The health benefits of seeds
Seeds are extremely nutritious and are a great source of fiber. They also contain healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, important vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
When consumed seeds have many health benefits. They can help reduce blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure. They are recommended by many nutritionists if you are following a diet if you are trying to lose weight or just purify your body.
Read all about the health benefits of seeds below.
Black Seed Benefits
The Kalonji plant, also known as Kalvanji, is found throughout India and the plant resembles a bush. The height of the plant is about one-half meter and it has a blue flower on it. The seeds are triangular in shape and they are black in color. This plant has a pungent odor to it.
The plant was first discovered in Turkey and Italy. It was brought over to India by a team of doctors.
The black seeds are smashed together into a paste form to make black seed oil. The black seed oil is an effective anti-oxidant, anti-bacterial, and anti-inflammatory agent which can fight infections and strengthen the immune system.
This oil is used for treating headaches, toothaches, nasal congestion, colds and flu, digestive and gastrointestinal problems, hair and skin problems, allergies, and diabetes. The daily dose of this black seed oil is one teaspoon per day.
Black seed oil can be used in several different ways to treat an illness. The first way is to mix it with cold or warm drinks and the second way is to sprinkle it on top of food. The third way would be a chest rub for respiratory problems.
Here are some examples of how people mix and use them to relieve an illness: For allergies, use a half teaspoon of oil twice a day as soon as the symptoms appear. It is being used as an antihistamine to help relieve allergies.
Another example would be for asthma: use a teaspoon of the oil in boiling water and inhale the vapors twice a day to treat the symptoms and relax the bronchial muscles.
The third and final example is muscle cramps or spasms: Massage the oil into the affected area once in the morning and once at night. Or another way to relieve these symptoms would be to mix one teaspoon of black seed oil in a cup of chamomile tea and drink it before going to bed.
A strong anti-oxidant helps clean the body against negative toxins in the system against migraines, amnesia, and heart palpitation. It regulates the metabolism, carries the negative toxins to the skin surface, and gets rid of them. The black seed oil balance insulin level, regulate cholesterol, improves body circulation, and promotes healthy liver function. Mainly, it is said that black seed oil plays an important part in daily health and wellness.
There is a long list of what black seed oil fights against and these are just some of them: heart complains and constriction of the veins, backaches, kidney stones, gallstones, facial paralysis, eye diseases, impaired visions, allergies, flu, and fevers, boils and carbuncles, cough and asthma relief, diarrhea, high blood pressure, insomnia, muscle cramps and spasms, nausea and upset stomachs, toothaches, and the final one I would like to add is for the guys. It stimulates beard growth by just rubbing the oil into the face and letting it soak into the roots.
If the seeds are boiled in vinegar and the solution is applied to gums and teeth, it removes the inflammation of the gums and relieves the pain also.
Amaranth Seeds Benefits
The Amaranth plant itself is very tall and has broad leaves. Each plant produces up to a thousand seeds yearly and the taste of Amaranth seed, many have compared to taste like spinach. It has a stronger flavor and is easy to cook with. Amaranth seed is easy to include in snacks, soups, and stir-fries. You can cook the seeds like hot cereal or mix them with other grains like rice. Amaranth flour can be made into pancakes, muffins, or waffles. The seed is boiled, steamed, or fried. A person has to visit either a health food store or check it online. The plant is known to grow in South America or Mexico.
To cook with Amaranth seed, put one cup of the seeds into three cups of water. Bring to a boil and let simmer for twenty-five minutes. Or you can pop the Amaranth seeds like popcorn, stir in one tablespoon at a time over high heat in a degreased and covered skillet or you can pop them in the oven also.
The oils in the Amaranth plant help to prevent and treat hypertension and heart problems. The Amaranth seed serves as an antioxidant and helps the body’s energy metabolism, bone health, and wound healing.
If a person adds this to their diet on a regular basis, the Amaranth helps to reduce cholesterol and lower blood pressure. Anyone cutting down on meat, Amaranth is rich in the iron, magnesium, and calcium they will need to replace in their diet. By adding this to your diet, you are helping yourself to prevent anemia and osteoporosis.
