for a woman, 1.8 times the RDA for a man), 29 mcg folate (7 percent of the RDA), and 9.8
mg vitamin C (13 percent of the RDA for a woman, 11 percent of the RDA for a man). How-
ever, the vitamin A content of winter squash varies enormously depending on the variety
of squash.
The Most Nutritious Way to Serve This Food
Ounce for ounce, baked winter squash has more vitamin A than boiled squash because in
boiling the squash absorbs water that displaces some of the nutrients.
Diets That May Restrict or Exclude This Food
Buying This Food
Look for: Firm, heavy squash is smooth and unblemished skin. Acorn squash should have
a wide-ribbed, dark green shell. The longer the squash is stored, the more orange it will
become as its green chlorophyll pigments fade and the yellow carotenes underneath show
through. Butternut squash should be a smooth, creamy brown or yellow. Hubbard squash has a
ridged and bumpy orange red shell flecked with dark blue or gray. Spaghetti squash is smooth
and yellow. If the squash is sliced, the flesh inside should be smooth and evenly colored.
Storing This Food
Store winter squash in a cool, dry cabinet to protect its vitamins A and C. Squash stores
well. Hubbards, for example, may stay fresh for up to six months, acorn squash for three to
six months.
Do not refrigerate winter squash. Winter squash stored at cold temperatures convert
their starches to sugars.
Preparing This Food
Wash the squash and bake it whole, or cut it in half or in quarters (or smaller portions if it
is very large), remove the stringy part and the seeds, and bake or boil. Baking is the more
nutritious method since it preserves the most nutrients.
What Happens When You Cook This Food
When you bake a squash, the soluble food fibers in its cell walls dissolve and the squash
gets softer. Baking also caramelizes and browns sugars on the cut surface of the squash,
Winter Squash