Are Sunflower Seeds Good For You? 7 Health Benefits of Sunflower Seeds

Are Sunflower Seeds Good For You? 7 Health Benefits of Sunflower Seeds: In today’s article, we will be talking about the sunflower plant, scientifically known as Helianthus annuus. To be precise, we will be discussing the amazing health benefits of sunflower seeds, Besides being beautiful, sunflowers have a lot to offer for our health.

Have you ever heard of sunflower seeds or sunflower oil? Have you ever tried one of them? Usually, we don’t pay much attention to sunflower seeds, but did you know that they can contribute to your health? Highly nutritious, sunflower seeds are relatively cheap and easy to find in supermarkets or health food stores.

Sunflower seeds are good for the intestine, heart, and skin, and even help control glucose. Did you know that? No!? Then, learn some of the benefits of eating sunflower seeds:

The seeds are harvested from the head of the sunflower plant. One flower head measures up to 12 inches in diameter and might contain up to 2,000 seeds. Sunflower seeds are white but have a tough outer shell.

The shell is black and white with a striped appearance. In many parts of the world, humans have been consuming sunflower seeds since time immemorial in many forms.

• 1. Raw seeds are eaten as a portable and easy snack.
• 2. roasted seeds are sprinkled on top of cereals, cooked vegetables, or salads.    
• 3. SF seeds can also be added to pieces of bread or muffins.
• 4. Oil and butter are obviously the most common uses of sunflower seeds worldwide.

In this article, we will talk about some of the scientifically-backed health benefits of consuming sunflower seeds.

Sunflower Seeds: Gives you Healthier Skin

There’s another benefit to sunflower seeds, The healthy fatty acid, zinc, and Vitamin E all contribute to healthier skin.

Our skin is the first line of defense against lethal diseases. It suffers from various external destructive forces and regenerates itself to keep the barrier strong. The essential fatty acids, such as oleic and linoleic acid, found in sunflower seeds help prevent skin diseases.

These compounds also help with wound healing and preventing scarring, so if you want a glowing complexion, give them a try. The antibacterial and antifungal properties of sunflower seeds also prevent infections, thus keeping our skin clear. Additionally, zinc and vitamin E protect the skin against UV damage and accelerate skin regeneration.

Sunflower Seed: Are good for pregnant females

Sunflower seeds contain zinc, folate, and vitamin E. These are all essential nutrients for a growing fetus.

So, if you are trying to have a baby, or you are pregnant, or you are just someone following a healthy diet, sunflower seeds have something for everyone.

Folate is a micronutrient with a very important role in a developing baby. Adequate folate levels are required for the placenta to grow and remain healthy.

Also, folate is important for the baby’s brain and nervous system to grow to their full potential. Folate deficiency has been linked to terrible outcomes, such as spinal bifid.

• 1. ZINC: is important for the baby’s pancreas to produce insulin and other vital enzymes.
• 2. Vitamin E: is necessary for the development of the fetus. It helps the muscles grow and also supports the red blood cells, which do all the hard work of transporting vital oxygen to each and every part of the developing fetus.

Sunflower Seeds: Are densely packed with nutrients

Sunflower seeds are wholesome food. This is because they are packed with a good number of healthy nutrients in sufficient quantities. · For example, 100 gms of sunflower seeds contain 585 calories of energy – and keep in mind, these are pure, complex carbohydrates that are considered good calories.

They also contain about 8.5 grams of fiber. So just a wrist full of sunflower seeds can meet the fiber demands of your body. They contain about 51.5 gms of essential fats and these are mostly polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, which are good fats.

These help to lower your blood cholesterol levels and improve your cardiovascular health. · 100 gms of sunflower seeds contain about 20 gms of proteins, and they are also full of micronutrients such as thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, folate, choline, vitamin B6, vitamin C, and vitamin E. Sunflower seeds also contain minerals like calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, and zinc. This information should be enough to motivate you to start adding sunflower seeds to your diet.

 Sunflower Seeds: Are good for your Heart

As we mentioned earlier, sunflower seeds are rich in fat. Now the word “fats” makes people think about unhealthy foods.

But sunflower seeds are rich in “healthy” fats, including polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats.

Specifically, linoleic acid is a compound. Linoleic acid is important because it is a compound that relaxes blood vessels in your body and also lowers cholesterol. This was clinically proven by a study at Harvard University.

In 2014 a paper was published titled “Consumption of Plant Seeds and Cardiovascular Health: Epidemiologic and Clinical Trial Evidence.” They summarized that there is substantial evidence that increased seed consumption—sunflower seeds included—is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus.

