Some studies have shown that a moderate consumption of sunflower seeds can help lower blood sugar levels. Sunflower seeds can be part of a weight loss diet. The healthy fat they contain, as well as their fiber and protein content, make them a good snack choice for someone on a weight loss diet.

Having the choice of eating raw, spicy or roasted sunflower seeds prevents snack time from becoming boring while dieting. Granola could be described as one of the most versatile and customizable grab-and-go breakfast items or portable snack.

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Health Benefits of Sunflower Seeds Share this article: Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on google. Sunflowers Seeds for Better health Those tall, vibrant-colored sunflowers that can reach 12 feet or more in height with flowers as large as 15 inches wide are more than just an eye-catching feature in the garden.

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Here's everything you need to know about the tiny seeds, including their health benefits and ways to use them. The sunflower Helianthus annuus originated in North America and is a very tough plant that can grow in almost any kind of soil.

It thrives in locations with full sun exposure. Once a sunflower blooms, the seeds typically need about another month before they can be harvested. The seeds grow in the plant's flower head and are harvested from there," says Liana Werner-Gray, Natural Food Chef and best-selling author.

You'll be able to find sunflower seeds at most supermarkets and may notice that some come as the whole seed whereas others only have the kernels.

According to the National Sunflower Association , a sunflower kernel is the meat inside of the actual sunflower seed. But whole sunflower seeds have the meat of the seed intact and inside the shell. You can roast and season them, then eat them by cracking the shell with your teeth, disposing of the hull and eating the kernel within the seed.

Serving size: 1 oz. unsalted roasted sunflower seed kernels. Not only do sunflower seeds offer a great nutty flavor and crunchy texture, but they have a variety of health benefits, including:. These "good" fats are heart-friendly because they can help lower levels of LDL bad cholesterol in the blood, reducing your risk of heart attack or stroke.

Just look for options that are unsalted or lightly salted for the most heart-healthy pick. The antioxidants in sunflower seeds can also help combat inflammation and other chronic diseases. A strong immune system is key to maintaining good overall health, and sunflower seeds are a great immune supporter, thanks to their vitamin E content.

They also contain a bit of zinc and selenium which can also help support a healthy immune system. Add them to a salad, trail mix or sprinkle over roasted veggies for a crunchy, protein-filled bite.

Better yet, serve them alongside vitamin C-rich foods for the ultimate immune-boosting combination. The fiber in sunflower seeds can help keep things regular and prevent constipation. But if you're not used to eating fiber-rich foods , you may want to start slow and gradually increase the serving size over time.

Staying hydrated is also key when incorporating more fiber-rich foods into your diet to help the fiber properly absorb in your stomach and pass through your system.

Getting plenty of fiber and protein is an important step in maintaining a healthy weight, and sunflower seeds are packed with both. How do they help? Both nutrients help keep you full for longer, and fiber also promotes good digestion and regulates blood sugar levels. If you're eating the whole sunflower seed and not sunflower kernels, you'll want to be sure that you discard the hull.

Since the hulls are primarily composed of fiber, eating too much of them can cause digestive upset and if not chewed properly the sharp pieces of the shell could damage the digestive lining and more. Although sunflower seeds and sunflower seed butter are typically considered allergen-friendly alternatives to other nuts and seeds, if you have an allergy to sunflower seeds you should avoid these products.

Sunflower seeds make for a great nutrient-dense snack. You can eat the kernels straight from the bag but actual whole sunflower seeds with the hull can be a bit more labor-intensive. To eat the whole seed, you'll want to crack the outer shell between your teeth and spit out the shell before chewing the seed.

Werner-Gray recommends sprinkling sunflower seed kernels on salads, into your yogurt or oatmeal, or adding them to your favorite trail mix. You can also enjoy sunflower seeds in seed butter form.

Sunflower seed butter offers a peanut-free alternative that is typically a school-safe option.

She has authored or co-authored 10 books for consumers about nutrition at all stages of life. Sunflower seeds may conjure up memories of baseball games growing up—and for good reason.

These little seeds are a nutritional home run. Adding sunflower seeds to your diet could do wonders for your skin, heart, immunity and overall health. Read on to find out four good reasons to start adding them to your favorite snacks for a serious health boost. It's hard to believe so much nutrition could be packed into one tiny seed.

Here's the nutritional information for a 1-ounce serving of dry roasted sunflower seeds, without salt, per the USDA :. While sunflower seeds are fairly high in fat for a 1-ounce serving, they are made mostly of beneficial polyunsaturated fats.

According to the American Heart Association , these types of fats are anti-inflammatory and heart-healthy.

Additionally, sunflower seeds are a good source of fiber and protein, adding a nice nutritional boost to your favorite granola bars , salads and other recipes. It's important to be mindful of the nutrition label whenever you're stocking up on sunflower seeds to use for snacking or in a recipe. Trendy seeds—like chia and hemp—aren't the only ones that are believed to offer anti-inflammatory benefits.

While inflammation is a normal—and necessary—reaction to injury in our bodies, chronic systemic inflammation is behind many diseases, according to a review published in Nature Medicine. These diseases include cardiovascular disease, cancer, Type 2 diabetes, autoimmune diseases, neurological disorders, metabolic syndrome and high blood pressure.

Moderate consumption of unsaturated fat has been shown to improve heart health. Sunflower seeds, for example, may lower LDL and total cholesterol, per a review published in Advances in Nutrition. Making the effort to consume more heart-healthy fats, like the mono- and polyunsaturated fats found in sunflower seeds, can make a positive impact on your heart health.

