SUNFLOWER SEEDS

SUNFLOWER SEEDS

A few weeks ago I was touring our local Persian Grocery store that carries anything and everything that you can find in any store in Iran and more, with prices that are unbelievably low. There are more customers who are not Iranian shopping there, because of the freshness of the fruits and vegetables due to the high turnover. There are food items and spices that I remembered seeing in our home in Iran when I was growing up. The one aisle I am quite fond of is the huge nuts section. On one of my earlier visits I had bought some unsalted sunflower seeds that are fun to crack and eat while watching TV. Sunflower seeds always remind me of my childhood. It’s amazing how such small, insignificant items (sometimes visual, a sound, or even the smell of something) can trigger memories that have seemingly been lost for a long time.

I left Iran when I was fourteen years old, so seeing those sunflower seeds took me back to those days while living there and remembering how simple life was. There was no TV, computers, games on PC and all the “gismos” kids have now that require no imagination.

In the summer time we use to get up early, have breakfast together as a family, and then all of my the neighborhood friends would meet on the street corner across from our house with bikes. We would spend the day riding, traveling around the neighborhood and the city have a great time getting in some trouble, but nothing major. We also played soccer or stick ball, and sometimes cards. We all went home for lunch and had a nap, which we never really did but only pretended that we slept. The reason everyone took a nap was because the summer heat in the afternoon was like being in an oven, so anything physical could have been harmful.

Around 4-5 PM we were back out with friends and were having fun. When the sun had gone down and we were exhausted, we would buy a bag of sunflower seeds and sit on the front step of our house. We would sit there, cracking the seeds while trying to see what cars we could name with their brand. In those days there were only a few manufacturers, so it wasn’t that difficult. It was not like now where GM, Ford , Chrysler, and all the other companies each have so many versions. By the time we were ready to go home and call it a day, the ground by the front step was totally covered with the sunflower seed shells. The street cleaner would always clean it up by the next morning.

As I was cracking my sunflower seeds the other day, I decided to find out the nutritional value. To my surprise, I found the following on the computer, and thought I would share this with you. Not only is it fun to eat them, but they are actually good for you. So read and maybe you will want to get cracking. Who knew as kids we ate something that was good for us!

Information from: National Sunflower Association.
4023 State Street • Bismarck, ND 58503 • 701-328-5105 • FAX: 701-328-5101

Good things come in small packages. Nutrition scientists are realizing that we should pay more attention to our daily intake of complex plant foods like seeds, nuts and whole grains. A move towards whole foods, like sunflower seeds, will add nutrients to your diet in a flash. Mother Nature has created a nutritional power pack that is hard to beat in sunflower seeds. Healthy unsaturated fats, protein and fiber, plus important nutrients like vitamin E, selenium, copper, zinc, foliate, iron and phytochemicals come wrapped up in this small and perhaps unsuspected package – a sunflower seed. Just one ounce of these seeds every day can improve the nutritional quality of your diet.

Finding foods that are full of nutrients and fitting them into your daily eating plan isn’t always easy. While most of us get enough calories everyday (and sometimes too many), many of us fall short on important nutrients. Calorie for calorie, nutrient-dense foods like sunflower seeds will give you more bang for the buck when it comes to nutrition. . New nutrient data shows that sunflower seeds also contain a good amount of beneficial plant chemicals, or phytochemicals, thought to be advantageous to health.
ds are power packed with healthy
Sunflower seeds and oil contain both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat – the types of fat that may protect the heart. Clinical studies show that higher unsaturated fat diets may be preferable even to low-fat diets because they lower total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (LDL) or bad cholesterol, and triglycerides, while maintaining beneficial high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, which is needed to carry the “bad” cholesterol away.
• Almost 90% of the fat in sunflower seeds is good, unsaturated fat.

