Sweet, nutty sunflower seeds are an excellent source of essential fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals, despite their small size. Sunflower kernels actually employed to extract edible oil at commercial levels. Besides being eaten as popular snacks, they are also used in the kitchen to prepare variety of recipes.
Sunflower is a tall, erect, herbaceous annual plant belonging to the family of Asteraceae, in the genus, Helianthus. Its botanical name is Helianthus annuus. It is native to Middle American region from where it spread as an important commercial crop all over the world through the European explorers. Today, Russian Union, China, USA, and Argentina are the leading producers of sunflower crop.
Promotes Cardiovascular Health
Sunflower seeds contain two nutrients that promote cardiovascular health — vitamin E and folate.
A quarter cup serving of sunflower seeds contains over 60% of the daily value of vitamin E. This essential vitamin performs important antioxidant function and balanced levels of vitamin E have been linked to a lower overall reduced risk of early death from cardiovascular disease. Vitamin E helps neutralize free radicals to protect brain health and cell membranes against redness and swelling. Make no mistake about the benefits of vitamin E, it has been linked to protection from more than one serious health risk.
Additionally, folate has been shown to promote cardiovascular health from birth to old age. It metabolizes homocysteine, an indicator of cardiovascular problems, into methionine, an essential amino acid. Folate and essential fatty acids naturally occur in sunflower seeds and have been associated with cardiovascular health.
Phytosterols Promote Healthy Cholesterol Levels
Sunflower seeds contain a high level of phytosterols. These phytosterols have physical properties similar to cholesterol; more than once, research has linked them to supporting healthy cholesterol levels.
Potent Source of Magnesium
Magnesium deficiency can lead to a variety of heath problems that affect the cardiovascular, nervous, and immune systems. The muscles and skeletal system also require magnesium for proper function. Homeopathic practitioners have long used magnesium to promote respiratory function, heart health, and reduced PMS tension.
And a quarter cup serving of sunflower seeds provides more than 25% of the recommended daily value of magnesium.
Source of Vitamin E
Sunflower seeds contribute to your daily intake of vitamin E, a family of fat-soluble nutrients. Vitamin E helps protect your cells against free radicals, chemicals that oxidize and damage your proteins, cell membranes and DNA. This vitamin also promotes healthy circulation by helping you make red blood cells. An ounce of hulled sunflower seeds contains 10 milligrams of vitamin E, two-thirds of your recommended daily intake of the nutrient, according to the Office of Dietary Supplements.
Supports a Healthy Mood
There’s an added bonus to the magnesium in sunflower seeds, it promotes a healthy mood. Over one hundred years ago, magnesium sulfate was given to patients suffering from depression. Its success, as well as its safety, made it a valuable option. Today magnesium plays an essential role in homeopathic therapies for mental health.
Vitamin B-1
Sunflower seeds also offer health benefits due to their vitamin B-1, or thiamine, content. Thiamine activates enzymes within your cells, helping to drive chemical reactions your cells need to function. Getting enough thiamine helps you derive energy from food and produce nucleic acids, the building blocks that make up your DNA. Men need 1.2 milligrams of thiamine each day, according to the Linus Pauling Institute, and women need 1.1 milligrams. Each ounce of hulled sunflower seeds provides 0.4 milligram of this nutrient.
Copper
Benefit your skin and hair by eating sunflower seeds, a source of copper. Eating an ounce of hulled sunflower seeds provides you with 512 micrograms of copper, more than half of the 900 micrograms you need daily, according to the Linus Pauling Institute. Your body uses copper to make melanin, a pigment protein that helps give your skin and hair their color. Melanin molecules absorb ultraviolet radiation from the sun, protecting you from tissue damage as a result of sun exposure. Copper also supports your metabolism to help your cells produce energy.
Contains Selenium: A Powerful Antioxidant and Great for Thyroid Health
Sunflower seeds contain selenium, an essential nutrient. Studies have found it plays a role in antioxidant function and helps reduce redness and swelling in the body. It also has recently been identified for its critical role in thyroid hormone metabolism. Selenium has also been noted for its ability to encourage DNA repair in damaged cells.