The seeds also help to boost the body’s immune system. The seeds help to prevent heart disease, certain cancers, and digestive tract conditions.
The fiber in the seeds helps with digestive health and after eating a meal, people have claimed to feel fuller and more satisfied. They also help control the blood sugar while the person feels fuller.
The Amaranth helps the body along with the many vitamins and minerals that they are enriched with. Such as Vitamin A for the retina of the eye, Vitamin B6 to help signals from the brain to one nerve ending to another, Vitamin C by helping with the normal growth and development, transforming food into energy, and daily maintenance of bones, cartilage, and our teeth. The seed has Vitamin K in them and that is helpful to us by getting our blood to clot.
The mineral in the Amaranth seed is folate which helps to prevent cancer and anemia, calcium which helps to strengthen the bones in our bodies, potassium is important to how the nerves and muscles work, and iron which helps to also strengthen our bones but also helps to transport oxygen into the bloodstream, magnesium which is in our bodies to help with the contraction and relaxation of the muscles, phosphorus which is found in nervous tissue, bones, and cells. Also, the Amaranth seed has manganese in it which is found mostly in the bones and active organs such as the liver, kidney, and pancreas.
Chia Seed Benefits
Back in the past days, Native Americans would use these seeds for the medicinal properties and nutritional benefits that they contained. As you read this article, you will find out that these Native Americans were right on the mark. If a person wanted to buy these seeds, the person would have to check online or at a local health food store.
Chia Seeds are edible seed that comes from the desert plant named “Salvia Hispanciu”, this plant is a member of the mint family that grows in Southern Mexico. The Aztecs used this plant to have relieved joint muscles and sore skin. These seeds dated back as far as 900 BC and again were found in late 1500 to be re-discovered.
Chia Seeds have a nut-like flavor and a person can sprinkle them onto cereal, yogurt, or salads, eat them as a snack by themselves, grind them down and mix them with flour when making muffins, bread, or any other baking good, or a person can put them in water to add either lime or lemon juice. When adding the sugar, this will make a drink that is popular down in Mexico and Central America called: Chia Fresca”.
Chia Seed placed in water and let soak for thirty minutes will turn into a gel and doctors think this is what happens in the stomach. In this way, when swallowed the chia seed will slow down the process of the digestive enzymes breaking down the carbohydrates and converting them into sugar. The Chia Seeds are digested at a slower rate than any other carbohydrate.
Chia Seeds are excellent in helping a person diet by adding bulk to their food, which helps the dieter be satisfied with less food. They feel satisfied long after the meal is done. As the dieter exercise, the Chia Seeds will help them keep hydrated for longer periods of exercise time and they have hydrophilic properties that will help in keeping the person hydrated.
The Chia Seed is a rich source of Omega 3 and the fatty acids in Omega 3 can help bring two systems of the body under control. They are the blood pressure and bad cholesterol levels.
They are also very rich in proteins, dietary fiber, and antioxidants. They promote a healthy heart and healthy blood vessels; assist in joint function and mobility by strengthening the bones. Chia Seed has six times more calcium than whole milk. By strengthening the bones, the calcium is also helping to strengthen the muscles.
Here are some facts that chia seeds also help to improve and they are the following: chia seeds promote heart health, increase energy, relief from rheumatoid arthritis, promote feeling good, regulate blood pressure, reduce menopause symptoms, promote gastrointestinal health, promote bone health, take control of diabetics type two, promotes prenatal health, promotes breast health, and promotes prostate health.
Here are some fun facts to remember about chia seeds: eight times more omega 3 than wild salmon, six-time more calcium than milk, three times more iron than spinach, two times more potassium than bananas, fifteen times more magnesium than broccoli, two times more fiber than some bran cereal, six times more protein than kidney beans, four times more selenium than flax seeds, and nine-time phosphorus than whole milk.
