Sunflower is also known as Helianthus annuus is easy to grow and does not need too much effort since it can tolerate too much sunlight and does need too much water. You can grow it in your backyard and you can harvest a lot of it and it’s not just your simple flower for decoration and just a subject for adoration but it’s a flower that offers a lot of benefits to your health. The seeds of sunflowers are very healthy and also produce healthy oils that are very useful. Aside from that growing sunflowers will introduce a healthy environment.
You cannot almost imagine that behind that beautiful flower is a very beneficial plan for everyone. The following reasons why you need to eat sunflower seeds.
- It helps cholesterol levels: They are healthy as nuts. It contains monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats. These good fats are known for their ability to reduce bad cholesterol (LDL). LDL can cause heart attacks for people who have high cholesterol levels.
- Support bone health: Bone needs nutrients the same as other parts of the human body. Paradoxically to the belief of others that bone is a dead tissue actually it’s a living tissue that needs nutrition to stay strong. Magnesium, phosphorus, and copper help calcium to make the bones strong. Making sunflower seeds as part of the meal is very beneficial to the bones because it contains magnesium, phosphorus, and copper.
- Healthy detoxification: Sunflower seeds contain selenium. Selenium helps the body to remove waste from the body and selenium helps to maintain glutathione in the body which acts as an active natural anti-oxidant produced by the liver and also protects the liver from the waste of the body metabolism.
- Makes the skin healthy: Sunflower seeds are a great source of vitamin E. This is very important in maintaining the good condition of the skin. Vitamin E has this characteristic to reduce the oxidative damage of the cells of the skin as a result of UV rays. Vitamin E is also responsible for making your skin look young and fresh that’s why vitamin E is very popular in the cosmetics industry.
- Helpful in controlling blood sugar/glucose: Sunflower seed is full of fiber which is very helpful to the blood in the absorption of glucose and since a sunflower seed is high in magnesium it helps the blood to be sensitive with the insulin. These two characteristics of sunflower seeds help the body to control sugar level and to manage diabetes.
- Good for the muscle: The seeds of sunflowers are abundant in protein and protein is very essential in making different immune cells and enzymes and important in toning the muscle. If you are vegetarian this is very helpful to you because a sunflower seed is a good substitute for meat
- Boost good sleep and good mood: Magnesium can help to improve mood stability because it helps the level of serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is a type of neurotransmitter that is responsible for regulating your mood. Magnesium is also responsible for helping the body to reduce stress hormone cortisol that makes the mood lighten up. Sunflower seeds are also a good source of amino acid tryptophan a messenger of dopamine and some of the neurotransmitter that is helpful in having a good sleep and relaxation during bedtime.
You can eat sunflower seeds in every meal if you want it does not have any side effects. You can choose from lightly toasted or heavily toasted it’s all healthy for the body.
To enjoy the benefits of sunflower buy a high quality of sunflower and carefully read the label of the sunflower seed that you want to buy to make sure that you will consume pure sunflower seeds. Sunflower seeds can easily contaminate because it’s rich in fats that’s why you need to store it inside of a jar and place it in the refrigerator where the temperature is cold.
Recipe Ideas With Sunflower Seeds You Want To Enjoy
- Toasted sunflower: You can choose either it’s well toasted or not it depends on you what you prefer most. You can also use it in sprinkle it on your vegetable salad to make it healthier and tastier.
- Carrot salad: Aside from being a nutritious combination of food it’s also colorful and tasty. All you need is to grate the carrot put some black currants, chop some sprigs cilantro and put one cup of sunflower seeds together with sesame seeds or if you want you just can use sunflower seeds alone.
- Spinach salad: Get some baby spinach about 1-2 servings, sprinkle it with 1 cup of toasted sunflower seeds and use olive oil as a dressing.
- Vegetable salad: You can use cabbage, lettuce, cucumber and baby spinach for this recipe. Just like other veggie salad all you need is to mix them up. Use olive oil as a dressing and sprinkle it with 1 cup of sunflower seeds.
- Papaya: yes you can make a papaya salad recipe with sunflower seeds, almonds, dried dates, and coconut milk. It’s not that weird as you think it’s nutritious and tasty. Sprinkle the roasted sunflower seeds in your papaya salad and you can it eat all the way.
- Egg bites: You need to scramble the egg add some tomatoes, baby spinach, cucumber and add sunflower seeds a healthy and nutritious recipe you can enjoy during breakfast.
- Taco: Yes you can make a taco with sunflower seeds. Use Mexican cheese, ground beef, taco seasoning, chili’s, and tomatoes and add your roasted sunflower seeds as a twist of the recipe.
- Pizza: You can make your homemade pizza extraordinary. After you make your homemade pizza sprinkle it with sunflower seeds. But you can use unroasted sunflower seeds but you need to put it with other toppings of your pizza in the oven.