Sunflower seeds are not only a delicious snack food, they are very nutritious as well. You can use them in a variety of sweet and savory recipes to add more fiber, vitamins and minerals to your food. Like most nuts and seeds, they contain a relatively high percentage of calories from fat, but it is mainly the heart-healthy unsaturated fat.
Nutrition Facts
A 1-oz. serving of dry roasted sunflower seeds without salt contains 170 calories, 3g of fiber, 5g of protein and 15g of fat -- 2g of which are saturated fat. It also provides 35 percent of the daily value for phosphorus; 15 percent of the daily value for folate; 10 percent of the daily value for zinc, vitamin B6 and niacin; 6 percent of the daily value for iron; 4 percent of the daily value for riboflavin; and 2 percent of the daily value for calcium. They also contain vitamin E, copper, selenium and vitamin B5.
Possible Health Benefits
The tryptophan in sunflower seeds can help you to relax and ease your levels of stress and tension, while the dietary fiber they contain can help to improve your digestion. Sunflower seeds also contain vitamin E, which is an antioxidant that improves your heart health, along with the unsaturated fats, arginine, lignans and phenolic acids that these seeds provide.
Research
Sunflower seeds also help to reduce your cholesterol levels more than most other nuts and seeds, according to a study published in the "Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry" in 2005. Other top cholesterol-lowering nuts and seeds include pistachios, wheat germ and sesame seeds. This is most likely due to the high phytosterol content in these foods.
Considerations
Eat sunflower seeds in moderation due to their high calorie content. Don't snack on them mindlessly or you could easily go over your calorie allotment for the day and gain weight. Snacking on sunflower seeds that need to be shelled can slow down your eating and help you to limit how much you eat. Choose unsalted varieties for the most health benefits. Raw varieties have the fewest calories. Flavored varieties tend to be higher in sugar or salt, so those are best avoided as well.
Potential
You can increase your dietary intake of a number of essential nutrients with just a handful of sunflower seeds per day. If you don't want to eat them plain, you can add them to pancakes, cookies, muffins, breads, salads or yogurt for added crunch and flavor. You can include them in homemade granola or snack mixes as well.
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