so and they are yummy. they practically melt in your mouth.

jade