Plant Protein
Eating too much meat -- such as beef and pork -- can increase your intake of unhealthy saturated fat and cholesterol. Sunflower seeds are a good source of protein and offer a healthy alternative to meat proteins. A 1/4-cup serving of sunflower seed kernels contains 7 g of protein, meeting 14 percent of your daily value. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends you vary your sources of protein to include foods like sunflower seeds to maximize your nutrient intake.
Source of Potassium
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends men include more potassium-rich foods in their diet to meet their daily needs of 4,700 mg a day. Sunflower seeds can help you meet those needs, providing 226 mg in a 1/4-cup serving. Including more potassium-rich foods in your diet can also improve heart health. Potassium helps to counterbalance the effects of sodium in your blood and can help lower blood pressure, reducing your risk of developing hypertension.
Source of Zinc
Sunflower seeds are also a good source of zinc. Adequate intakes of zinc are important for male fertility. A lack of zinc in the diet may cause your sperm to clump together. Men need 11 mg of zinc a day. A 1/4-cup serving contains 1.75 mg of zinc.
Rich in Antioxidants
Sunflower seeds are also a good source of antioxidants, including selenium and vitamin E. Antioxidants are substances in food that can help prevent or limit oxidative damage to your cells. By limiting damage, the antioxidants in the sunflower seeds may help protect you from chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer.
Dried plums are often called prunes. This fruit may be dehydrated in an oven or in the sun, and they resemble large, black raisins. The leathery skin and moist flesh provide nutritional benefits. Consult your physician before eating dried plums to correct medical issues.
Benefits of Prunes
Lower your risk of colon cancer by promoting gut bacteria
Dried plums are rich in potassium, fiber, and phytochemicals, including antioxidants, all of which may help lower your risk of chronic disease. However, it’s dried plums’ influence on the bacteria in your colon that may be most impressive of all.
In an animal study, researchers fed rats either a diet containing dried plums or a control diet (the same as the first diet but without the plums). Those fed the dried plums had significant increases in the number of bacteria in the gut known as Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes.
Rats on the dried-plum diet also had reduced numbers of aberrant crypts, which are signs of precancerous lesions that may be an indicator for future cancer development. Study author Dr. Nancy Turner explained:
“From this study we were able to conclude that dried plums did, in fact, appear to promote retention of beneficial microbiota and microbial metabolism throughout the colon, which was associated with a reduced incidence of precancerous lesions.”
A 2005 study similarly revealed that dried plums “favorably altered… colon cancer risk factors” in rats, possibly due to their high content of dietary fiber and polyphenolics.
Potassium
One serving of dried plums contains 36 percent of the potassium your body requires daily. Potassium helps to ensure proper function of the heart and transmission of nerve impulses throughout your body. It may also positively affect bone health. A study in “The Journal of Nutrition” in 2008 links potassium-rich foods such as dried plums with bone integrity, although more studies are needed to confirm this finding.
Vitamin A
Consume a serving of dried plums, and you take in 27 percent of the daily recommended intake of vitamin A. This makes dried plums a good choice for eye health – vitamin A fosters good nighttime vision and protects the cornea. The vitamin A in this fruit is also helpful for the immune system in general. Research featured in a 2011 issue of “Vitamins and Hormones” reports that vitamin A may help trigger cell death in potentially dangerous cells.
Prunes protect against cardiovascular diseases and other chronic illnesses
Prunes and plums contain high levels of phytonutrients called phenols. They’re particularly high in two unique phytonutrients called neochlorogenic and chlorogenic acid. Numerous studies show that these phytonutrients help to prevent damage to cells particularly when it comes to the oxidation of lipid molecules in the body. Since all of our cell membranes, as well as our brain cells, are largely made up of lipids which contain fat, these are important phytonutrients to have in the diet. These compounds have also been found to inhibit the oxidation of LDL cholesterol in the body making them an important factor in the prevention of chronic diseases.
Help prevent type 2 diabetes and obesity
Prunes and plums are high in soluble fibre that helps to keep blood sugar levels stable. Soluble fibre slows the rate that food leaves the stomach and, as a result, delays the absorption of sugar into the blood stream. Soluble fibre also increases the body’s sensitivity to insulin.
