Healthy sources of fats like those found in sunflower seeds are in fact the foundation for cell membranes, allow your body to stabilize hormones, help to decrease absorption of food during meal time so that we can go longer without feeling starving, and also function as providers for essential fat- soluble vitamins.
By adding healthy sources of fats into your diet, like the polyunsaturated kind that is found in sunflower seeds, and changing trans-fats and low-grade quickly oxidized fats, you can experience multiple health benefits.
Men have higher rates of diet-related illness than women. Making healthy food options will not just reduce your risk of chronic disease, however also enhance your lifestyle. Nutrient-rich sunflower seeds use a number of health benefits for men, making them a healthy addition to your diet.
Sunflower Seeds Health Benefits
Sunflower seeds health benefits for men:
- plant protein
- heart-healthy fats
- source of potassium
- source of zinc
- rich in antioxidants
Plant Protein
Men prefer to eat meat since they equate it with more muscle. However eating too much meat — such as beef and mutton — can increase your intake of unhealthy hydrogenated fat and cholesterol. Sunflower seeds are an excellent source of protein and use a healthy alternative to meat proteins. A 1/4-cup serving of sunflower seed kernels consists of 7 g of protein, meeting 14 percent of your everyday worth. Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends you differ your sources of protein to include foods like sunflower seeds to optimize your nutrient consumption.
Read also: Zinc Deficiency Symptoms in Men.
Heart-Healthy Fats
Sunflower seeds are a high-fat food, with almost 80 percent of their calories originating from fat. But most of the fat in the sunflower seeds originates from the heart-healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Changing your saturated fat consumption with these much healthier fats can enhance blood cholesterol levels and lower your risk of heart disease. The American Heart Association suggests that the majority of your fat consumption, 20 to 25 percent, originated from these heart-healthy fats.
Source of Potassium
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends men include more potassium-rich foods in their diet to fulfill their everyday requirements of 4,700 mg a day. Sunflower seeds can help you fulfill those requirements, offering 226 mg in a 1/4-cup serving. Consisting of more potassium-rich foods in your diet can likewise enhance heart health. Potassium helps to counterbalance the impacts of sodium in your blood and can help lower blood pressure, reducing your risk of developing hypertension.
Source of Zinc
Sunflower seeds are also an excellent source of zinc. Appropriate consumption of zinc are essential for male fertility. An absence of zinc in the diet may cause your sperm to clump together. Men require 11 mg of zinc a day. A 1/4-cup serving consists of 1.75 mg of zinc.
Rich in Antioxidants
Sunflower seeds are likewise a good source of antioxidants, including selenium and vitamin E. Antioxidants are substances in food that can help avoid or limit oxidative damage to your cells. By limiting damage, the anti-oxidants in the sunflower seeds might help secure you from chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
Health Tips
Today, sunflower seeds are among the most taken in seeds in the world, specifically in the United States. There are actually three types of commonly used sunflower seeds: linoleic, high oleic, and nusun sunflowers seeds; the kind usually consumed is the linoleic kind.
The 3 varieties all have various specific nutrient contents, however are extremely comparable in regards to health benefits and uses. Sunflower seeds are gathered and enjoyed around the world, everywhere from Russia, Turkey, Asia nations, throughout the Middle East, and throughout North and South America too. They can be taken in raw, sprouted, roasted, toasted, and practically whatever between.
They are typically ground into “Sunflower Seed Butter”, which has become a significantly popular option to other nut butters over the past decade, given that sunflower seeds have the tendency to be much less most likely to cause an allergy that other nuts like peanuts or almonds.
Sunflower seeds that have been shelled (eliminated from their husks) are stated to have a mild nutty taste compared to other nuts, and a medium to firm texture. They are easy to include into other dishes, because they’re taste is not frustrating and their small size makes them ideal for including them to things like vegetable burgers or other ground mixes.
Sunflower seeds can be found in either shelled or unshelled ranges, implying their hard husks will either be intact or eliminated. Among the best ways to purchase sunflowers seeds is by getting them from “bulk bins”, which are areas of particular health food shops or major markets that offer foods by the pound.
Purchasing the seeds is by doing this typically implies you are getting the best price and also acquiring fresh, organic seeds the majority of the time. When choosing your seeds, look for the kinds that are uniform in color with no significant yellow spots, firm and plump, and not broken. It is common for the shelled seeds to have black and white striped on them, so do not be concerned if this is what you find in shops; you can constantly de-shell them later on.
Since the seeds are high in delicate polyunsaturated fats, they can easily go rancid if neglected in the heat for too long. You will wish to protect their nutrients and keep them from ruining by keeping them in your fridge in an airtight container. Keeping them by doing this, they should stay fresh for a number of months and their taste must not be modified.
If you are purchasing sunflower seed butter, examine the active ingredient label to make sure no other ingredients are added like any hydrogenated fats, extra flavors, or thickening representatives. Shop your sunflower seed butter in the fridge and examine the date to know how long you can expect it to remain fresh, depending on when the seeds were ground.
