Are sunflower seeds keto friendly?
And therefore,
You’re on a ketogenic diet, and even though you’ve mostly given up on snacking, you’re missing the crunch of chips.
You’ve been looking for crunchy snacks and wondering if you can specifically eat seeds and sunflower seeds on keto.
The…
short answer
Yeah!
why?
The simple answer is that sunflower seeds are low in net carbs, low to moderate in protein, and high in fat.
Well, let’s talk about sunflower seeds – what are they? Why are they good for keto, how should you eat them, and how much can you eat?
What are sunflower seeds?
As the name suggests, they are beautiful sunflower seeds.
You can generally buy them with the skin on, or remove them as sunflowers.
I prefer to snack on cereal, but if you like seeds, you probably already know how كيفية Peel them with your teeth.
Let’s go…
What do the macros of this humble kernel look like?
Macros
raw sunflower kernels
Macros per ¼ cup (about 3 tablespoons or more than an ounce) –
Sunflower seeds are full of minerals and vitamins. They are all listed in the link above.
These macros are as per the USDA. Always check the labels of the product you buy. For many products on the market today, net carbs appear to be slightly lower.
seeds
The macros for seeds and grains are the same, because we don’t actually eat shells.
The most difficult thing when eating seeds is calculating the serving size. The weight of the shell is slightly greater than the weight of the grain.
So, for ½ cup of seeds, the macros should be the same as for ¼ cup of grains. But always check!
flavored
Whenever you buy any processed product, you will have to check the labels because any added ingredient can drastically alter the macro profile.
Therefore, stick to raw or salted flavors with no added flavors if you want to make sure that you don’t add any unwanted sugar to your diet.
Glycemic Index (GI)
Since the carbs in sunflower seeds are low, I would expect a low glycemic index.
However, it is not easy to find a number because most sources with glycemic index data focus on foods that are high in carbohydrates (for obvious reasons) and foods are not necessarily individual ingredients.
The best source I can find is Foodstruct.com Which records the glycemic index as 20. Anything less than 55 is considered.
So sunflower seeds shouldn’t have much effect on blood sugar levels.
By the way, if you are a visual person and love infographics and color images, you will enjoy how Foodstruct.com presents their information.
Benefits
There are many reasons to eat it but the best ones are:
packed with nutrients
Some would say that if you look at cracking ingredients it will look like a multivitamin. The difference is that it’s a whole food, so it’s better than taking a multivitamin.
crisis
Many people will tell you what they miss the most when they follow the keto diet is the crunch.
Roasted sunflower seeds can give you crunch without the added carbs.
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buy sunflower seeds
What do you notice from the outside?
Seeds vs Kernels
This is all about personal choice.
If you are looking for a night snack, you will probably prefer salted and roasted whole seeds –
If you prefer exfoliating kernels like me, try these…
If you are looking for more snack ideas, check out our site Favorite keto snack.
how do you eat it
There are many ways to eat sunflower seeds or grains. If you’re looking for a crunchy snack, roasting is your answer.
But raw is also good and if you want to add them to salads, sprouting them is a great option.
Here are some of our favourites…
raw
The easiest is to eat it raw. This way they may not have a crunch, but they are still full of nutrients and make a healthy snack.
However
Raw seeds and nuts contain the anti-nutrient phytic acid. This is an enzyme inhibitor and makes it difficult to absorb nutrients from inside nuts or seeds. (research study)
The goal of phytic acid in nature is to protect the seed until germination begins.
And therefore
To access the nutrients, we need to start the germination process. We do this by activating or sprouting the seeds…
Enabled
The easiest way to freshen a seed or a nut is to soak it in water with a pinch of salt.
I usually soak them overnight and then dry them in the oven at the lowest temperature possible for up to 24 hours.
But that’s because I don’t have a dryer. If you have one this is the easiest way to do it
Here is exactly how to do it.
Once you start doing this, you will never eat nuts and seeds raw again because their taste will inspire you.
sprout
Again, it’s an easy way to get maximum nutrition from sunflower seeds. They’re also great in salads or even snacks if that’s what you’re after.
I love this sprouter from Amazon, but you obviously don’t need a fancy one like this. Any old mason jar will do the trick.
fried or roasted
I like to dry them in a pan with the addition of salt, but you can also fry them in olive oil or butter.
Or slowly roast them in the oven with salt and any other seasonings you wish to add.
conclusion
At the conclusion of the question- Are sunflower seeds keto?
The answer is yes.
But, watch your portion size.
And yes, we only eat grains and that’s what we’re referring to.
However, if you ask about Sun flower oilThis is a whole other discussion. But the short answer is perhaps. Read our full analysis.
Keto Stamp Approval?
Sunflower seeds are keto certified.
It is a good healthy crunchy snack to include in your low-carb, high-fat diet.
We need your help
If you have questions about which of your favorite meals or snacks are keto, leave us a comment.
We would like to incorporate your suggestions into – “Can I include this in my keto diet?” a series.
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