WINTER SQUASHES offer some of the best bang for your buck at the supermarket, and if you know how to cook squash, it's easy and delicious.

Just the name, "squash," sounds faintly ridiculous, and many winter squashes look like something drawn by Dr. Seuss--outlandish bells or balls with striped, speckled and sometimes warty rinds.

But all squashes conceal rich, golden flesh within, packed with antioxidants, vitamins and fiber. And as a bonus, squashes are inexpensive vegetables, often selling for less than a dollar a pound.

Squashes saved America

American Indians tended native squashes and shared them with the English colonists. The Pilgrims wouldn't have survived the brutal Massachusetts winter without squashes, one of the few vegetables that can be stored fresh for months at a time. And Founding Fathers George Washington and Thomas Jefferson reportedly grew squashes avidly in their own home gardens.

Today, most supermarkets carry a variety of squashes, from enormous warty, gray Hubbard squash to grapefruit-size sweet dumpling squash. Medium-size squashes include orange pumpkins, squat turbans, gold-and-green-striped delicatas and low-calorie, yellow spaghetti squashes.

Smart carbs

A cup of cooked winter squash has about as many calories as other starchy foods such as potatoes, but much more fiber--6 to 7 grams per serving.

This means squash is digested more slowly and does not raise blood sugar as quickly. It is a smart carbohydrate, like whole grains, good for providing slow-release energy.

One variety of squash, spaghetti squash, is very low in calories: A cup has only 45 calories and 10 grams of carbohydrate, of which 4 grams are fiber. It's an especially healthy choice for people who have diabetes or who are trying to lose weight.

Also, a half-cup of most varieties of squash supplies double the beta-carotene needed for the day. (It's rare to overdose on beta-carotene from food.) Beta-carotene helps keep skin smooth and boosts the immune system.

Savoring squashes

The hardest part of eating squash is cutting through the thick rind. Place the squash on a cutting board and use a large chef's knife to carefully slice it in half. Scoop out the seeds and discard the stringy flesh in the center pocket.