July 9, 2017
We eat a lot of salads at our house. Side salads or entrée salads, they appear multiple times a week and they frequently include sunflower seeds. Sunflower seeds add crunch, texture, a unique taste and great benefits.
Why You Should Add Sunflower Seeds to Your Salad
Nutrient dense
One 40g serving of hulled, raw sunflower seeds has 230 calories but contains large amounts of B-complex vitamins, vitamin E, iron, magnesium, manganese and zinc among others.
Gluten-free fiber source
That same 40g serving has 3 grams of fiber.
Source of vitamin E
Sesame seeds are a source of vitamin E – one of the essential vitamins and one of the primary anti-oxidant vitamins. One 40g serving provides 90% of the recommended daily amount of vitamin E.
Vegan source of protein
A 40 gram serving has 8 grams of vegan-friendly protein.
Source of anti-oxidants
Anti-oxidants are substances that protect our insides from damage and sunflower seeds are a great source of these phytonutrient damage-fighters – over and above the anti-oxidant properties already provided by vitamin E.