The Health Benefits of Sunflower Seed Butter
By Sara Butler
If you enjoy peanut butter or one of its nutty cousins, if you haven't done so already, then you are missing out by not trying sunflower seed butter. It was originally thought to be nothing more than a trendy alternative to peanut butter, but it has become more mainstream and seen in more kitchens than just those of people allergic to nut butter. Here’s what you need to know about sunflower seed butter and why you may want to give it a go!
Just the Facts
Sunflower seed butter is prepared pretty simply. Sunflower seeds are ground until they become a paste. One tablespoon of this paste contains:
- 99 calories
- 0.9 grams of fiber
- 5 percent recommended daily intake (RDI) of protein
- 2 percent recommended daily intake of fiber
Other Nutrients
Sunflower seed butter also has a lot of other nutrients that should interest you. It has:
- Unsaturated fat – A tablespoon of this butter has 9 grams of fat, mostly made up of unsaturated fats that help your body to fight inflammation and lower cholesterol.
- Vitamin E – This vitamin is actually an antioxidant that helps to protect the cells in your body from free radicals. Free radicals damage healthy cells and cause inflammation that contributes to chronic disease. A single tablespoon of sunflower seed butter has just over three milligrams of Vitamin E, which happens to be 24 percent of your RDI.
- Magnesium – Your body needs magnesium to produce energy, conduct nerve impulses, and help to contract the muscles in your body. This includes muscles like your heart, which needs magnesium as well as calcium to beat normally. Magnesium also helps the walls of your blood vessels relax, so it’s important to help control your blood pressure. A tablespoon of sunflower seed butter has 12 percent of your recommended daily intake of magnesium.
How Should You Eat It?
You can use sunflower seed butter just as you would any other kind of nut or seed butter. Add it to some toast made from whole grains in the morning for a simple breakfast that will stick with you for hours. It also has a mild enough taste that you can use it to replace other condiments, such as mayo, on your favorite sandwiches. Mix it up with some fresh vegetables to make yourself a healthy sandwich for lunch or substitute it for heavy cream in your favorite sauce recipes. The possibilities are endless, so give sunflower seed butter a try!
To learn more about your health and wellness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic.