Carving a pumpkin is slimy business. But that lopsided jack-o-lantern and scent of hot, roasted pumpkin seeds are worth the mess.

The fall season is immersed in seeds and nuts -- late-season major leaguers are packing cheeks with sunflower seeds and greats aunt everywhere are placing bowls of nuts on the table when you come over.

If this time a year your favorite seeds are roasted fresh from a pumpkin, have you ever considered their calorie count? Especially if you find yourself snacking from a big batch several days post-carving.

How many calories in one cup of whole, roasted pumpkin seeds?

There are more ways to use that pumpkin than as a Jack-o-lantern -- you can bake those seeds into a delicious, nutritious snack that the whole family will enjoy. Prepared healthfully, pumpkin seeds are low in calories and fat and high in fiber, protein and -- if you use this recipe -- flavour.

You know which foods give you more energy, and you're aware of the foods that will pack on the pounds. But, can certain foods help your love life? According to a recent article on MSN, the answer is yes!

There's a reason people have turned to aphrodisiacs throughout the course of history -- while oysters alone won't turn you (or your date) into a raging sex machine, certain foods have been shown to have a subtle effect on "how amorous you're feeling."

Want to know what foods you should order on your next date? Check out the gallery!

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Chances are, you've already carve your pumpkin this year but if you're a leave-it-to-the-last-minute person like me, and you just finished gutting your jack-o-lantern 10 minutes ago, hold on to those seeds.

Why? Because you can toast them and make yourself a delicious, nutritious snack that will help you stay away from the Halloween candy. Pumpkin seeds are fairly low cal and high in protein. There's a little bit of saturated fat in there, but mostly it's good fat. So enjoy in moderation, but enjoy nonetheless.

Want a recipe? I just did this one and it's fantastic -- I'm eating them right now!

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Left to his own devices, the only vegetable my guy would eat would be tomatoes (and then, only as salsa), not because he doesn't like them, but because of the shopping, cutting, and cooking that's involved. If you're a man who's interested in nutrition, then you might enjoy this article from Men's Health that lists the 10 best foods that men aren't eating. All but the savviest cooks seems to be leaving these off their shopping lists, but these 10 foods pack a powerful nutritional punch. What's even better is that, though there are a few exotics on the list, many of these foods can be found in season at your local farmer's markets right now. They include:

1. Beets
2. Cabbage
3. Guava
4. Swiss chard
5. Cinnamon (and not on a bun!)
6. Purslane
7. Pomegranate juice
8. Goji berries
9. Dried plums
10. Pumpkin seeds

I'll admit that beets haven't crossed our plates in years, but this article may have just inspired me to grab a few the next time I'm out.

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A favorite snack food of mine are pumpkin seeds. Along with peanuts, walnuts and sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds are tasty and nutritious as well. Try adding them to a trail mix someday -- they are great!

They are more than tasty, though; recent research out of China points to pumpkin seeds as a way to help halt type 1 diabetes. The study, of course, was performed on rats (aren't all the good ones?).

The study concluded that Asian pumpkin extract may help protect pancreatic cells from being destroyed by the ravages of type 1 diabetes. Although these results are preliminary, I hope they prove true. You couldn't ask for a better way to help the body defend itself from diabetes.

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I've come to realize that there are two types of people in the world: the sweet and the salty. No, I'm not talking about their disposition, I'm talking about their cravings. Some people have a major sweet tooth and when they're craving something, they reach for the chocolate or the ju jubes. Others crave salty things and will go for the chips. That's not to say that sweet people can't crave salty and vice versa, but they usually have one or the other as their default craving.

My point? I'm a sweet, so I've done a few posts on low-cal sweets that can satisfy this palate of mine. But I though I'd give the salties something to munch on and offer these suggestions, which include:

• Edamame, which is steamed soy beans lightly sea salted
• Roasted pumpkin seeds with a dash of salt
• Reduced-Fat Triscuits
• Light microwave popcorn (or air-popped -- even better!)

Salties, what's your favourite indulgence?

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