Squash/Pumpkin

[Riccadonna]

I can't get squash anymore (wrong time of the year) and my freezer supply is running v low, so I googled the difference between squash and pumpkin, and this is what I found:

the difference between a pumpkin and a squash?
A. It is all in what you call it. Varieties of each of the four species, discussed in this section are popularly called "pumpkins," and varieties of each are called "squash," more by tradition than by system. In fact, orange color sometimes helps determine what is a pumpkin. Two varieties of the same species, C. maxima, hold the records for the world's largest squash and pumpkin. The variety called squash is gray to green and larger one called a pumpkin is pinkish to orange. Shape may vary slightly, but these two freely inter-pollinate and are botanically pretty much identical. Unless you are dealing with specific rules or regulations at a show, you can pretty much interchange the words squash and pumpkin, though you can expect a fight with purists, no matter what you do.


SO, my question is, can we substitute squash with pumpkin? And if not, if it is "botanically pretty much identical" as above, why not? Thanks!

[Rochy]

Writing on my phone Ricca so short n sweet, on refeed pumpkin n butternut are carbs so I wouldn't go swapping!

Dont ask me why, Dr Cohen has his reasons for everything! Something must be different. Gem squash is alot smaller & the skin is heaps tougher than regular squash too.

Perhaps ask your clinic

[Collie]

Ricca, Rochy is soooooo totally right here, pumpkin is considered a carb, now and forever, even into maintenance you have to count it as a carb if you want to eat it. Treat with caution.

It's high in starch to my knowledge and has an even higher GI, so even if biologically they are almost the same, they obviously behave very differently in our body.

Who cares why??? Dr Cohen has very good reasons why he approves some foods and not others. Take tomato for example, we are allowed general, normal tomatoes but not cherry or grape tomato, we're not allowed red capsicum, but we are allowed green, we're not allowed gold kiwifruit, but we are allowed standard etc.

There are heaps and heaps of examples of this within food varieties, even though most of these will be biologically virtually identical. But they aren't interchangeable on our program.

Of course you're free to do what you like, but i'd treat this with the utmost caution.

Sorry if you think i'm being harsh, but there needs to be on this program almost a blind acceptance of the rules given to us, including the very specific list of foods we are expected to consume, and those we're not.

[Busybee9]

However if your programme does not specifically say "pumpkin", which I'm sure it most probably doesn't then no, it is not allowed. For example... Red and green capsicums ARE the same veg. Only diff is that red is left on the bush for longer and green is in the programme and red is not.

The doc would have very specific reasons for allowing one and not the other and it would most likely have something to do with the sugar content (also in refeed pumpkin is considered a carb and needs to be weighed as such).

Sorry my dear...the answer to that would be a resounding NO!

Bee

(I will copy this to your other thread too)

[Ciors]

Hi Ricca, they are in the same 'family' but are very different, 20g of squash yields .6g carb, while 20g of pumpkin yields 1.7g of carbs. That's nearly 3 times the amount of squash, and our bodies treat carbs like it treats sugar. I will second Collie, if it's not on your program, don't eat it, it's just not worth it. It's coming into spring, they will be back on the shelves again soon.

[toothfairy]

Definitely only gem squash which is small, round and dark green, very hard outer and a light yellow almost washed out colour inside. Terrible things to cut up. Then last week I saw (NZ) new season squash in the supermarket and it had dark green/orange skin, medium round in shape and bright orange in side. I did have some but after reading this I'm now thinking that it's not the sort of squash Dr Cohen recommends so I would be best to leave it alone.
Anyway it weighs really heavy and you don't get much to eat so would prefer more bulky filling foods which weigh less.
Interesting post from you all.

[Runninggirl]

I have ask as i am not sure is yellow and gem squash the same thing or two different things......my program says yellow/gem squash

[Ciors]

Hi RG, they're two different types...one is yellow with soft edible skin, very similar to zucchini in taste and texture etc...gem squash has a very hard skin...I've not been able to find them down here in the sticks so haven't tried one

[Runninggirl]

Ok thanks for the reply I'm just not going to have it as i cannot find any i might grow some in my new garden next summer just because i like them very much cause when i stayed in south Africa they were in abbundance I think that is one of the first solid food that we use to give our children when they start on solids. We use to cut it in halves boil it in salt water when cooked scoop out the pips and fill it with sweet corn put some cheese over and bake it in the oven NOT A COHEN FRIENDLY MEAL HEHEHE. I will enjoy them next year from my own garden

[Blommie]

Shame RG and here I got "upset" not getting gem squash at Woolies and PnP yesterday. I would agree with the other ladies on staying away from pumpkin. Perhaps check with your clinic on what other veggie can be used as a substitute?

[djane]

They were in countdown in the wintertime (never to be seen since)

[claireybell]

Yellow squash is in my local IGA at the moment