I was a happily married mother-of-two and was earning a good salary working as a management director. But at 45, I had terrible mood swings and did not have a clear mind for anything.

I found myself struggling at work as I was barely able to make any decisions. I became highly emotional and my unpredictable mood swings affected my relationship with colleagues.

I read several online medical journals to find an in-house solution that I can do to treat myself. That was when I found some interesting facts about pumpkin seeds which are wonderful in treating mood swings and depression.

Munching on a handful of pumpkin seeds every day relieves symptoms of menopause. It reduces the frequency of hot flashes and mood swings. It also helps reduce joint pain and headache while increasing the level of good cholesterol and regulating blood pressure. Pumpkin seeds contain Tryptophan which improves mood naturally. That’s what happened to me as I started including pumpkin seeds in my diet. I started taking a handful of pumpkin seeds every morning before breakfast. I also added it to my salad which gives it a different flavor. I love to toast pumpkin seeds with a little chilli powder, garlic and fresh herbs, and top it with a little parmesan.

Tips to select, store and cook pumpkin seeds:

• Whether you buy it in a carton or a container, make sure that there is no moisture and that the seeds are not withered.
• Smell them to ensure that they have not gone tainted.
• My recommendation is, you buy organic raw pumpkin seeds which are safe to consume.
• You can store them in an air-tight container and refrigerate it for a month. Don’t keep it longer as they will lose their freshness.
• You can either oven roast them at 160°F or pan roast in medium heat, but only for 20mins. Beyond this, the fat structure in the seeds changes, making it unhealthy to be consumed.

About the author:

Kalpana Tripathi is a mother-of-two residing in Bangalore. She is also a frequent Joy By Nature shopper who loves to buy her monthly groceries here. In the above blog, she speaks up about overcoming her terrible mood swings with a simple solution of adding pumpkin seeds to her daily diet.