Benefits of Sunflower Seeds

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.