All Things Pumpkin

Every October, in windows of homes across North America, glowing faces appear. Some have scary grins, and others just look funny, but all of them are carved from pumpkins and are called jack-o’-lanterns.

Jack-o’-lanterns didn’t start out being carved from pumpkins. They were first made in Great Britain and Ireland long before people brought back pumpkins from the Americas. Back then, people carved scary faces onto turnips and put them outside their homes to keep spirits away. When these people moved to the Americas, they started using pumpkins for the jack-o’-lanterns because they were larger and easier to carve.

Pumpkins are used for a lot more than just Halloween decorations. They are good for your health, too! The chemical that makes pumpkins orange helps fight against cancer and is useful for keeping your eyes healthy. The meat of the pumpkin is also low in fat, making it great for people who are worried about their weight. Pumpkin seeds are high in vitamins and can protect your bones. It looks like pumpkins pack a health punch for your whole body!

妙用無窮的南瓜

每年十月，北美洲家家戶戶的窗前都會出現閃閃發光的臉孔。有些露出嚇人的笑臉，有些則是滑稽可笑，不過它們全都是用南瓜刻出來的，被稱為空心南瓜燈。

空心南瓜燈一開始並不是用南瓜來刻的。最初早在人們從美洲帶回南瓜之前，在英國和愛爾蘭就有人製作空心南瓜燈了。回顧當時，人們在蕪菁上刻出嚇人的臉孔並把它們放在家門外以驅趕幽靈。當這些人移居美洲後，他們開始用南瓜來製作空心南瓜燈，因為南瓜較大且比較容易雕刻。

南瓜的用途很多，不只是作為萬聖節的裝飾品而已。它們對健康也很有益！讓南瓜呈現橘色的化學物質有助於抗癌且對維持眼睛健康很有用。南瓜果肉的脂肪含量也很低，使之很適合擔心體重問題的人來食用。南瓜子富含維他命，而且可以保護骨骼。看來南瓜對你全身的健康都大有幫助！