Mustard Seed Benefits
Mustard is among the most popular members of the Brassica family of plants and is a native of Asia. More recently it is farmed as a commercial crop in Canada, India, and China. In past, mustard was considered a medicinal plant and used in preparing different medicines and remedies for treating a number of health conditions. Plasters containing mustard were commonly applied to cure conditions causing toothaches and a number of other kinds of complaints.
Traditionally mustard seeds are cultivated in three different forms, White mustard (Brassica alba), Black mustard (Brassica Nigra), and Brown mustard (Brassica Juncea). These are sold in form of a whole seed as well as in the powdered form.
Mustard seeds are a great source of many minerals like calcium, manganese, copper, iron, selenium, and zinc that are beneficial for our health. Calcium is an essential mineral for building and maintaining healthy teeth and bones. Manganese’s role as a coenzyme is to boost many metabolic processes in our body and help burn consumed nutrients more effectively. Copper is required for maintaining levels of red blood cells in our body. Iron is an essential component for the formation of red blood cells. Mustard seeds are also a rich pool of Selenium, which due to their anti-inflammatory effect is very helpful in preventing severe asthmatic attacks, negating a number of symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, and is also useful in the aversion of cancer.
Mustard seeds are classed as a good reservoir of magnesium, which also contributes to reducing the severity of asthmatic conditions, relieves high blood pressure, and prevents heart attacks, especially in the case of atherosclerosis patients.
These seeds are also rich in producing anti-oxidants (mainly Vitamins A, Vitamin E, and Vitamin K) and phytonutrients for our body. These are an excellent source of many types of B-complex vitamins mainly niacin, folates, thiamin, riboflavin, and vitamin B-6. Our body depends upon external sources to refill these vitamins. Vitamin B-Complex helps in the synthesis of enzymes, maintaining good functions of our nervous system, and boosting metabolism in our body to keep us in good energy and shape. Niacin is helpful to reduce blood cholesterol levels. Vitamin E, which is a powerful antioxidant, is useful for preserving the integrity of the cell membrane of mucous membranes and thus keeping skin in good condition. These seeds have relatively smaller pools of some vitamins mainly vitamins A, C, and K.
Mustard seeds are considered a high-calorie and rich dietary fiber food member. The useful amount of dietary fiber earns these seeds a good recommendation in order to control cholesterol levels and is also considered very helpful for people who want to achieve their weight-loss goals.
Mustard seeds and their oil are useful for treating various health and beauty conditions. Mustard baths (massage) are very helpful in relieving headaches and treating colds and coughs. It can also act as a laxative when taken twice or thrice a day in a quantity of one spoon. These seeds (both white and black) have been found useful for treating problems in respiratory functions in our bodies.
Mustard oil is usually considered as beneficial as the seeds themselves. Research studies suggest that it is quite helpful to relieve muscular stress and pains, rheumatism, and even arthritic pain. For a very long time in history, this oil was used to apply over the scalp to achieve better hair health and growth, as the practice is now redundant in the West, it is still noticed as a common practice in Oriental cultures. The oil of these seeds has shown incredible results in controlling and reducing high blood pressure conditions.
Mustard seeds and oil are both believed to reduce the risks of heart attacks and are considered useful in preventing diabetic heart disease. These have proven to be very useful in reducing the frequency of occurrence of migraine attacks and similar headaches. These are also very helpful for curing distorted sleep patterns and similar issues commonly associated with women having menopausal symptoms or conditions.
Pumpkin Seeds Benefits
Pumpkin seeds are also known as Pepitas and are one of the most beneficial, delicious, and flavorful seeds. These are almost flat and dark green encased in the yellow-white shell. These are not only delicious but also provide many health benefits. These are a great source of fiber, vitamins, minerals, protein, and numerous health-promoting antioxidants like vitamin E, Vitamin K, and vitamin C.
