An influx of pumpkins usually means the arrival of fall, as well as the promise of some delicious traditional fall comfort foods. This may be in the form of pumpkin squash as a delicious side on Turkey day or our personal favorite; pumpkin pie!

We all love to consume this vibrant veggie, but are you aware of the magic pumpkin is creating inside your body? Apart from incredible health benefits, pumpkin contains antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that will help to brighten your skin and leave you looking radiant and glowing.

Pumpkins aren’t just for eating though! Keep those jack o’ lantern leftovers to use as a revitalizing and rejuvenating face mask thanks to powerful fruit enzymes.

Keep reading to find out why pumpkin is one of our favorite beauty foods!

Fights Free Radicals

While ingesting Vitamin C is certainly an excellent way to enjoy its antioxidant benefits, it seems to offer equally important benefits when applied topically to the skin. A simple Google search reveals hundreds of Vitamin C serums, lotions and oils, making it *the* beauty vitamin (and for good reason!).

Vitamin C has powerful anti-inflammatory properties to fight free radicals and protect your skin against the signs of aging. It promotes the formation of collagen, a structural protein that’s absolutely essential for keeping skin taut and plump (goodbye saggy skin!). If you’re into DIY, try this brightening and hydrating face mask that’s perfect for your next pamper sesh.

Protects Against Oxidative Damage

Carotenoids are organic pigments that are responsible for producing orange, red and yellow hues in fruits and veggies. Breaking it down even further, alpha-carotenes are found in yellow-orange fruits and veggies while beta-carotene are found in red-orange fruits and veggies.

But color isn’t the only thing carotenoids are for, they’re also a class of antioxidants that protect the skin against oxidative damage.

Every time you step outside, you expose your skin to wind, damaging UV rays and air pollution. Those elements can break down important structural proteins, namely elastin and collagen, and can lead to wrinkles, sagging and an overall aged complexion.

By eating pumpkin, you’re nourishing skin cells with these powerful antioxidants. As a result, you can enjoy a more youthful complexion and reduce damage from the environment. Yeah pumpkins!

Vitamin Rich

Pumpkins contain high amounts of beta-carotene (the red-orange pigment), which your body converts into Vitamins A and C. Both of these vitamins are super important for a healthy looking complexion. Vitamin A strengthens cells and hydrates the skin, while Vitamin C fights inflammation to keep skin conditions like acne at bay.

Along with these antioxidant vitamins, pumpkins are also rich in niacin and folate. These vitamins both increase blood circulation, which helps to stimulate cell renewal. Other vitamins found in pumpkin include Vitamin K, almost all of the B Vitamins, and Vitamin E.

Minerals Fight Inflammation

We often forget the importance of minerals for healthy, bright skin, and pumpkins are full of them!

Pumpkins are rich in magnesium, manganese, potassium, copper, iron and zinc. While all these minerals are important for a healthy skin, zinc is a mineral that most of us are deficient in. Not enough zinc may be the cause of those nasty breakouts you might be experiencing, as it helps with inflammation, infections and cell renewal.

For a more concentrated source of this skin loving mineral try roasting the pumpkin seeds; this recipe is delicious!

We hope this article helps you to truly make the most of every part of your pumpkin this fall season. So let the kids have fun making jack o’ lanterns while you put up your feet with a pumpkin enzyme mask and munch on some yummy pumpkin seeds! Your skin will thank you.