Sunflowers aren’t just pretty to look at. They also provide a nutritious fruit known botanically as sunflower kernels. Most people call the kernels “seeds.”
Sunflower kernels are encased in edible, black and white, pin-striped hulls. They are a popular snack. But not all sunflower seeds are created equal, especially when it comes to calories.
There are 3 types of sunflower seeds.
linoleic, high oleic, and sunflower oil seeds. Each variety has its own unique levels of monounsaturated, saturated, and polyunsaturated fats.
Benefits of Sunflower Seeds:
1. Enhances Digestion Process:
A clear digestion is the way to healthy body. It has high dietary fiber which makes is a cure for constipation. If you are suffering from constipation, the toxins will not be eliminated from the body. It will lead to health issues. Munching few raw sunflower seeds will enhance your digestion process.
2. Lowers CholesterolLevels:
Phytosterols are the compounds that lowers cholesterol levels in the body. The monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats that the sunflower seeds contains lowers the bad cholesterol levels in the body. The high dietary fibre present in sunflower seeds are also helpful in lowering cholesterol levels in the body.
3. Improves Cardiovascular Health:
Vitamin C is a boon to cardiovascular health. The sunflower seeds is a great source of vitamin C. It also has vitamin E that prevents the oxidation of cholesterol. When the cholesterol gets oxidized, it sticks to the walls of blood vessels. This leads to numerous issues such as atherosclerosis, heart attack and blocked arteries. Strokes are also a result of oxidized cholesterol.
4. Benefits the Nerves:
Sunflower seeds has magnesium. This magnesium prevents the calcium from entering into the nerve cells and activating them. This relaxes the blood vessels and muscles. If the magnesium level is low in the bloods, it will give a high access to calcium levels in the body, thereby disturbing the nerve cells.
5. Improves Bone Health:
The magnesium that is a part of the sunflower seeds helps in strengthening the bones. Vitamin E prevents arthritis as it has anti-inflammatory properties. The copper that is present in these seeds helps in better functioning of enzymes which ultimately strengthens the bones and joints.
6. Prevents Cancer:
The antioxidant properties are said to deal with cancer cells. The sunflower seeds contains vitamin E, copper and selenium which suppresses the cellular damage, the main culprit behind cancer. The phytosterol content and lignans present in sunflower seeds prevents certain type of cancer cells, thereby prevents prostate, colon and breast cancer.
7. Improves mental health:
Stress and depression are major mental blocks and dealing with them is really difficult. The tryptophan that the sunflower seed contains is said to produce the happiness hormones named Serotonin. The happiness hormone is said to relax your mind and relieves you from stress and worries. The memory power can also be improved by consuming sunflower seeds as they contain Choline. The migraine attacks can be controlled by the magnesium present in the sunflower seeds.
8. Lowers Blood Pressure:
There is a high amount of potassium present in the sunflower seeds. This potassium controls the effects of sodium in the blood, thereby lowering the blood pressure.
9. Anti-inflammatory Properties:
It contains vitamin E which is a major anti-inflammatory property of sunflower seeds. It neutralizes the free radicals that is present in the body. These free radicals are harmful to brain cells, cell membranes, cholesterol, fat cells, osteoarthritis, asthma and rheumatoid arthritis.
10. Prevents Hair Loss:
The seeds contains Vitamin B6 which prevents hair loss as it has zinc absorption abilities. It also increases the oxygen supply to the scalp, thereby controls hair loss.