HWN Suggests

Sunflower Seeds Are the Best Snack for the Anxious Mind

It’s hard not to self-diagnose when thinking about the seeds. Yes, they’re healthy — and when I got a little older, determined to be skinny as some other 14-year-old girls, I used to wonder if, like celery, eating them burned more calories than they contained (obviously, it does not). They’re nutritious, and in my hippie-adjacent family home, they were allowed a place on the shelf beside the muesli and nutritional yeast. They’re good for people who need to do three or four things at a time to feel content, and they come up occasionally as a topic of conversation on the “ADHD for Smart Ass Women” Facebook group I joined six months ago, after googling a little too hard one night.

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Articles of Interest

Unsung Superfood: Health Benefits of Sunflower Seeds

Did you know that sunflower seeds and peanuts have a similar makeup when it comes to oil, protein, and carbohydrate content but peanuts lack the micronutrient content of sunflower seeds? Sunflower seeds are actually so high in nutrients that they’re considered a superfood, which is kind of awesome.

Afternoon Snack: Why Raisins + Sunflower Seeds Are Such a Powerful Health Duo

I recently started eating raisins again, after a long hiatus. And then I mixed them up with some sunflower seeds, and the combo was so delicious. Here's why they are so good for your bod.

Are Sunflower Seeds Healthy? Here’s What Experts Say

Certain seeds, like chia and flax, tend to hog the nutritional spotlight. But the less-trendy sunflower seed has plenty of qualities worth highlighting. Here are the health benefits of sunflowers seeds, according to dietitians.

How The Russians Saved America's Sunflower

Next time you buy some potato chips, take a look at the list of ingredients. There's a good chance that, right after potatoes, you'll see this: "Sunflower oil." You might think nothing of it. After all, the sunflower is the state flower of Kansas. Why wouldn't the potato chip industry use this home-grown oil? But before the sunflower ended up helping to fry potatoes, it had to take a long detour through, of all places, the Soviet Union.

How the sunflower transformed from a garden novelty to a mighty beast

Demand for the plant's oil fueled the rise in popularity.

Making sunlight liquid – a brief history of sunflowers

Sunflowers have two main commercial uses, oil and confectionery (for direct seed consumption).

Seed of the month: Sunflower

Sunflower seeds, which are harvested from the centers of large, yellow-petaled flowers, have a long and interesting history. Native American Indians cultivated sunflowers some 8,000 years ago, using the seeds to make meal for bread. Today, farmers grow two main types of sunflowers. Those with solid black hulls have extra-oily seeds, which are pressed into sunflower oil or used in bird feeders. Those with black-and-white-striped hulls are used in food. In the late 1960s, chewing a mouthful to extract the small seeds became popular among baseball players, allegedly as a substitute for chewing tobacco. In the 1970s, hulled sunflower seeds gained a following among vegetarians and natural-food enthusiasts.

The One Ingredient You Should Add to Your Breakfast Every Day

The addition of just one ingredient can drastically change a dish’s flavor or texture. Think: chili powder for heat or cornstarch for creamy scrambled eggs. Same is true of the nutritional profile—one ingredient can take something that's only so-so and turn it into a nutritional powerhouse. That’s how the small-but-mighty sunflower seed is about to transform your granola. As the highest natural source of the powerful antioxidant vitamin E, a 1/4 cup serving provides nearly all of your daily recommended value.

The Super-Common Seed That You Should Be Eating More Often

Sunflowers are huge. The Guinness World Record holder was over 30ft tall, which is roughly four Shaqs. They're also heliotropes, which means they turn to follow the sun as it moves across the sky from east to west. But reaching higher than a pyramid of NBA players and worshipping the sun with the same zeal that Audrey II guzzles human blood aren't all these flowers have going for them. Packed inside those humongous heads are tiny treats called sunflower seeds.