Sunflower seeds are a good or excellent source of nearly a dozen essential vitamins and minerals, including zinc and selenium. Zinc supports immune function, according to the National Institutes of Health NIH.

It also serves as an antioxidant to fight off free radical damage to your cells. Selenium also plays a role in fighting inflammation and infection, along with boosting immunity, to ensure our bodies are producing a proper response to any intruders, according to a review in Critical Reviews in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

This mineral has also been shown to be an important part of achieving mental health and improving depression, per a review in Nutrients. And according to a review in Frontiers in Neuroscience , selenium shows promise in preventingneurodegenerative disorders—like Alzheimer's—as well.

Whether you're hoping to have a baby, are pregnant or are just trying to follow a well-balanced diet, sunflower seeds have a lot to offer.

These seeds are a good source of both zinc and folate while being an excellent source of vitamin E. Folate helps neural tube defects, such as spina bifida, during the first trimester, according to the NIH. During pregnancy, zinc helps a growing baby to develop properly. According to the American Pregnancy Association , vitamin E is essential for prenatal health, as it helps the fetus develop and use red blood cells and muscles.

Vitamin E is also a key nutrient for achieving that "pregnancy glow. Research, including a study in Scientific Reports , suggests that vitamin E fights against UV damage and nourishes your largest organ—your skin.

Sunflower seeds contain nearly half of your daily needs of vitamin E during pregnancy. While no one food is a cure-all, incorporating sunflower seeds into your diet will add lots of health benefits. They're easy to add to your favorite recipes: We like tossing them into Broccoli Salad with Bacon or making them one of the stars in our Homemade Multi-Seed Crackers.

Or you can simply eat them as is. Use limited data to select advertising. Create profiles for personalised advertising. Use profiles to select personalised advertising. Create profiles to personalise content.

Eating a large number of sunflower seeds at once has occasionally resulted in fecal impaction — or stool blockages — in both children and adults.

Eating sunflower seeds in the shell may increase your odds of fecal impaction, as you may unintentionally eat shell fragments , which your body cannot digest. An impaction may leave you unable to have a bowel movement.

Besides being constipated due to the fecal impaction, you may leak liquid stool around the blockage and have abdominal pain and nausea , among other symptoms.

Though allergies to sunflower seeds are relatively uncommon, some cases have been reported. Reactions may include asthma, mouth swelling, itching of the mouth, hay fever, skin rashes, lesions, vomiting and anaphylaxis. The allergens are various proteins in the seeds.

Sunflower seed butter — roasted, ground seeds — can be just as allergenic as whole seeds. Refined sunflower oil is far less likely to contain enough of the allergenic proteins, but in rare cases, highly sensitive people have had reactions to trace amounts in the oil.

Sunflower seed allergies are more common in people exposed to sunflower plants or seeds as part of their job, such as sunflower farmers and bird breeders. In your home, feeding pet birds sunflower seeds can release these allergens into the air, which you inhale.

Young children may become sensitized to sunflower seeds by exposure to the proteins through damaged skin. In addition to food allergies, some people have developed allergies to touching sunflower seeds , such as when making yeast bread with sunflower seeds, resulting in reactions such as itchy, inflamed hands.

Measure sunflower seed portions to avoid excessive calorie intake and potentially high exposure to cadmium. Though uncommon, bacterial contamination of sprouted seeds, sunflower seed allergies and intestinal blockages may occur.

These seeds are a particularly popular snack at baseball games and other outdoor sports games. Sunflower seeds may turn blue-green when baked. Lastly, sunflower seeds are prone to becoming rancid due to their high fat content. Store them in an airtight container in your refrigerator or freezer to protect against rancidity.

Unshelled sunflower seeds are a popular snack, while shelled varieties can be eaten by the handful or added to any number of foods, such as trail mix, salads and baked goods. Sunflower seeds make for a nutty, crunchy snack and a tasty addition to countless dishes. They pack various nutrients and plant compounds that may help fight inflammation, heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available. If you like to snack on sunflower seeds, you might wonder how healthy they are for you.

Along with a healthy diet, seeds can help reduce blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure. Here are 6 super seeds to eat for better health. Sunflower allergies can be just as serious as some of the better-known allergies, such as peanut.

Learn more about managing this allergy. Looking to add more selenium to your diet? Learn about 20 selenium-rich foods, from lean meats to fruits and vegetables. When hunger strikes, reach for a snack that contains protein.

Here are 30 healthy snacks that are easy to grab and guaranteed to satisfy your hunger. People often consider deep-fried foods unhealthy, but it depends partially on the type of oil used. Find out which options are healthy and why. Though raw sprouts have many benefits, they can also cause food poisoning.

So do the benefits outweigh the risks? Nuts are very nutritious, but some wonder whether roasting them affects their nutritional content. This article investigates which variety is…. While they're not typically able to prescribe, nutritionists can still benefits your overall health.

Let's look at benefits, limitations, and more. A Quiz for Teens Are You a Workaholic? How Well Do You Sleep? Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Nutrition Evidence Based Are Sunflower Seeds Good for You? Nutrition, Benefits and More. By Marsha McCulloch, MS, RD — Updated on February 14, What They Are Nutrition Benefits Downsides Eating Tips Bottom Line Sunflowers are rich in healthy fats, beneficial plant compounds, and several vitamins and minerals that may play a role in reducing your risk of common health problems, including heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Share on Pinterest. What Are Sunflower Seeds? Nutritional Value. Health Benefits. Potential Downsides. Tips for Eating. The Bottom Line. How we reviewed this article: Sources. Healthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations.

We avoid using tertiary references. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy. Feb 14, Written By Marsha McCulloch.