Nutritional and health benefits of sunflower seeds

Wednesday 21st April 2021 07:35 EDT
 

Sunflower seeds are popular health foods that people commonly consume as a snack. They contain beneficial nutrients, including healthy fats, minerals, and antioxidant compounds. As the shell is difficult for humans to digest, they usually eat the hulled seeds. People can also grow sprouts from the sunflower seed kernels, which can increase nutritional benefits.

The seeds are edible and manufacturers use them for foods and producing sunflower oil. As such, sunflower oil ranks as the fourth most produced oil in the world. Farmers use sunflower seeds for livestock food.

Health benefits

It is anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and wound healing. The beneficial effects are due to compounds such as phenols, tannins, and saponins. However, many of the studies involve animals or laboratory research, so scientists need to conduct more studies to draw firm conclusions about the effects on humans. The seeds are a rich source of carotenoids and tocopherols that act as antioxidants, which help prevent damage from free radicals.

People can not synthesize tocopherol or vitamin E in the body and need to obtain it through their diet. Therefore, including sunflower seeds in the diet is a suitable way to increase a person’s vitamin E.Eating sunflower seeds in moderation as part of a healthy diet can have multiple benefits.


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