The soluble fibre in prunes helps you feel satisfied after a meal, which can prevent overeating and subsequent weight gain.
Prunes and plums help to lower cholesterol
The soluble fibre we just spoke of also helps to lower cholesterol by soaking up excess bile in the intestine and then excreting it. Bile is made from cholesterol in the liver in order to digest fat. When the body excretes bile along with the fibre from prunes and plums, the liver must use cholesterol in the body to make more bile thereby lowering the amount in circulation in the body. Soluble fibre may also inhibit the amount of cholesterol manufactured by the liver in the first place. A 2011 study found that prunes are more effective than psyllium at relieving constipation.
Maca, a root that belongs to the radish family, is most commonly available in powder form. Grown in the mountains of Peru, it has been called “Peruvian ginseng.” Maca’s benefits have been long valued, and has recently been popularized as a supplement and food ingredient.
Maca Root for Health and Vitality. There are no serious known side effects of maca, but like any other supplement it shouldn’t be taken in large amounts. When you first start using maca, it’s best to begin by taking smaller amounts and building up; as little as 1/2 teaspoon is a good place to start. Just 1 tablespoon is an average daily dose. Rotating a few days on and a few days off is often recommended.
Highly Nutritious
Maca root powder is very nutritious, and is a great source of several important vitamins and minerals .
One ounce (28 grams) of maca root powder contains:
- Calories: 91
- Carbs: 20 grams
- Protein: 4 grams
- Fiber: 2 grams
- Fat: 1 gram
- Vitamin C: 133% of the RDI
- Copper: 85% of the RDI
- Iron: 23% of the RDI
- Potassium: 16% of the RDI
- Vitamin B6: 15% of the RDI
- Manganese: 10% of the RDI
- Maca root is a good source of carbs and protein, is low in fat and contains a fair amount of fiber. It’s also high in some essential vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin C, copper and iron.
Furthermore, it contains various plant compounds, including glucosinolates and polyphenols.
Aid Male’s Testosterone Levels and Fertility
In clinical studies, serum levels of testosterone were not shown to be affected by maca. Black maca however, has been shown to have positive effects on sperm production, more than yellow maca and red maca.
Red maca has its own benefits for male hormonal health. It has been shown to reduce prostate size in studies done on male rats. This points to the conclusion that maca may possibly help improve human prostate health as well.
In other studies, maca has also been shown to improve sperm production, mobility, and volume, all important factors of increasing fertility.
In another 2010 report summarizing the results of 4 clinical trials carried out by BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, maca was able to show benefits related to improving sexual dysfunction and sexual libido in adult men and women. However the other two trials did not show the same positive results, so more formal research is still needed to determine the exact power of maca on fertility. =
Even though the studies haven’t yet show maca to naturally boost testosterone, there are other great natural alternatives that may help that you can find in this article on how to naturally increase testosterone.
Boost Antioxidants
Maca root acts as a natural antioxidant, and boosts levels of glutathione and SOD (superoxide dismutase). These are two major disease fighters in the body. Results from recent studies demonstrate that maca root has the ability to help prevent the development of chronic human diseases that are characterized by high levels of “bad” cholesterol, high antioxidative states, and impaired glucose tolerance.
And because maca root increases the glutathione levels in the body, it not only improves your immune system and disease resistance, but also it is helps balance proper levels of cholesterol in the body. Plus, it significantly improves glucose tolerance, by lowering levels of glucose in blood. This is especially important for those who need to worry about heart health and conditions like diabetes or metabolic syndrome.
While more research is still needed to reveal how exactly maca benefits the body’s hormonal and nervous systems, initial studies that have been completed have shown promising results for use of maca.
Relieve Symptoms of Menopause
Menopause is defined as the time in a woman’s life when her menstrual periods stop permanently.
The natural decline in estrogen that occurs during this time can cause a range of unpleasant symptoms.
These include hot flashes, vaginal dryness, mood swings, sleep problems and irritability.
One review of four studies in menopausal women found that maca helped alleviate menopausal symptoms, including hot flashes and interrupted sleep.
Additionally, animal studies suggest that maca can help protect bone health. Women have a higher risk of osteoporosis after menopause.
