Sunflower Seed Nutrition

If you're like me, you can stop and gaze for many minutes at a beautiful field or stand of sunflowers, but I bet you didn't know that the nutrition in the lowly sunflower seed packs a healthy wallop.

And if you're like me, you probably used to buy little plastic bags of sunflowers when you were a kid.

You know the kind -- the sunflower seeds were really salty and you'd crack the seed between your front teeth and then chomp down on the delicious kernel while spitting out the husk.

And then your mom would yell at you for spitting and acting common.

I loved those seeds when I was a kid, but, honestly, commercial sunflower seeds in the cellophane bags don't cut the mayonnaise compared to the nutrition in raw and sprouted sunflower seeds.

Talk about good protein, whoa.

The protein in sunflower seeds can't be beat. And sunflower seeds won't clog up your innards like beef steaks and pork chops coagulated in their own grease.

Load a handful of sunflower seeds into a blender the next time you're making a smoothie and you'll see what I mean. Delicious.

And, yes, you can sprinkle them on salads, dribble them onto sandwiches, and plant them on celery and peanut butter sticks.

Raw sunflower seeds make for a tasty mid-afternoon snack too, and they're a lot better for you than a Snickers bar or a Dr. Pepper.

One hint for smoother digestion of these little health powerhouses... Be sure to chew them until they're a liquid because doing so will allow you to better savor the subtle tastes produced by the saliva and sunflower seed combination.

Sprouted sunflower seeds? Whoa, you haven't lived until you've planted a handful of sprouted sunflower seeds on top of a baked potato that you've split down the middle. Better than sour cream and a huge dab of butter.

Well, maybe not quite that good, but close enough and a lot better for your heart and health than commercial dairy from cows violated with growth hormones and all those antibiotics.

Ready to add some real sunflower seeds to your diet?

I hope so.

Click here to read an excellent article with a lot more information about sunflower sprouts and greens.

If you have a recipe or favorite anecdote about sunflower seeds, be sure to use the comment link below to share with fellow readers.

Chet "Sunflower Seed Nutrition" Day
Editor, The Natural Health Circus
http://chetday.com