Benefits of Sunflower Seeds You Should Know: Benefits, Uses and Side Effects

I was once traveling to Punjab with my family when suddenly we spotted a bright yellow patch alongside. My daughter was stunned to see the beauty and wanted to look closer. It was a gorgeous sunflower farm, and it looked like they were all dancing and singing in melody. You all must have seen or even grown Suraj Mukhi at home. They are amongst the most beautiful flowers with golden yellow color petals.

Most of you may be using sunflower oil for cooking Indian cuisine and already know how good it is.

Today, let’s talk about its seeds. The sunflower or the Suraj Mukhi seeds is packed with nutrients and have many health benefits.

Trivia

You can find many varieties of sunflower seeds. You can find them in red, yellow, orange, brown, and maroon colors.

Have you seen any apart from the yellow flowers?

What Are Sunflower Seeds?

The fruit of the sunflower plant is the sunflower seeds. The seeds are collected from the big sunflower head. You will be surprised that a sunflower head can have over 2000 seeds.

These Suraj Mukhi seeds are edible and have a lot of health benefits. But there are two kinds of sunflower crops – one whose seeds we can eat and the other whose seeds are used for making oil. You can eat the ones inside a black and white shell (the shell is inedible, don’t try and eat that).

At the same time, the other used for making oils are inside black covers.

These seeds have a very nutty, mild, and tender flavor and texture. You can buy them raw or roasted. You can add these beautiful seeds to your family’s diet for a healthy and balanced diet.

Nutritional Value of Surajmukhi Seeds

For every 100 grams of sunflower seeds, you will get the following nutrients ^[1]:

Health Benefits of Sunflower Seeds

Your body needs many vitamins, minerals, and other components to function properly and fight infection and viruses. A few bodies make on their own, and the remaining are fulfilled by eating various food products.

Here are a few health benefits of eating surajmukhi seeds:

1. Sunflower Seeds May Help In Digestion

Sunflower seeds are very high in dietary fibre. Our bodies need fibre for proper digestion. If you eat fibrous food, you will have better bowel movements.

Moreover, your body can absorb all the nutrients effectively. Hence, surajmukhi seeds are an excellent fuel source for your gut bacteria. It helps to increase the good bacteria in your gut.

2. Surajmukhi Seeds May Build Immunity

These seeds may be tiny but hold a good amount of Vitamin E, selenium, and zinc. These properties are needed by our bodies to fight against several infections and make our bodies strong and immune.

At the same time, these components help reduce inflammation and protect the cells from being damaged.

3. Sunflower Seeds May Help In Weight Loss

A lot of people face problems with their weight and want to know how to lose it. If you also want to lose weight, here is the solution. You can try and eat sunflower seeds or add them to your diet.

It will help you to lose weight. It is because they are a great source of proteins and fibre. Fibrous food makes you full longer and reduces your craving for more food.

Hence, it is a perfect weight loss ingredient.

For Happy Tummy – If you don’t want to eat raw seeds, grind them and mix them in  Aashirvaad Multigrain Atta. The atta is made of five whole grains and is highly rich in fibre. Adding surajmukhi seeds will add on its value!

4. Surajmukhi Seeds May Boost Energy

Sunflower seeds contain Thiamine, a kind of Vitamin B needed to break carbohydrates and convert them into energy. Your body needs energy for your daily work.

Consuming these seeds daily will give you the boost you need. They are excellent in increasing muscle strength.

5. Surajmukhi Seeds Are Full Of Iron

I have always heard of cooking food in a black iron kadhai to increase the amount of iron in our bodies. Iron kadhai may help in increasing iron, and it may be true.

But the easiest and simplest way is to eat these wonderful seeds. They are loaded with iron and can be really great for your body.

6. Sunflowers Seeds May Help To Detox

It is said that these little seeds have antibacterial properties. They are excellent at removing germs and bacteria from our cells. People often go on a detox diet to clear their bodies and give them a break from eating.

You can do it by eating the surajmukhi seeds. They are very efficient in flushing and removing toxins from the body, thus helping in detoxifying.

7. Sunflower Seeds May Help Skin

Who doesn’t want clear and glowing skin? Everybody will be happy with this as a benefit. After all, consuming something healthy is better than applying chemical products to your skin.

Surajmukhi seeds have antifungal properties along with antibacterial. These properties help in keeping the skin clear from acne and infections. Besides clearing the skin, these properties also help the wounds to heal faster.

Quick healing of wounds prevents the forming of scars on the skin. So, these seeds are great in multiple ways.

