Many people wonder if it is okay to eat nuts and seeds every day. The biggest fear is that it will increase the lipid profile. Nuts are said to be loaded with fats, so wouldn’t it affect the liver? Many questions like this plague us when it comes to the thought of consuming a diet rich in nuts. But, what one doesn’t realise is that it isn’t eating nuts that affect the liver or the lipid profile, but a bad lifestyle and faulty eating habits.
Nuts and seeds are healthy fats, and if eaten in moderation on a daily basis would help us with many benefits. Let us talk about one such seed today, the humble, sunflower seed, which is rich in iron, zinc, and copper. It helps maintain brain health and energy levels. It is a nutrient-dense food, high in vitamin B, and minerals like selenium.
Here is why sunflower seeds are good for you:
• The vitamin E found in a sunflower seed is in its pure form along with selenium, which is a very powerful antioxidant and helps our cells repair themselves. Our cells are constantly getting damaged. Vitamin E is an antioxidant and helps in fighting free radicals and these free radicals are the reason behind fast ageing. When our tissues start getting damaged by constant inflammation and oxidative stress, they need vitamin E to repair them and control the damage.
• Sunflower seeds are also rich in flavonoids. Foods rich in flavonoids play a very important role in boosting our immune system. It is our immune system that will help us prevent sickness. Inflammation is increasing due to poor lifestyle and that is the root cause of most diseases today. Diabetes, IBD, Alzheimer’s, obesity, cancer, and Parkinson’s are all inflammatory conditions. The flavonoids and vitamin E found in sunflower seeds help us manage this condition.
• When our blood vessels cannot relax, they start hardening which can increase BP and lead to more inflammation, causing heart attacks, cardiac arrests, strokes etc. Sunflower seeds help your blood vessels relax which is great for people with BP.
• Sunflower seeds are also rich in magnesium which is a trace mineral and is required for almost 300 chemical reactions in the body. Even a slight dip can affect many chemical reactions, gut health, nerve function, brain health, bone health etc.
• Chlorogenic acid found in sunflower seeds has anti-diabetic, anti-carcinogenic and anti-inflammatory properties which work on improving sugar levels and prevents us from various inflammatory conditions.
With so many benefits we consume soaked or roasted sunflower seeds on a daily basis, but in moderation.
Deepika Rathod
Chief Nutrition Officer, Luke Coutinho Holistic Healing Systems. The writer is a clinical nutritionist with a focus on healthy lifestyle choices.