Healthy Snacks, These are the 12 Rarely Known Benefits of Sunflower Seeds

Kapanlagi.com - Sunflower seeds, also known as sunflower seeds, are indeed one of the healthy snacks that are liked by many people. Sunflower seeds themselves are often a healthy snack that is widely loved, even the benefits of sunflower seeds are not to be underestimated for the health of KLovers' bodies. In addition to having a delicious taste, sunflower seeds also have low calories.

The benefits of sunflower seeds are not only for the health of adults and children, but also good for consumption for pregnant women. Sunflower seeds themselves are a natural food that comes from sunflowers, which have many extraordinary contents in them.

What are the benefits of sunflower seeds? Reported from various sources, here are 6 benefits of sunflower seeds for body health and pregnant women. Let's check it out right away.

1. Lowering Cholesterol Levels

Benefits of sunflower seeds for health (credit: Freepik)

The first benefit of sunflower seeds is that they can lower cholesterol levels in the body. This is because sunflower seeds contain monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. These fatty acids can help with metabolism and accumulation processes in the body.

By doing so, these unsaturated fatty acids can replace saturated fats and lower cholesterol levels in your body. So if you want to lower cholesterol levels naturally, you can use sunflower seeds as a healthy snack.

2. Healthy Food for Diabetes Patients

The next benefit of sunflower seeds is that they can be a healthy food for diabetes patients. This is because sunflower seeds can control blood sugar levels in the body for diabetes patients. Sunflower seeds contain polyphenols and unsaturated fatty acids.

And these two compounds can be anti-diabetic and protect the liver, pancreas, and other vital organs. That's why sunflower seeds can be a good food for diabetes patients to consume. Because besides being healthy, sunflower seeds can also lower blood sugar levels.

3. Anti Cancer

Benefits of sunflower seeds (credit: Freepik)

Besides being able to control blood sugar levels in the body, it turns out that other benefits of sunflower seeds can also be anti-cancer food, KLovers. This is because sunflower seeds contain selenium which functions as a preventive and reduces the spread of cancer in the body.

In addition, the mineral content in the form of antioxidants also slows down oxidative stress and neutralizes free radicals before causing too much damage. Then the content of phytosterols in sunflower seeds also has the potential to reduce the risk of colon cancer and improve the immune system.

4. Overcoming Anemia

Someone who has anemia indeed has a body condition with very low iron levels. And to overcome this, people with anemia must consume foods that are high in iron. And you can get the iron levels from sunflower seeds. Yup! Consuming sunflower seeds is indeed a good source of iron intake.

Iron is an important component of the body that converts calories into energy. Consuming enough iron can prevent the onset of anemia symptoms such as fatigue and weakness. So if you have anemia, you can use the benefits of sunflower seeds as a healthy snack.

5. Overcoming Hypertension

The benefits of kuaci can overcome hypertension (credit: Freepik)

Not only can kuaci (sunflower seeds) overcome anemia, but it can also treat high blood pressure or hypertension, KLovers. Hypertension is indeed one of the dangerous diseases for the body. This is because hypertension can lead to complications such as stroke and heart attacks.

But don't worry, KLovers, because you can overcome hypertension by consuming kuaci. This is because kuaci contains magnesium, which plays an important role in the body's calcium channels, balancing electrolytes and blood pressure.

By consuming 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds, you can fulfill almost 30% of your daily magnesium needs. Therefore, the benefits of kuaci can be a very good remedy for treating hypertension symptoms.

6. Brain Health

In addition, the benefits of sunflower seeds are good for brain health. This is because sunflower seeds contain tryptophan which can calm the brain and help improve mood.

And if we regularly consume sunflower seeds, it will increase serotonin production in the brain. Serotonin effectively reduces tension, making us feel relaxed. Furthermore, the choline content in sunflower seeds also plays an important role in memory and vision function.

7. As a Sedative

Benefits of sunflower seeds (credit: Freepik)

Turns out, sunflower seeds can be a sedative, KLovers. Yup! The benefits of sunflower seeds come from the magnesium content that can make people feel calm. Several studies have shown that magnesium helps reduce stress, migraines, and promotes relaxation. In fact, the magnesium content in sunflower seeds functions as a sedative in some diseases.

8. Healthy Snacks for Diet

It is no secret that sunflower seeds are very low in calories and high in fiber, making them very good for those of you who are on a diet program. Sunflower seeds are rich in dietary fiber that keeps the stomach full, promotes digestion, and controls excessive hunger.

In addition, sunflower seeds also contain protein that can help with weight loss. This protein helps increase satiety and prevent overeating. High-fiber foods can also improve digestion. So consuming sunflower seeds will quickly help you lose weight.

9. Good for Pregnant Women

Consumption of sunflower seeds for pregnant women (credit: Freepik)

Another benefit of sunflower seeds is that they are good for pregnant women. This is because sunflower seeds contain folate, which is very good for pregnancy. This is because folate can help produce new cells in the body, thus helping with DNA and RNA replication.

In fact, folate is very beneficial for fetal growth and reduces the risk of birth defects. In addition, vitamin B12 in sunflower seeds helps in the formation of hemoglobin in red blood cells. That is why it is highly recommended to consume sunflower seeds for pregnant women.

10. Providing Reproductive Health

For those of you who want to have offspring, you can consume sunflower seeds as a healthy snack. This is because sunflower seeds can provide reproductive health. Sunflower seeds are one of the good sources of phytoestrogens. Phytoestrogens are plant metabolites that are structurally and functionally similar to hormones, especially estrogen and testosterone.

By consuming sunflower seeds, it can help balance reproductive hormones. In addition to sunflower seeds, even consuming watermelon and pumpkin seeds can improve sperm quality thanks to their zinc content.

11. Boosting Immune System

Boost immune system (credit: Freepik)

Having a good immune system will protect your body from various dangerous diseases. Even the immune system can protect you from attacks of free radicals in the form of viruses and bacteria, which can damage body cells. So it is mandatory for you to boost your immune system with various healthy foods, one of which is sunflower seeds.

This is because sunflower seeds contain vitamin B, iron, and antioxidants that can boost the immune system. In addition, there is also magnesium content that can help overcome and prevent various allergies. The antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties in sunflower seeds also help prevent infections that can attack the body.

12. Skin Health

And the last benefit of sunflower seeds is that they can provide health to the skin. It's no secret that sunflower seeds have good benefits for skin beauty, that's why many facial treatments use sunflower seeds as their main ingredient.

This is because sunflower seeds contain a high content of vitamin E. The antioxidant content in sunflower seeds also helps improve blood circulation in the skin tissue, reducing wrinkles on the skin. Vitamin E for the skin also helps provide brightness to the skin.

Those are the 12 benefits of sunflower seeds for body health that you must know. Despite their small size, sunflower seeds have very high benefits for the body. They even become one of the healthy snacks that can be consumed by adults, pregnant women, people on a diet, and children.

(kpl/dhm)