Pumpkins are great reservoirs of vitamin C which helps proper immune functions, prevents cell-damaging and provides radicals-free skin, improves cancer-fight immunity in our body. Also helps in stopping excess blood from wounds and healing them quickly. Pumpkins have plenty of B-complex groups of vitamins such as niacin, riboflavin, thiamin, vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine), pantothenic acid, and folates. These vitamins are believed to function as enzyme co-factors during the metabolism process and procedures in the human body. Niacin is water-soluble and does not store in the body so nuts are a great source of these vitamins. The deficiency of niacin can cause digestive, skin, and mental problems that’s why the regular intake of this helps reduce LDL-cholesterol levels in the blood and all the problems listed above.
These seeds contain good quality protein and provide a maximum ratio of protein which is recommended as per the daily adult guidance allowances. Pepitas also have antioxidants like Vitamin E which are very supportive in preventing the skin from free radicals, also prevent from different heart diseases and promoting a healthy heart, controlling excess bleeding from wounds and blood clotting. These seeds contain omega-3 and essential fatty acids which play a vital role in brain health and development.
A compound named phytosterols is also found in these seeds which are very helpful in lowering bad cholesterol and give protection from many cancers. These seeds are also very effective in preventing kidney stones, promoting prostates’ health, and lessening difficult urination due to enlarged prostates.
Pumpkin seeds are proven to be a perfect source of minerals, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, iron, copper, protein, and zinc. Minerals are very helpful in boosting immunity in our bodies. The presence of Potassium and magnesium in these seeds play a useful role in keeping our heart healthy, regulating blood in our body, and proper heart functions. Magnesium is required in our body for healthy bones and teeth. These seeds have the important mineral Zinc in abundance which has an impact on normal prostate function and helps to elevate the difficult urination associated with enlarged prostates. Due to this ability associated with maintaining prostate health and other health conditions viable in older men, zinc-rich foods like pumpkin must be a regular part of their diet. Research studies found that these seeds have the ability to prevent kidney stone formation Pumpkins have plenty of Fiber which helps in losing weight by increasing feelings of stomach fullness, helps decrease blood clotting, and lowering cholesterol.
Sesame Seeds Benefits
Sesame seeds originated in Africa and then widely spread from West Asia to India, Japan, and China. At present, these are planted and farmed on large scales in Latin America. These seeds are most commonly used worldwide and especially in the Middle East. These can be eaten either in raw form, consumed dried, or even as roasted snacks. Sesame seeds are also used in medicine preparation and cosmetic products in addition to being used as an ingredient in a variety of food recipes.
There are varieties of sesame seeds and can be classified mainly as either White sesame seeds or Black sesame seeds. White sesame seeds have much more Iron content as compared to Black seeds and are used as ingredients in food or in form of oil. Black sesame seeds are preferably used in medicines due to many suitable ingredients for treating medical conditions.
Sesame seeds are a great pool of unsaturated fatty acids, are rich in proteins, and have dietary fiber in abundance. These seeds have no dietary cholesterol and hence can be a good alternative of protein to fatty foods like meat, which is high in dietary cholesterol and saturated fats, this also makes it a great choice for people on a vegetarian diet. Research shows that every 100 grams of its serving contain approximately 14 grams of dietary fiber. Dietary fiber boosts a healthy digestive system and lowers the risk of high blood pressure, avoids high cholesterol, and prevents colon cancer.
These seeds are also a great organic source of vitamins and minerals naming manganese, copper, calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, zinc, iron, and vitamins A-F. Especially among these vitamins and minerals, these seeds are high in copper and manganese contents. Copper strengthens bones, and blood vessels, and maintains healthy thyroid function. Manganese helps our body regulate blood sugar, maintain healthy levels of cholesterol, support the good functioning of the thyroid, and absorb other nutrients. Zinc, which is also found on a high scale within these seeds, is helpful in improving sperm counts in males. It also increases hormone levels and as a result, boosts sex drive.
Black sesame seeds are a great reservoir of amino acids and are rated among the highest organic sources containing Cysteine, which is a type of amino acid in our body that contributes to breaking down environmental toxins. It helps our body to fight health conditions like cold, and chronic cough and in turn prevents us from bronchial lung disease.
