They’re not just tasty, but they’re great for your health!
Nuts and seeds are some of the healthiest foods on the planet. Not only are they packed with nutrients in the form of fiber, minerals, and vitamins, but you also get healthy fats and even some protein and carbs from these tiny foods. All in all, if you want to be healthy, it’s definitely a good idea to add them to your diet.
Sunflower seeds are one of the most popular seeds around. You can find them in just about every convenience store, gas station, and supermarket, and they’re the perfect treat to keep you entertained while driving. But they’re also wonderful for your health, as you’ll see by the health benefits listed below:
- Packed with Vitamin E — Vitamin E is a nutrient that your body needs a lot of in order to continue functioning properly. Not only does Vitamin E protect your skin and hair against environmental damage, but it also coats the walls of your arteries to prevent cholesterol buildups. Vitamin E protects against free radicals and helps to prevent damage to your DNA. In sunflower seeds, you get about 10 mg of Vitamin E per ounce, making it an EXCELLENT food for your health!
- Loaded with Copper –– Copper is vital for the health of your hair and skin. A single ounce of sunflower seeds contains more than 50% of the total copper you need every day, and thanks to the sunflower seeds, you’ll have what you need to produce sufficient melanin to keep your hair and skin nicely colored. The copper in sunflower seeds also plays a vital role in the health of your metabolism and the production of energy.
- Rich in B Vitamins –– In particular, Vitamin B1 or thiamine. Thiamine helps to stimulate chemical reactions in your body that are necessary for the proper functioning of the individual cells that make up bones, organs, muscles, and other tissues. Thiamine is needed to produce energy from the food you eat. A single ounce of sunflower seeds contains about 30 to 35% of the Vitamin B1 you need every day.
READ MORE: Health Benefits of Chia Seeds
- Provides Selenium –– Selenium is a powerful antioxidant that your body needs in order to fight off the growth and spread of cancer cells. Selenium helps your body to make repairs to your DNA, stops cancer cells from multiplying, and even causes the cancerous cells to self-destruct. It can protect your body against cancer and reduce the risk of your developing cancer in the first place.
- Boosts Heart Health –– Thanks to the Vitamin E in sunflower seeds, you’ll have a much healthier heart. Not only does the Vitamin E neutralize free radicals, but it can help to reduce swelling in your arteries and heart. It stops the cholesterol in your bloodstream from being oxidized and hardening into plaque, preventing the buildups that cause cracks in the arterial walls. When the arterial walls crack, blood clots form, and those blood clots stop the flow of blood–leading to strokes and heart attacks.
- Gives Magnesium — Magnesium is a wonderful mineral that plays a number of important roles in the human body. For example, it is needed to counterbalance calcium, and it stops calcium from activating nerve cells, helps to relax the nerves, and keeps the nervous system balanced. It also plays a vital role in the health of our bones and ensures that we can produce energy properly. All in all, it’s one of the most important minerals you can consume, and you can get A LOT of magnesium from sunflower seeds.
