(Health) News: Five Seeds You Should Be Eating

MSU Grad Life & Wellness — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 14:52:20 +0000

Flaxseeds

Eating flaxseed is an easy way to get omega-3s, antioxidants, and fiber into every meal. Flaxseed is known to lower cholesterol levels and blood pressure and also promote regular digestion; early studies indicate they may even have a role in preventing breast cancer.

Flaxseed is a great addition to baked goods like this carrot zucchini bread and these pumpkin raisin flax muffins.

Pumpkin Seeds

Don’t wait until Halloween to enjoy the goodness of pumpkin seeds! High in plant sterols and phytochemicals, pumpkin seeds help lower cholesterol and are a good source of protein, fiber, potassium, and magnesium.

It’s always fun to roast pumpkin seeds at home, or you can whip up an easy snack of apple, peanut butter, and pumpkin seed stacks.

Sesame Seeds

Sesame seeds aren’t just for hamburger buns and bagels — and with good reason. These seeds are a great source of calcium (one tablespoon of sesame seeds contains 90 milligrams of calcium); they’re also rich in other minerals like magnesium and copper.

Skip the bread and incorporate sesame seeds into your dinner with this recipe for vegetarian lettuce wraps from True Food Kitchen.

Chia Seeds

Not just fodder for a ’70s novelty gift, ch-ch-ch-chia seeds are a great addition to any diet. One tablespoon of chia seeds contains 70 calories, six grams of fiber, two grams of protein, 90 milligrams of calcium, and 2.5 grams of omega-3 fatty acids.

I always throw chia seeds in my morning smoothie, but you can also enjoy them in this Chia seed supergreen drink recipe or chocolate banana chia pudding.

Sunflower Seeds

There’s nothing like the salty satisfaction of popping open a sunflower seed, especially when you consider how high they are in vitamin E, manganese, and vitamin B1.

Get creative and make this recipe for a vegan beet sunflower pesto.