Sunflower Seeds: Exploring the Health Benefits of This Allergy-Friendly Seed
Key takeaways:
Sunflower seeds are little nutritional superstars. They add plant protein, healthy fats, fiber, selenium, and vitamin E to meals and snacks.
Enjoying three to four small handfuls of nuts or seeds per week can be beneficial for cardiovascular health.
You can try sunflower seed butter, pre-hulled sunflower seeds, or in-shell sunflower seeds. Opt for lightly salted, when possible.
Table of contents
Sunflower seeds are more than just a ballpark favorite. They’re packed with nutrition, too. Seeds are technically defined as a small object made by a plant that can grow a new plant. This means these little superstars – like sunflower, pumpkin, chia, and flax seeds — are nutritional powerhouses. And with the rise of nut allergies, sunflower seeds have increased in popularity because they’re free of the top nine allergens. In this article, we share the health benefits of sunflower seeds.
What are the health benefits of sunflower seeds?
Both nuts and seeds are nutrient- and calorie-dense. It’s recommended to enjoy a small handful of nuts or seeds daily as part of a balanced diet. Below are the benefits specific to sunflower seeds.
Nutrient-rich
Sunflower seeds are small but mighty. For sunflower seed kernels (already shelled), 1 oz provides:
165 calories
14 g of fat
6 g of protein
6 g of carbohydrates
3 g of fiber
Discover a simple way to manage diabetes
Patients can use GoodRx to save up to 40% on OneTouch Ultra Strips.
So, sunflower seeds provide quality protein and healthy fats and likely will not cause rapid changes in blood sugar.
A source of antioxidants
Beyond their macronutrients, a serving of sunflower seeds has a whopping 40% of your daily selenium needs. Selenium is a mineral that acts as an antioxidant in your body. And it’s essential to get selenium from the foods you eat. It helps to make proteins needed for things like thyroid function, fertility, and the immune system.
An ounce of sunflower seeds also contains half of the average person’s daily vitamin E needs. This is a fat-soluble vitamin with antioxidant properties.
Heart health benefits
Sunflower seeds have several heart health-boosting nutrients. For example, they contain:
Polyunsaturated fat
Monounsaturated fat
Plant protein
Fiber
. This means that when you eat sunflower seeds on a regular basis, they can help to reduce:
Total cholesterol
Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol
Triglyceride levels
Read more like this
Explore these related articles, suggested for readers like you.
These are the bad types of cholesterol that increase your risk of heart disease.
There isn’t a lot of research on seeds and specific health outcomes. But they offer similar nutrition to nuts, which have a lot more research. Eating three to four small handfuls of nuts or seeds per week has been shown to have heart health benefits. The anti-inflammatory antioxidants in sunflower seeds also play a role in cardiovascular health.
Allergy-friendly
Ground-up sunflower seeds — also known as sunflower seed butter — are a great option for people with peanut or nut allergies. It’s also great for kids who can’t bring peanut or almond butter to school. It’s free from top nine allergens and is often allowed in nut-free schools.
When compared to 1 oz of almonds, sunflower seeds provide a similar amount of calories, protein, and fiber. And even though almonds have more magnesium, sunflower seeds have more selenium and vitamin E.
Heart-healthy nuts: Research suggests that these nuts are the best options to lower your risk of heart disease.
Saturated versus unsaturated fat: Nuts and seeds are high in healthy fat. Learn why saturated versus unsaturated fat makes such a difference.
Plant-based protein: If you’re a vegetarian or simply trying to eat more plant-based foods, these foods are a good source of protein.
What kind of sunflower seeds should you eat?
Because of nut allergies, seed-based snacks are becoming more common in grocery stores. For example, you can find sunflower seed butter chocolate cups, seed bars, and granolas with sunflower seeds. If you’re looking to add sunflower seeds for their health benefits, select from the below options, which have the least added sugar or salt.
Sunflower butter
Sunflower butter makes a great swap for almond or peanut butter. Give a banana, cracker, or smoothie a boost of plant-based protein and healthy fats by adding sunflower seed butter. Sunflower seed butter also works well when stirred into peanut noodle or sauce recipes.
Roasted and hulled
Roasted sunflower seeds are also an easy snack to pack for an on-the-go source of nutrition. Hulled sunflower seeds, which means the shells have been removed, are easier to add to salads, yogurt, or oatmeal.
In-shell
Some people enjoy the activity of taking seeds out of the shell. In-shell sunflower seeds make a great afternoon snack paired with a cheese stick or piece of fruit.
Are there any downsides to eating sunflower seeds?
In general, there aren’t many negatives to sunflower seeds if you opt for the lightly salted or unsalted varieties. But there are a few things to keep in mind.
Sodium content
It’s better to eat lightly salted or unsalted sunflower seeds when possible to minimize the sodium in your diet. A serving of salted sunflower seeds can easily add a few hundred milligrams of sodium to your day. When looking at the label, a low-sodium food provides less than 140 mg per serving.
Portion control
Since seeds are calorie dense, it’s easy to eat upwards of 500 calories of seeds in one sitting without realizing it. If you’re trying to monitor your calorie intake, you can purchase pre-portioned bags or use a measuring cup to portion out one-fourth of a cup.
Rancidity
The polyunsaturated fats in seeds (and nuts, too) are sensitive to heat and light. If they smell or taste bad, throw them out. To help prevent them from going bad, keep open bags of sunflower seeds in a cool and dark location. Freezing can extend the shelf life of sunflower seeds.
They can be messy
When you’re at a ballgame, the messy shells are the fun part. But in-shell sunflower seeds can be hard to open and can be messy if munching at home.
Is it okay to eat sunflower seeds every day?
To benefit from their healthy nutrients, studies support a small handful of nuts or seeds daily. Each type of nut or seed provides varying levels of certain vitamins and minerals. So it’s best to incorporate a variety so that you’re meeting your nutrient needs from several types of foods.
The bottom line
If you’re looking to vary or increase the nuts and seeds in your diet, sunflower seeds can be a great option. Just 1 oz of sunflower seeds provide 6 g of plant protein, 40% of your daily selenium, and half of your daily vitamin E. It’s recommended to enjoy a small handful of a variety of nuts or seeds daily. You can enjoy these on their own, but also experiment with them on top of other meals like salad or yogurt.
Why trust our experts?
References
Britannica Dictionary. (n.d.). Definition of seed.
Food Allergy Research and Education. (n.d.). Common allergens.
Heart Foundation of New Zealand. (n.d.). Nuts, seeds and heart health.
Office of Dietary Supplements. (2021). Vitamin E. National Institutes of Health.
Office of Dietary Supplements. (2024). Selenium. National Institutes of Health.
U.S. Department of Agriculture. (2019). Nuts, almonds.
U.S. Department of Agriculture. (2019). Seeds, sunflower seed kernels, dry roasted, without salt.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2024). Sodium in your diet.
