We often think of Halloween as a time of sugary treats. But there are lots of foods associated with the spooky season that are good for our health.

Here we look at the science happening here at the Quadram Institute into some of the ghoulishly good foods eaten at Halloween plus their nutritional content too.

Apples

A fruit often eaten at Halloween is apples, either as part of an apple bobbing game or as sugar-coated toffee apples.

Apples have a long-standing association with health. Apples are rich in nutrients including vitamin C and they contain dietary fibre in their skin and core. Fibre is important for our gut microbiome. Humans do not have enzymes that digest dietary fibre but our microbes digest it for us.

Plus, pectin found in apples can be used to make plant-based based jellies.

Apples contain polyphenols too, such as querticin, which evidence suggests may contribute to cardiovascular and metabolic health. Here at the Quadram Institute we study the health benefits of polyphenols, including those found in apples.

Chocolate

Halloween has become synonymous with trick or treating, including chocolate. Though chocolate is often high in sugar and fat, it does contain polyphenols too. Dark chocolate in particular is high in polyphenols.

Here at the Quadram Institute, together with the University of East Anglia, we are running the DIAMOND study which is investigating how these polyphenols influence the microbiome and Alzheimer’s risk.

Broccoli soup

A spooky savoury dish that is sometimes served at Halloween is broccoli soup.

Broccoli is one of a group of vegetables called crucifers. Cruciferous vegetables are good at switching on our own defences and there is scientific evidence that diets high in these vegetables help to reduce risk of cancer and maybe also heart disease.

Here at the Quadram Institute we study the health benefits of broccoli.

Our previous research together with the John Innes Centre developed broccoli which is high in glucoraphanin, a compound key to broccoli’s health benefits.  Smarter Naturally is the resulting spin-out company from the Quadram Institute.

Our researchers working together with clinicians at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital on the ADaPT study found that a compound derived from broccoli linked to reducing the risk and progression of prostate cancer accumulates in prostate tissue, providing evidence for how the protection may work.

More recently we have run the BETA study which investigated how eating broccoli soup affects sugar accumulation in the blood of people with pre-diabetes.

Garlic

Another popular plant eaten at Halloween is garlic. Though we can’t verify folklores claims to ward off vampires, the ability of garlic to ward off microbes does have scientific evidence.

The previous AdAPT study at the Quadram Institute investigated the role of garlic compounds as well as broccoli compounds in reducing progression of prostate cancer.

Alliin from garlic was detected in prostate tissue but not to significantly higher concentrations compared to those who hadn’t taken the garlic supplements, with the exception of one zone, suggesting that the metabolism of compounds derived from garlic are different to that of those derived from broccoli.

Pumpkin

Jack-o’-lanterns carved from pumpkins are a popular Halloween tradition.

Pumpkin flesh is 95% water. The flesh contains some fibre and sugars, plus lots of nutrients. These nutrients include carotene, a bioactive plant which gives it the orange colour.

Much of what we know about the nutrient content of pumpkins was derived from pumpkins bought from Norwich supermarkets, greengrocers and market stalls in 1985.

Here at the Quadram Institute, our Food and Nutrition National Bioscience Research Infrastructure team are responsible for compiling and publishing data on the nutritional composition of foods eaten in the UK.

More widely at the Quadram Institute, we investigate how food and gut microbes interact to promote health. Our research is developing and trailing new plant-based food and microbiome-based intervention strategies to increase healthy human lifespans.