Roasted Sunflower Seeds Nutrition

Sunflowers were one of the first plants to be cultivated in the United States. They were initially used by Native Americans as a food and oil source, and the stems and roots were also used for a number of purposes, including a dye pigment. Today, Russia, Argentina, Spain, Peru, France and China are the leading commercial producers of sunflower seeds.

Nutritional values are based on a 1-oz. serving of dry-roasted sunflower seed kernels without added salt.

Basic Nutrition

One ounce of dry-roasted sunflower seeds contains 163 calories, 7 g of total carbohydrates and 3 g of dietary fiber. Based on a 2,000 calorie-a-day diet, these measurements represent 2 percent of the recommended daily value, or DV, for carbohydrates and 12 percent for dietary fiber. Sunflower seeds also provide 5.4 g, or 11 percent DV, of high-quality protein.

Fats

The total fat content in a serving of sunflower seeds is 13.9 g, which represents a large 21 percent of the recommended daily value. However, 14 percent of the total fat in sunflower seeds comes from healthy unsaturated fats. One serving provides 1.5 g of saturated fat, but 2.7 g of monounsaturated fats and 9.2 g of polyunsaturated fats. You'll also gain heart-healthy fatty acids, as a serving has 19.3 mg of omega-3 and omega-9, and180 mg of omega-6.

Vitamins

Sunflower seeds are an excellent source of vitamin E, with 7.3 mg, or 37 percent DV. They also are high in pantothenic acid, with 2.0 mg, or 20 percent DV; vitamin E with 7.3 mg, or 37 percent DV; folate with 66.4 mcg, or 17 percent DV; and vitamin B6 with 0.2 mg, or 11 percent DV.

Minerals

Sunflower seeds are a rich source of selenium, and contain 22.2 mcg, or 32 percent DV; phosphorus with 323 mg, or 32 percent DV; manganese with 22.2 mg, or 30 percent DV; copper with 0.5 mg, or 26 percent DV. They also provide 7 percent DV of potassium and 6 percent DV of iron.

Sodium

If the sunflower seeds are processed without added salt, they have only 0.8 mg of sodium, which is barely a trace amount. When salt is added, sodium increases to 115 mg, or 5 percent of the recommended daily value.