Seeds Mini-guide II: sunflower, pumpkin, and sesame
Seeds Mini-guide II: sunflower, pumpkin, and sesame
As we discussed in the first part of this mini-guide, seeds are an excellent source of nutrients and a great complement to our diet.
On this occasion, we will tell you about the benefits and properties that sunflower, pumpkin, and sesame seeds have in our body, and we will explain the different methods to better digest and assimilate their nutrients.
Sunflower seeds
Organic sunflower seeds
Sunflower seeds, despite being a bit more caloric than the rest, have exciting nutritional properties. They are very rich in potassium, a mineral present in all foods that regulate the metabolism of water in the body. For this reason, they are very beneficial for people with hypertension problems, circulatory disorders such as edema, and athletes.
In addition, its content of Iron, Phosphorus, Calcium, and Magnesium, and vitamins A, D, E, and B gives them energizing, diuretic, expectorant, and antioxidant properties, which are beneficial in times of stress.
Curiosities: being very rich in minerals and fatty acids, sunflower seeds are a great complement in pregnancy, osteoporosis, and fibromyalgia.
How to consume them: you can take them without soaking, but it is convenient to roast or grind them to take full advantage of their properties. With them, you can make vegetable drinks or consume them as a perfect decorative complement in vegetable creams and salads.Pumpkin seeds
Organic pumpkin seeds
Pumpkin seeds are great for a healthy snack. They stand out for their nutritional contribution of fiber and natural antioxidants such as vitamins A and E and vitamins of group B, which balance the nervous system.
They also contain essential minerals for our body, such as Zinc, which helps us in the proper functioning of our immune system.
Pumpkin seeds have been a food used since ancient times for their nutritional properties and medicinal properties. In Naturopathy, its use is recommended to facilitate the elimination of intestinal parasites, thanks to its content in cucurbitacin, an amino acid that also contributes to regulating the health of the prostate.
Curiosities: its green color is characterized by its high chlorophyll content and yellow by natural pigments with antioxidant properties called carotenoids and lutein, making it an oxygenating and revitalizing food.
How to consume them: you can take them without soaking, but it is convenient to roast or grind them to take full advantage of their properties. With them, you can make vegetable drinks or consume them as a perfect decorative complement in vegetable creams and salads.Sesame seeds
Organic sesame seeds
Sesame is increasingly common in our diet, being very common to see it in the preparation of loaves of bread and sweets, in salads, in crocanti
With this precious seed rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, you will help your body have the correct functioning of the nervous system in times of tension or stress, and you will also have shiny skin, nails, and hair!
Sesame is rich in lecithin, a lipid that helps us balance HDL / LDL cholesterol (good and bad) in the body and drags fats, facilitating their elimination.
In addition, thanks to its high calcium content, it is beneficial in children of growing ages or people with osteoporosis.
Curiosities: standard sesame is used in Ayurvedic medicine as a base oil in countless treatments. Its primary function is to nourish the liver and kidneys and tone the body in general.
How to consume them: you can take them without soaking, but it is convenient to roast or grind them to take full advantage of their properties. With them, you can make vegetable drinks or consume them as a perfect decorative complement in vegetable creams and salads.
One of the most decadent foods of the fall and winter season is pumpkin. It is full of properties and benefits, and its sweet and pleasant taste makes it possible to cook it in many different ways.
It belongs to the melon, watermelon, zucchini, and cucumber family. It is native to America, the region of Mexico and Guatemala. And in that area, you can even find summer varieties.
It is a light, nutritious vegetable with many water and carbohydrates, so we love it.
Pumpkin properties
It is very rich in vitamins and minerals, so necessary for our health. Among the vitamins that it provides, we can find:
Beta carotene
Provitamin A
Antioxidants C and E
Lycopene (antioxidant pigment)
Vitamins of group B: B2 and B6
Folic acidAnd the main minerals it contains are:
Potassium
Match
Magnesium
Iron
ZincFor all these components, a pumpkin is considered a medicinal food. Also, we cannot forget about its seeds. A healthy snack that raw contains lots of magnesium and Zinc.
Benefits for our health
Taking pumpkin helps keep the skin, bones, and teeth in good condition. Therefore it is highly recommended for children, pregnant women, and during lactation.
It is an excellent food for those with diabetes because its sugars are slowly absorbed and do not overload the pancreas.
It is also beneficial for:
Nervous system
Digestive system
Urinary system
Cardiovascular system
Immune system
Metabolic diseases
Eye health
Cancer prevention, especially of: colon, bladder, prostate, lung, and uterus.How to cook pumpkin
Pumpkin is delicious and can be enjoyed in many different ways. Both raw, as cooked in soups and purees, baked, boiled, gratin, cooked, as a garnish and filling, in pizzas or pasta …
Thanks to its sweet taste, it can also be used for desserts and sweets: cakes and cakes, muffins, puddings … And one of its most exquisite uses is that you can prepare a rich jam to accompany the breakfast toast of the whole family.