Many people like to chew seeds, but not everyone admits this. Parents often forbid their children to consume them, frightening them with appendicitis, splintering teeth and other horrors. In fact, sunflower seeds have a number of useful properties and, with the right attitude, can bring invaluable benefits to the body.
From a decorative flower to industrial culture
The sunflower came to Europe with the Spanish conquistadors after the discovery of America by Columbus. There he quickly spread as a ... ornamental plant. Beautiful yellow flowers were planted in parks and gardens.
In Russia, sunflowers began to be grown as an industrial crop only in the middle of the 19th century. It was then that one of the peasants for the first time in history managed to extract oil from seeds. However, the sunflower seeds themselves were eaten long before that.
The energy value
The calorie content of sunflower seeds per 100 grams largely depends on the method of their preparation. In its raw form, it is 520 kcal, for fried in a dry pan - 557 kcal. But many use additives when processing. Calorie content of fried seeds in sunflower oil - 594 kcal.
During heat treatment, the energy value of sunflower seeds increases, but the content of nutrients decreases. An industrial product does not carry any good at all. And the calorific value of peeled sunflower seeds, sprinkled with salt and fried, is about 700 kcal.
A wealth of nutrients
Despite the high calorie content of sunflower seeds, eating them will bring more benefits than harm. Especially if you eat them raw.
Sunflower seeds are famous for their rich chemical composition. They contain beta-carotene, vitamins A, B1, B2, B5, B6, B9, C, D, E, sodium, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, cobalt, magnesium, silicon, zinc, molybdenum, selenium, fluorine, copper, chromium , manganese, iodine, iron.
The amount of vitamin D in grains is greater than in beef liver or tuna, and in terms of zinc content they are confidently ahead of flax seeds, soy and pecans. The unique amino acid composition of sunflower seeds makes them an excellent tool for normalizing fat metabolism, and the presence of dietary fiber has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the intestines.
Regular use of this product will help lower cholesterol, significantly improve the condition of the skin, nails and hair. Vitamin E, known for its antioxidant properties, will prevent cell aging.
Enemy of teeth and slim waist
Due to the high calorie content of fried sunflower seeds, it is worth consuming them in limited quantities: not more than 50 grams per day or 200 grams per week.
In addition to extra pounds and centimeters, seeds can cause irreparable damage to tooth enamel. It’s better to clean them carefully with your hands than gnaw your teeth. But the popular belief that seeds and their peels provoke inflammation of appendicitis does not have any scientific basis.
From salads to desserts
Sunflower seeds, like any nuts and seeds, are a unique product. They go well with both sugar and salt, which means they can be used in a variety of dishes.
Most often, people gnaw nucleoli from idleness or boredom, in company or at evening gatherings. Some use them as a snack between main courses.
Due to the high calorie content, sunflower seeds are rarely used as an additive in vegetable salad. However, they can well enrich its composition and add new notes of taste, especially when using olive rather than sunflower oil.
These grains are an integral part of eastern desserts: halva and kozinaki. When used, their high energy value should be taken into account. The calorie content of kozinaki from sunflower seeds can vary from 576 to 725 kcal per 100 grams, depending on the manufacturer, halva - from 523 to 589 kcal.
Healthy treat
For the preparation of halva, flour, starch, eggs and even potatoes are very often used. It does not add utility to it, but it significantly affects calorie content. The sunflower seeds used for its manufacture are often fried in already used oil, which is harmful.
It is very simple to prepare homemade halva, it is not inferior to the store to taste, but it will bring much more benefits.
The following ingredients will be required:
- Raw peeled sunflower seeds - 500 g.
- Sugar - 200 g.
- Water - 80 ml.
- Lemon juice - 1 tbsp. l
- Egg white - 1 pc.
Cooking:
- Pour the seeds into a dry frying pan and, stirring constantly, calcine for 15 minutes.
- Place the grains in a blender and grind at medium speed until they give oil and turn into a homogeneous creamy mixture.
- Beat egg white with a mixer until a stable foam.
- Boil syrup from water and sugar. To do this, add both ingredients to the saucepan, put on medium heat and leave until sugar is completely dissolved. Then cook until the liquid becomes a light amber color. Remove from heat, add lemon juice and mix.
- Cool the syrup to room temperature.
- In a bowl, mix the seed puree, protein and sugar syrup. Remove the mass under the press for 24 hours.
Kozinaki
Despite the fact that this product is already quite difficult to spoil, starch, flour, stabilizers, preservatives and other substances that are not there can often be found in their composition.
Cooking homemade gozinaki is not at all difficult, while all the beneficial properties of honey and seeds are preserved.
Ingredients:
- Raw peeled seeds - 200 g.
- Sugar - 6 tbsp. l
- Water - 1 tbsp. l
- Honey - 2 tbsp. l
- Vegetable oil - 1 tbsp. l
Cooking:
- Constantly stirring, calcine the seeds in a pan with the addition of vegetable oil.
- Sugar with water put in a saucepan, leave over medium heat until sugar is completely dissolved.
- Remove sugar syrup from the heat and add honey to it. to stir thoroughly.
- Pour the seeds into a bowl, pour in syrup.
- Stir the mass, put on the foil and form the bars.
- Preheat the oven to 50 degrees, turn it off and leave the kozinaki in it until it cools completely.
Sunflower oil
Oil is made from sunflower seeds, which is present in almost every kitchen. It is used for frying, dressing salads, put in the dough.
Sunflower oil is different: it differs in the production method and organoleptic properties. For cold dishes and salads, it is best to use the product of the first, cold pressed. Such an oil is often distinguished by a dark color and a pronounced smell. Often there is a small precipitate in it. It is unfiltered, non-clarified oil that preserves all the useful properties of seeds. Its only minus is that when heated, it forms carcinogens.
For hot dishes, it is better to use a refined product, such as Oleina, Zlato, or Golden Seed. Calorie content of sunflower oil - 899 kcal per 100 ml.
Seeds in traditional medicine
The beneficial properties of sunflower grains are widely used in folk medicine.
- For bronchitis: 100 grams of raw sunflower seeds, 50 grams of honey and 500 ml. water is placed in a pan and boiled for 20 minutes. The resulting broth is cooled, filtered and taken for 1 tbsp. l three times per day.
- Daily use of 50 grams of seeds will relieve depression, neurosis and insomnia.
- Sunflower copes well with high blood pressure. To prepare a healing broth, 250 grams of raw seeds need to be poured with 1 liter of water and boiled for 2 hours. Strain the resulting liquid and take 100 ml. once a day.
- Daily use of seeds increases male potency and improves the condition of a woman's reproductive system.
- To get rid of constipation, traditional medicine advises taking 2 tablespoons of raw seeds on an empty stomach. They should be washed down with half a glass of warm water.
On guard of beauty
Due to the high content of vitamin E and relative cheapness, sunflower kernels are widely used in home cosmetology:
- Scrub: 50 grams of raw seeds need to be crushed and mixed with 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil. Apply the resulting mixture to the skin of the face and neck, massage a little and rinse with warm water.
- Mask: Beat 100 grams of raw seeds with a blender into a smoothie. Apply to face and neck, leave for 15-20 minutes.
- For dry hair, you can use a mixture of olive and sunflower oil in a ratio of 1: 1. Such a tool with regular use will relieve split ends, add shine and strength to tired or thinned hair.
From the article you learned about the benefits of sunflower seeds.