The Vital Vittle
By Maureen Lauder
Food of the Week: Sunflower Seeds
Like most seeds, sunflower seeds contain a high concentration of nutrients. A quarter cup of sunflower seeds comprises almost the full daily allowance of vitamins E and B1 and is a significant source of manganese, magnesium, copper, tryptophan, selenium, phosphorus, folate, and vitamin B5.
Five Reasons to Love Sunflower Seeds
1) They’re highly portable and keep well.
2) Raw sunflower seeds make a delicious snack or salad topping.
3) They’re every bit as versatile and nutritious as most nuts (if not more so), but much, much cheaper! Organic sunflower seeds can cost as little as one-quarter or one-third the price of almonds, walnuts, or cashews.
4) Ground in a blender, sunflower seeds produce a nice flour that can be used in raw cookies, pie crusts, and dried fruit or carob balls.
5) Sprouted sunflower seeds pack an even greater nutritional wallop and are delicious in salads or blended into your morning smoothie.
Sunflower Seeds for Health!
- Sunflower seeds are a fantastic source of the antioxidant vitamin E. Among other things, vitamin E keeps free radicals from oxidizing cholesterol. Unoxidized cholesterol doesn’t stick to the walls of the blood vessels, which means less risk of blocked arteries, less risk of stroke, and less risk of heart attack. Just think – complete cardiovascular health in one little seed!
- Sunflower seeds are a rich source of phytosterols, which dramatically lower blood cholesterol. Phytosterols also decrease the risk of some cancers and improve the body’s immune system.
- The magnesium in sunflower seeds helps soothe nerves, muscles, and blood vessels. Magnesium prevents calcium from over-activating certain nerve cells-which keeps the muscles and blood vessels they control calmer and more relaxed.
- And the selenium in sunflower seeds helps prevent cancer and aids the liver’s ability to rid the body of many toxins.
Sprout-a-licious
Sunflower seeds are even more nutritious when sprouted. The vitamin and mineral content of a sprouted sunflower seed rises significantly, often doubling and sometimes tripling. Sprouted sunflower seeds are high in calcium, iron, and vitamin D. And mature sprouts are an excellent source of chlorophyll, which aids in the detoxification of the blood and liver.
Eat Your Seeds
Because they’re so versatile, sunflower seeds are easy to add into your diet. Sprinkle seeds on your salad or take them to work as a snack. Mix sunflower sprouts with greens in a salad, or mix with a variety of sprouted grains and legumes to make a sprout salad.
Or try this delicious Sunny Pate recipe from Nomi Shannon’s The Raw Gourmet:
Ingredients:
3 cups sunflower seeds, soaked 8-12 hours, sprouted 2-4 hours
1 cup lemon juice
½ cup chopped scallions
¼ – ½ cup raw tahini
¼ cup liquid aminos
2-4 slices red onion
4-6 T coarsely chopped parsley
2-3 garlic cloves
½ t cayenne pepper, or to taste
1-2 T ginger juice (optional)
1 t ground cumin (optional)
Mix all the ingredients in a food processor.
Sunny Pate will keep up to two weeks in the refrigerator and can be used as a filling in all kinds of wraps and sandwiches. Use it as a dip for chopped veggies, spread it on a raw cracker, or wrap some in a red cabbage leaf. Or make “sushi”: spread a thin layer of pate on a nori sheet, add some veggies (peppers and tomatoes are good), and roll.