Learn the Health Benefits of Sunflower Seeds
Sunflowers
The sunflower name comes from the Greek words helios (sun) and anthos (flower). It got its name because the flowers turn toward the sun. One sunflower head can produce up to 1,000 seeds.
The sunflower is one of the first plants in the United States to be cultivated and sunflower oil (derived from the seeds) is one of the most popular oils used in the world.
Health Benefits of Sunflower Seeds
Vitamin E
Sunflower seeds are extremely high in vitamin E. A 1/4 cup of seeds has 90.5% of the daily recommended value of vitamin E.
Vitamin E, a fat-soluble vitamin, is a powerful antioxidant that helps prevent free radicals from oxidizing fat-containing molecules and structures, including cholesterol. When cholesterol becomes oxidized, it is able to adhere to the walls of vessels (which can lead to blocked arteries, stroke, or heart attack).
Because of their vitamin E content, they can also help reduce painful symptoms in rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis by decreasing inflammation.
Magnesium
A 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds contains almost 32% of the daily recommended value of magnesium.
Magnesium can help decrease high blood pressure, lessen the severity of asthma, prevent migraines, and reduce ones risk of a stroke or heart attack.
Magnesium is essential for healthy bones and is also important in energy production.
Selenium
Sunflower seeds are a very good source of selenium. 30.6% of the daily recommended value of selenium can come from eating a 1/4 cup of seeds.
Selenium is a trace mineral that can help in the prevention and treatment of cancer. Selenium blocks chemical reactions that create free radicals (which can damage DNA in cells, leading to cancer), can keep DNA molecules that have been damaged from reproducing (preventing the development of tumors), can slow the progression of cancer in those who have it, and (when combined with vitamin A and E) can reduce the toxicity of chemotherapy drugs.
Other nutrients in a 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds include vitamin B1 (54.7%), manganese (36.5%), copper (31.5%), tryptophan (31.3%), phosphorus (25.4%), vitamin B5 (24.3%), and folate (20.5%).
Removing Shells
If you would like to get the health benefits of sunflower seeds from your own garden, you can do the following to remove the shells:
- place a small amount of seeds in a bowl of an electric mixer
- pulse the mixer on and off for a few seconds at a time (just enough to separate the shells - some may become crushed)
- place the seeds in cold water (the shells will float to the top)
- use a slotted spoon to scoop out the shells.
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sunflowers.jpg
Disclaimer
Please read this disclaimer regarding the information contained within this article.
This post is part of the series: Nuts and Seeds
Health benefits of nuts and seeds.