8. Sunflower Seeds For Better Hair Growth

If you always wanted long, silk, and shiny hair, surajmukhi seeds are your answer. These seeds are rich in properties that help prevent hair loss. Additionally, they even have properties that help increase hair growth.

So, not only eating these seeds will help in hair loss prevention. But will also help in hair growth.

9. Surajmukhi Seeds Help To Sleep Better

You need a relaxed and calm body to sleep after a tiring day. No matter how long you sleep, the body will feel tired if you are not relaxed. There is a special property present in these seeds that can help in regulating sleep.

Consuming sunflower seeds can make you feel happy and comfortable and, thus, offer you better sleep.

10. Sunflower Seeds May Also Protect From UV Rays

India witnesses a hot and humid season, especially in the northern part. But that should not stop us from stepping outside. Consuming Suraj Mukhi seeds will help protect your skin and hair from harmful UV rays.

It has elements that shield the skin and let it remain healthy.

Side Effects of Eating Sunflower Seeds

Although sunflower seeds are very healthy and good for everyone, you should still check the below side effects.

1. May Increase Weight

Surajmukhi seeds are very high in calories. They are rich in fibre and can make you full. But if you need proper weight management, ensure you do not eat much.

Otherwise, you may gain weight instead of losing.

2. May Get Constipated

Constipation or stool blockage can happen if you eat a lot of sunflower seeds in one go [2]. You can have stomach pain and nausea because of overeating.

You should not consume over 30 grams or ¼ cup of Suraj Mukhi seeds daily.

3. May Get Allergies

An allergy to eating sunflower seeds is rare. But it is still good to be careful. You can have allergies like mouth swelling, asthma, hay fever, itching in the mouth, vomiting, and skin rashes ^[3].

Moreover, people who are exposed to sunflower seeds by working with them can also get specific allergic reactions.

4. May Get Bacterial Infection

There are times when these surajmukhi seeds are sprouted.

Sprouting the seeds is a very common and popular practice. But getting contaminated sprouted seeds can lead to bacterial infection in the body.

So, always be careful before consuming the seeds.

How To Eat Sunflower Seeds?

You can get sunflower seeds with or without shells. But remember not to eat the shells. The first thing that you need to do after getting your seeds is to crack them with your teeth and discard the shell.

Most people enjoy eating sunflower seeds this way. Below are some of the ways to eat these healthy seeds:

1. Sunflower Seeds In Mix And Bars

These seed trail mixes are becoming very popular, and they are easy to make at home as well. Mix different seeds, berries, nuts, and even dried fruits and create a healthy snack mixture.

Add sunflower seeds to it for a crunchy taste. Also, these seeds can be added to your granola bars for a perfect evening snack.

2. Surajmukhi Seeds In Salads And Sautee Vegetables

If you like eating salads such as vegetables or chicken, sprinkle these seeds on the top.

Also, when you are sauté vegetables, add these nutritious seeds and make it a complete meal^[2].

3. Sunflower Seeds In Cereal And Yogurts

Seeds change the taste of food with their crunch.

Adding these seeds to cereals and yogurts will make them more nutritious, and your tummy will be happy tummy.

4. Surajmukhi Seeds in Baked Goods

You will not believe the taste of baked goods when you add sunflower seeds. You can bake savory and sweet both with these seeds.

Use them in your loaves of bread, cookies, muffins, casseroles, and others. You can grind and coat these seeds on your fish before baking them.

Tip: Sunflower seeds may change their color to blue-green when baked. It is because of a harmless chemical reaction. You can reduce the quantity of baking soda. It will reduce the reaction and the color change.

5. Sunflower Seeds As Butter

Seed butter is becoming very popular. They are better in taste and flavor and can change the dish altogether. You can use this seed butter on toast or dip it in your favorite fruit and enjoy the unique taste. 

How to Store Sunflower Seeds?

Sunflower seeds are very common and can easily be found. They are available in all supermarkets and grocery stores. You can even buy them online through a food website. It is very easy to store these seeds.

Once you open the packet, empty the entire packet in an airtight container. It can be good for up to 12 months if you keep it in a fridge or freezer.

Bottom Line

Surajmukhi oil has been a part of our culture for a long time. We have been cooking delicious curries and sabzis in that healthy oil. It is now time to add the seeds also in the diet.

Sunflower or Suraj Mukhi seeds are rich in minerals and vitamins. Including them in your family’s diet gives them the best of health. You can add them in different ways.

You can make a new dish each time for your family members.

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