If your daily diet is a very typical western one, then you need to pay special attention to sunflower seeds. This is because sunflower seeds contain many nutrients lacking in a typical Western diet.

Cultivated and consumed by indigenous people of North and South America for thousands of years, sunflower seeds are rich in vitamins B1, B5, B6 and E, as well as magnesium, selenium, phosphorus, copper, iron and folic acid.

Besides possessing the beneficial properties of most nuts and seeds, sunflower seeds are unique in their high content of selenium, which has been found to be anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and anti-allergenic.

The rich vitamin E content of these seeds also makes them powerful antioxidants and anticancer agents.

References
[1] Collins, Elise Marie. An A-Z Guide to Healing Foods: A Shopper’s Companion. San Francisco, California: Conari Press, 2009. Print.

Cindy L. TJOL is trained in Psychology, Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine. She has several years of experience writing on natural health on the internet. Follow her on her blog and read her other articles at Insights On Health.com.