The Popular Winter Squash That Can Lower Blood Pressure And Blood Sugar At The Same Time

You can find many varieties of squash year-round. One particular kind, butternut squash, is typically enjoyed during the winter. It features a pear-like shape, an orange-tan color, and nutrient-rich flesh. A single cup of plain, cooked butternut squash offers 6.6 grams of fiber, 4 grams of sugar, and 22 grams of carbohydrates, per WebMD. 

Thanks to its moderate sugars and carbohydrates, butternut squash clocks in as a 51 on the glycemic index. That's appealing news if you're concerned about your sugar intake, since foods with a GI value below 55 are low-glycemic, meaning they aren't as likely to cause your sugar to go on a rollercoaster ride. "Butternut squash is high in fiber, which slows digestion," Destini Moody, a registered dietitian and sports nutritionist for Garage Gym Reviews, told Health Digest. "Butternut squash is also great for those with insulin resistance or diabetes because, though it tastes starchy like a potato, it doesn't spike blood sugar in the same way."

But blood sugar maintenance isn't the only thing butternut squash can help with; it can benefit your blood pressure and overall heart health, too. As Moody explained, "Like other orange vegetables such as carrots and sweet potatoes, butternut squash is high in beta-carotene, which is an antioxidant that has been shown to help lower the risk of heart disease by affecting the genes that increase the risk of heart problems."

A 2021 review in Heliyon examined several studies on the blood pressure-reducing properties of alpha-carotene and beta-carotene. The authors concluded that supplementing the diet with both antioxidants brought down hypertension in patients with existing elevated blood pressure. The only caveat was that they couldn't say if one carotenoid carried more weight or if the combined presence of many carotenoids caused positive effects. Meanwhile, researchers of a 2023 review in the Journal of the American Heart Association determined that hypertensive individuals who had high concentrations of carotenoids like beta-carotene experienced a decreased risk of dying from their conditions.

Beta-carotene isn't the only nutritional asset that may help butternut squash squelch blood pressure, though. Potassium may, too. According to Jenna Volpe, a registered dietitian nutritionist interviewed for Everyday Health, "One cup of cooked butternut squash provides almost 20 percent of the daily value of potassium." She added that butternut squash consumption "on a regular basis (a few times a week) could help to significantly boost potassium in the diet, naturally supporting more balanced blood pressure."

As far as cooking with butternut squash goes, Moody had plenty of recommendations. "Roasting butternut squash and blending it with broth into soup is my favorite dish to make in the fall," she said. "The veggie also makes a phenomenal, lower calorie substitute for sweet potatoes in that you can bake it as fries, make it into mash, or chop it up to use in dishes like black bean chili." However, she cautioned against boiling or frying this type of squash because of potential nutrient losses.

That said, feel free to buy butternut squash in bulk when it's in season. To preserve it, cut the flesh into cubes and freeze it. As a 2024 study in Foods showed, freezing squash didn't significantly alter its beta-carotene levels. And you'll be able to enjoy its potential health advantages long after the cold months are over.

As a final thought, you may want to try growing butternut squash so you can control how much you have on hand. If you do, consider buying (or planting) the Pluto variety of butternut squash. According to a 2020 study in Food Research International, butternut squash grown from Pluto seeds contained more beta-carotene than butternut squash grown from Ariel seeds.