Look what we found – this fabulous feature from BBC Food here, about the benefits of eating seeds.
You don’t need just to take our word for it now – the feature shows that we should be eating a lot more seeds and how they can contribute hugely to good health.
How?
Seeds are a nutritional powerhouse that can be added easily to everything from soups and stir-fries to breads and sweet bakes, salads and on burgers, bringing flavour and texture – just check out our recipes here. As a family seeds contain heart, bone, muscle, brain and immune-supporting nutrients, many of which many of us aren’t eating enough of at the moment. No wonder we refer to them as nature’s little powerhouses.
The benefits of fibre – you’re gonna love this..
Seeds including pumpkin, sunflower, sesame and chia – all of which you will find in our seed mixes – make a nutritious addition to many dishes and are packed with fibre. Over 90% of adults in the UK don’t eat enough fibre, yet it can reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, Type-2 diabetes and bowel cancer and improve your blood pressure and cholesterol levels. The average UK adult daily intake is just 18g compared to 30g recommended by the NHS.
Adding our seeds to meals is an easy and tasty way to up your fibre intake. For example a 20g serving of chia seeds contains 6.8g fibre and pumpkin seeds 1.3g.
An easy win
Scattering seeds onto soups and salads, onto porridge and cereals, gets you a quick and easy flavour- and nutrient – boost. This is why we call our new ranges ‘Just Add…’ – and crucially our mixes are carefully crafted by experts for taste and flavour.
Seeds contain healthy fats
“There’s good evidence from the NHS that replacing saturated fats [such as butter, lard, ghee, fatty meats and cheese] with some unsaturated fats can help to lower your cholesterol level” and keep your heart healthy.”
Ok – we know you are short on time, so we are going to cut to the chase. These are more reasons according to BBC Food and their official sources as to why we should eat more seeds:-
- Some seeds contain the Omega-3 fats important for heart health.
- Chia, flax & hemp seeds are good sources of ALA (alpha linolenic acid).
- Seeds are a great source of protein. Protein is important for muscle maintenance and development, and unlike many vegetarian sources of protein, hemp and chia seeds contain all nine of the essential amino acids (building blocks of protein) we need.
- Many of the vitamins and minerals that are important for normal immune function are found in seeds. Our seed mixes contain Vitamin E.
- Selenium – between 47% of women and 25% of men in the UK eat below the lower reference intake of selenium found in nuts and seeds – it is vital for producing new immune cells.
- Zinc – men need about 9.5mg a day and women 7mg. 20g of pumpkin seeds contain about 1,5mg of zinc.
- Copper in seeds “helps protect and fuel immune cells”
- Folate (vitamin B9) plays an important role in producing new immune cells and sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and flax seeds are good sources.
- Seeds provide minerals which help bone health.
The great news here is that we have done all the hard work for you, after all, we are the UK seed specialists. You don’t have to bother getting all the different seeds in stock and feel you have to cover your dishes in them – just ‘add the munch’ – sprinkle our super tasty, super crunchy savoury and sweet seed mixes on all your dishes to get all these health benefits and a yummy food bonus too on everything from porridge to barbecued burgers and halloumi cheese. What’s not to love?
