Perhaps best known as a summer time snack, sunflower seeds are the perfect addition to a day out, either just in the backyard or out at a ball game. Regardless of where you eat your sunflower seeds, doing so on a regular basis can be quite healthy for you. Most people eat sunflower seeds just for a salty snack fix. Nevertheless, these salted seeds are actually full of nutrition and there are several sunflower seeds health benefits. Here is a rundown of a few of these benefits that you can gain by consuming sunflower seeds on a routine basis.

Vitamin Content – Nuts and seeds are a vital building block for a healthy diet. Sadly, both of these foods are often overlooked by many people because of their small size. Nuts and seeds can rarely be more than snacks. However, both categories, sunflower seeds especially, are laced with tons of vitamins. Sunflower seeds are high in vitamin B1 and B5, vitamin E and folate. B complex vitamins are important for their ability to help regulate many neurotransmitters and to ensure proper functioning of many higher level brain functions. Vitamin E helps with wound healing and prevents scarring while also ensuring healthy skin. Folate is essential for DNA replication and cellular development.

Minerals – Sunflower seeds are also rich in copper, magnesium, selenium and phosphorous, essential dietary minerals that the body is unable to produce for itself, having to rely on food sources for these components. A quarter of a cup of sunflower seeds can hold more than half the daily requirement of the essential minerals.

Monounsaturated Fats – Seeds, like sunflower seeds, are excellent sources of heart healthy monounsaturated fats. These fats are essential sources of energy for the body. They also help protect vital organs by replenishing the protective membranes around them and can help reduce the amount of harmful LDL cholesterol in the body, thereby helping improve cardiovascular function.

Protein – Sunflower seeds make for good sources of protein. An essential building block for muscle and tissue, protein can help body builders pack on pounds but can also be a great source of energy for anyone looking to get into shape.

Tryptophan – Common in most nuts, seeds and some meats, this chemical compound is able to help combat stress and anxiety. While commonly thought to induce sleepiness, tryptophan is more likely to leave you feeling at ease and peaceful than knocking you out.

Choline – A chemical found in abundance in sunflower seeds and other nuts, this helps with brain function and can help improve memory and may be able to help ward off the signs of Alzheimer’s if taken in sufficient doses.

Adding sunflower seeds to your diet is as simple as having them for a snack. One of the great advantages of sunflower seeds is that they can be used for a snack time replacement. Instead of having candy or potato chips, opt for a handful to reap these sunflower seeds health benefits.