Crunchy yet butter textured, pleasantly sweet and delicious pine nuts are small edible seeds of female cone in a pine tree. Pine kernels are, indeed, very good source of plant derived nutrients, essential minerals, vitamins and "heart friendly" mono-unsaturated fatty acids that help benefit in reducing cholesterol levels in the blood.
Pine nuts are the seeds of pine trees. You’ll find them between the scales of pine cones, but while all pine trees yield pine nuts, only about 20 species have pine nuts large enough to be worth eating.
Botanically, pine trees belong to the family of Pinaceae, in the genus: Pinus. Some of the common names are pinon nuts, pignoli, cedar nuts, chilgoza, pinyon pinenuts...etc.
After harvesting from the cone, pine nuts must be shelled, and they should be consumed shortly after. Unshelled pine nuts are prone to rancidity due to their high oil content (so storing in the fridge is recommended).
Considered a delicacy in many parts of the world, Pine Nuts have grown into a $100 million market in the US (although about 80 percent of US pine nuts are imported). Pine nuts are commonly eaten raw or roasted, and their sweet nutty flavor and crunchy texture lends itself well to snacking, vegetable dishes and, of course, sauces like pesto.
Pine nuts are considered a delicacy in many parts of the world, and in the US they’ve grown into a $100 million market (although about 80 percent of US pine nuts are imported).3 They’re commonly eaten raw or roasted, and their sweet nutty flavor and crunchy texture lends itself well to snacking, vegetable dishes and, of course, sauces like pesto.
Pine nuts are considered a delicacy in many parts of the world, and in the US they’ve grown into a $100 million market (although about 80 percent of US pine nuts are imported).3 They’re commonly eaten raw or roasted, and their sweet nutty flavor and crunchy texture lends itself well to snacking, vegetable dishes and, of course, sauces like pesto.
Health benefits of pine nuts
- Pine nuts are one of the calorie-rich edible nuts. 100 g of dry-kernels provide 673 calories. Additionally, they comprise of numerous health promoting phyto-chemicals, vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals.
- Their high caloric content chiefly comes from fats. Indeed, the nuts are especially rich in mono-unsaturated fatty acids like oleic acid (18:1 undifferentiated fat) that helps to lower LDL or "bad cholesterol" and increases HDL or "good-cholesterol" in the blood. Research studies suggest that Mediterranean diet which contain good amounts of monounsaturated fatty acids, vitamins and antioxidants, helps to prevent coronary artery disease and strokes by favoring healthy blood lipid profile.
- Pine or cedar nuts contain essential fatty acid (omega-6 fat), pinolenic acid. Recent research has shown its potential use in weight loss by curbing appetite. Pinolenic acid triggers the release of hunger-suppressant enzymes cholecystokinin and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) in the gut. In addition, pinolenic acid has thought to have LDL-lowering properties by enhancing hepatic LDL uptake.
- Likewise in almonds, pines too are an excellent source of vitamin E; contain about 9.33 mg per 100 g (about 62% of RDA). Vitamin E is a powerful lipid soluble antioxidant, required for maintaining the integrity of cell membrane of mucus membranes and skin by protecting it from harmful oxygen-free radicals.
- Furthermore, pines are one of gluten free tree nuts, and therefore, are a popular ingredient in the preparation of gluten-free food formulas. Such formula preparations can be a healthy alternative in people with wheat food allergy, and celiac disease.
- Pine nuts are an excellent source of B-complex group of vitamins such as thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine) and folates. These vitamins work as co-factors for enzymes in cellular substrate metabolism inside the human body.
- Furthermore, pine nuts contain healthy amounts of essential minerals like manganese, potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc and selenium. At 8.802 mg per 100 g (about 383% of daily recommended intake), pines are one of the richest sources of manganese. Manganese is an all-important co-factor for antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase. It is therefore, consumption of pines helps the body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful oxygen-free radicals.
Sweet, nutty sunflower seeds are an excellent source of essential fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals, despite their small size. Sunflower kernels actually employed to extract edible oil at commercial levels. Besides being eaten as popular snacks, they are also used in the kitchen to prepare variety of recipes.