They mean that there is a significant reduction in risk factors for heart disease, such as serum cholesterol levels or high blood pressure, which is attributable to various components of the sunflower seed. such as.

• 1. Niacin, or vitamin B3, which is present in sunflower seeds, It is an essential component of the cholesterol pathways and acts to reduce total cholesterol levels.
• 2. Vitamin B5 or pantothenic acid in sunflower seeds increases HDL cholesterol, which is the healthy cholesterol required by the body.
• 3. Fiber: It reduces total fat absorption.
• 4. Magnesium: Magnesium is required for blood vessels to relax and, as a result, blood pressure levels fall.
• 5. Cynarin: it is an alkaloid found in sunflower seeds and can lower triglycerides and cholesterol, an effect that may potentially benefit people with hyperglycemia or hyperlipidemia.

Now, this combined glucose and cholesterol-lowering effect of sunflower seeds are especially important for people with diabetes. Some research, like a 2012 study on elderly women with Type 2 diabetes mellitus, suggests that people who eat sunflower seeds daily find they are fasting blood sugar reduced by up to 10%.

But more research involving a wider age group and better-defined criteria is needed before sunflower seeds can be advocated as a sugar-lowering agent.

Sunflower Seeds: Can Boost Your Immunity

Sunflower seeds are packed with essential vitamins and minerals. The most important of these for our immunity are Vitamin E, Zinc, and Selenium.

• Vitamin E is crucial to immune function and helps protect us against various illnesses. It is also a powerful antioxidant that helps prevent cell damage by free radicals.
• Zinc is a key component of the immune system and can help with the development and maintenance of cells. It also has the ability to kill off oxidants in order to keep everything running smoothly.
• Selenium also acts as a natural anti-inflammatory and infection fighter. It also boosts the immune system to produce a proper response to any bugs. This mineral is also postulated to be a critical part of brain health and is linked to the prevention of various neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

Sunflower Seeds: Can boost your brain function

Talking about brain health, sunflower seeds can boost your brain function too! Sunflower seeds are a good source of vitamin B6, also known as pyridoxine. This essential nutrient is important for the synthesis of neurotransmitters in the brain.

A neurotransmitter imbalance can have a variety of mental impacts. As a result, eating sunflower seeds can help to re-establish the ideal equilibrium. This helps to improve mood, concentration, and memory.

Sunflower seeds also help with symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), such as irritability and depression.

Sunflower Seeds: Can reduce inflammation.

Sunflower Seeds Can reduce inflammation. To clear up a misconception Inflammation itself isn’t bad. It is a natural process that our body initiates in response to injury or stress that occurs either externally or internally.

While in acute situations, inflammation is important for the body to control the extent of damage and start the process of healing and recovery. Chronic inflammation is proven to be harmful to us, and chronic inflammation is a risk factor for many chronic diseases.

One way researchers and doctors quantify inflammation is by calculating the levels of a protein in our bodies known as C-Reactive protein, or in short, CRP. Increased C-reactive protein levels in your body are a signal of a higher risk of inflammation, which is directly linked to heart disease and diabetes.

A 2006 study titled “Nut and seed consumption and inflammatory markers” attempted to discover a link between consumption of seeds and nuts, including sunflower seeds, and inflammation markers such as CRP, interleukin 6, and fibrinogen levels.

They found that frequent nut and seed consumption, including sunflower seed, was associated with lower levels of inflammatory markers, including CRP. This also explains the association of nut consumption with a lowered risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

What a loss to eat too many Sunflower Seeds:

Before we end this article, there are some facts you should be careful of. Here are some potential side effects of sunflower seeds.

• 1. Eating too many sunflower seeds can make you vomit, cause stomach aches, and lead to constipation. Do not consume more than recommended.
• 2. If you’re allergic to some seeds, eating sunflower seeds can cause vomiting, rashes on the skin, breathing problems like wheezing or struggling to breathe (due to airway swelling), itching around the mouth, or swollen lips.
• 3. Sunflower seeds are high in calories. Eating too much can lead to weight gain.
• 4. Sunflower seeds contain traces of cadmium, which is not good for our kidneys.
• 5. Also, contaminated sprouted seeds can lead to bacterial infections of the gut. As always, it’s important to wash your hands before eating them.

Well friends, with this, we come to the end of this article. we hope we have given you some new and exciting facts and knowledge. if you want to know more questions and answers about sunflower seeds, you can read more below.

FAQ’s

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