Protein supplies amino acids, the building blocks that build, maintain and repair body tissues.
• Sunflower seeds are a good source of plant protein, providing 6 grams or 12% of the Daily Value per ounce. Vitamin E is an antioxidant that may protect against heart disease by getting rid of harmful molecules called free radicals that can lead to atherosclerosis. Sunflower seeds are the best whole food source of vitamin E)
• Sunflower seeds are an excellent source of vitamin E. Just one ounce of sunflower seeds provides 76% of the Recommended Dietary Allowance for vitamin E.
Selenium works with vitamin E as an antioxidant and protects cells from damage that may lead to cancer, heart disease, and other health problems. Although there is no Daily Value for selenium, nutrition scientists recognize its importance to health and a Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) has been established.
• The selenium in one ounce of sunflower seeds provides about 24% of the RDA for men and 31% of the RDA for women.
Copper helps your body carry oxygen to red blood cells and produce energy in the cells.
Copper is also a vital part of some antioxidant enzymes in the body, thus protecting you from oxidative stress. While a copper deficiency is rare, this trace mineral is essential to an energy-rich life.
• You’ll find about 25% of the Daily Value for copper in one ounce of sunflower seeds.
Folate, a B vitamin, plays an essential role in making new body cells by helping to form the DNA and RNA that contain each cell’s “master plan” for reproduction. This is why folate is so important for pregnant women and the development of babies. Folate also pairs with vitamin B-12 to help form hemoglobin in red blood cells, which allows them to carry optimal amounts of oxygen. Folate is involved in the removal of homocysteine, an amino acid thought to promote heart disease, from the blood. A large population study from Harvard University shows an association between higher intakes of folate and lower risk of heart disease.
• Sunflower seeds are a good source of folate, supplying 17% of the Daily Value in a one-ounce serving. Other B vitamins are essential for producing energy from food.
• A one-ounce serving of sunflower seeds contains 20% of the Daily Value for
pantothenic acid, 11% for vitamin B6, 6% for thiamin and 6% for niacin.
Zinc is a mineral that is vital for keeping your immune system strong, fending off infections and healing wounds.
• A one-ounce serving of sunflower seeds is a good source of zinc, providing 10% of the Daily Value.
Iron is essential in carrying oxygen from your lungs, through your blood, and to every body cell. Iron deficiency, which can lead to anemia, fatigue and infection, is more common among women who experience regular menstrual loss.
• One ounce of sunflower seeds is a good source of iron, providing 10% of the Daily Value.
Fiber – the indigestible part of plant foods – promotes good health by helping to lower blood cholesterol, manage blood glucose, and prevent constipation. While the American
Cancer Society recommends consuming 20 to 35 grams daily, most Americans fall short on fiber, averaging only 11 grams per day. • Sunflower seeds are fiber-filled foods with 2 grams of fiber per one-ounce serving, putting you well on your way to your daily fiber goal.
Phytochemicals, or beneficial plant chemicals, may inhibit cancer growth, protect against heart disease, and offer protection from colon, prostate and breast cancer. Research from
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University suggests that sunflower seeds are high in many phytochemicals like choline, lignan, phenolic acids, and betaine, as well as
the amino acid arginine. Currently there is no set Daily Value for phytochemicals, but nutrition scientists recommend eating more whole foods, like sunflower seeds, that are abundant in these beneficial plant chemicals.
Glossary of Terms:
DVs (Daily Values):A dietary reference term developed by the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) that appears on all food labels. It is made up of two sets of references, DRVs and RDIs.
DRVs (Daily Reference Values):A set of dietary references that applies to fat, saturated fat,
cholesterol, carbohydrate, protein, fiber, sodium, and potassium.
RDIs (Reference Daily Intakes):A set of dietary references based on the Recommended Dietary
Allowances for essential vitamins, minerals, and protein.
RDAs (Recommended Dietary Allowances): A set of estimated nutrient allowances established by the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences. It provides as specific nutrient advice as possible based on age and sex for different vitamins and minerals and is updated periodically to reflect current scientific knowledge.
Tips for Everyday Living
For big nutrition, use a small amount of sunflower seeds throughout the day. r

Sprinkle sunflower seeds on your salad for extra nutrition and crunch.