Studies in Asia revealed that these seeds have been used in oriental herbal remedies for treating calcium deficiency and also are helpful in preventing constipation. Sesame seeds are very good for people with calcium deficiency in their bodies because these seeds are a rich source of calcium. These are also very effective in treating menstrual pain and avoiding common menstrual conditions. Sesame seeds are also used in home remedies for the treatment of Hemorrhoids. In addition, these are also thought to increase male fertility and potency.
Sesame seeds also help prevent intestinal worm infection as worms are eliminated from the intestines after their consumption. The oil of sesame seeds is commonly used in cooking and massage therapies in Oriental cultures. Sesame seeds are also consumed to enhance the production of breast milk but can be harmful to pregnant women increases the chances of abortion when consumed in excess. These seeds are used for enhancing and firming women’s breasts by means of either consuming the food or by an external application in massage therapy. Women suffering from menopause conditions, for example, hot flashes and insomnia are reported to successfully relieve these conditions by consuming black sesame seeds.
Sesame roots and leaf extracts are used for blackening and strengthening hairs. These also help to reduce the aging process of the skin mainly due to being a high source of vitamins. Sesame seeds may benefit people of all ages however those suffering from high blood pressure shall be careful while consuming these.
Sunflower Seeds Benefits
Sunflowers originated from South and North America. Its plant has beautiful yellow-colored flowers which exhibit a special moving behavior towards the sun.
Sunflower seeds have been used throughout history to enhance energy and as a medicine as well. Sunflower seeds have been used for so many years in herbal treatments for the conditions like constipation relief, chest pain, and stomach ulcers and for eyesight improvement. At present, these seeds are considered to be very useful and recommended to people suffering from high blood pressure and problems related to the circulatory system consisting of the heart and vessels. Researchers found that sunflower seeds can be used in medicines for preventing smoking due to their medical properties. Sunflower seeds are consumed as a snack, oil, baking bread and cookies, and in medicines also.
These seeds are rated as very good food because of their nutrition except for the fact that they are rich in calories so one has to be careful in the use of taking a low-calorie diet as a daily routine. These seeds can be good for those people who are trying to gain weight. Its oil has polyunsaturated fats which are useful for lowering cholesterol levels. The presence of Vitamin E acting as an essential antioxidant keeps the heart healthy functions thus preventing heart diseases.
Sunflower seeds are a good source of a range of vitamin B especially thiamine, niacin, pyridoxine, and pantothenic acid, vitamin D. As the sunflower plant grows in excess of sunlight, a lot of vitamin D is stored in these seeds which helps in calcium consumption in our bodies.
Sunflower seeds have plenty of minerals like potassium, zinc, iron, selenium, and calcium with sodium levels. Sunflower seeds in raw form as compared to roasted form are perhaps the most excellent in nutrition values. These seeds are beneficial for those people who are having blood pressure problems because they are a rich source of potassium and have lower sodium. Unlike other seeds, these seeds have less magnesium as compared to calcium but have good levels of manganese, copper, and phosphorous. Selenium has an impact on overall health. It works with Vitamin E for the prevention of heart diseases. Using sunflower seeds in our daily diet help people as a diuretic.
Sunflower oil is a very healthy oil like olive oil and among the highest priority vegetable oil which can be used in cooking without spoiling the taste of the food and smoke. People suffering from high cholesterol must use this oil in cooking food and it also protects our body from different chronic diseases like prostate enlargement, breast cancer, and colon cancer. Sunflower oil provides moisturizing and nourishment effects when absorbed in the skin and well-liked ingredient in herbal and homemade beauty cosmetics like face creams, cleansing lotions, and massage therapies. Its oil is also used in anti-acne treatment creams.
Researchers found that oil protects against bacterial infection when applied to the skin of premature babies. Its oil endorses healthy hairs by making them shiny, soft, and easily manageable. Also deals with hair dryness issues.
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