It is impossible to unequivocally answer the question whether seeds are harmful or not, because each product has its own peculiarities, disadvantages and advantages. So the seeds in reasonable quantities saturate the body with useful substances, but in excess they have a negative effect.
Do seeds eat with a diet?
Many are interested in the question, is it possible to eat sunflower seeds when losing weight? Judging by their high caloric content, they should not be abused, especially during the diet, however, the moderate eating of these tasty nucleoli is very useful and necessary for the human body. First and foremost, this refers to a strict vegetarian diet, where such a delicacy, like seeds, brings full-fledged vegetable proteins.
They are rich in the right amino acids, which support the normal life of the body. Due to the fact that during losing weight a person deprives himself of many useful substances, the seeds compensate to some extent for these losses, and their caloric content helps to cope and survive without negative consequences the diet period.
Still, can you eat the seeds when losing weight? Doctors and nutritionists respond that you can. They advise to sprinkle them with vegetable salads or use separately, as a vitamin supplement. Acceptable rate - no more than 20-30 grams per day and, most importantly, they need to be in raw form. With a diet, seeds can serve as a substitute for another meal. Once or twice a day they can be eaten instead of the established meal in the diet.
There is a diet directly based on seeds. It involves feeding seeds of pumpkin and sunflower seeds, which have practically the same composition and contain a sufficient number of useful unsaturated Omega-3 acids( 55%), proteins( per 100 g of seeds - 20-35 g of protein).A very small amount of carbohydrates( 4-5%) once again responds positively to the question "Can I eat sunflower seeds while losing weight?".
Proper use of seeds is a few simple rules:
- they must be dried, peeled, husk;
- it is unacceptable to sprinkle them with any spices;
- is not recommended to drink sunflower seeds with water. It can be drunk either half an hour before a meal, or after.
Variant of one of the diets based on seeds
- For breakfast a plate of oatmeal cooked on the water is eaten. So the body will get a daily intake of carbohydrates.
- For lunch, sunflower seeds are consumed in the amount that you want.
- For dinner, pumpkin seeds are coming in quantities similar to sunflower seeds.
Duration of the diet is 3 days. For this time it is necessary to drink a lot of water and in addition to take chemist's vitamins to maintain the level of nutrients in the body. And yet can you eat the seeds? With weight loss you can, especially since there is even a diet based on them.
Benefits of sunflower seeds
In 100 g of seeds of large varieties intended for food, contains 520-540 kcal, oil varieties are even more high-calorie - 560-580 kcal. On an empty stomach you can eat a whole pack of them and safely get enough - they are very nutritious.
Despite the high calorie content, sunflower seeds bring a lot of benefits and necessary components to the body. They contain vitamin A, B, E, D, C, micronutrients such as magnesium, zinc, iron, iodine, sodium, silicon, selenium, phosphorus. Positive results with relatively regular husking of seeds:
- lowers cholesterol, improves blood condition;
- prevention of atherosclerosis;
- increased appetite;
- improvement of skin, hair;
- is a calming effect for the nervous system from the very process of seed clumping.
Fried sunflower seeds do not provide this benefit. After heat treatment, the amount of calories remains the same, and the level of valuable biologically active substances is reduced by 90%.Therefore, if you want to eat sunflower seeds and at the same time get a portion of vitamins, it is better to eat them in a moist, slightly dried form, but always keep their outer shell.
Benefit from pumpkin seeds
The level of calories of pumpkin seeds is not inferior to sunflower, even slightly exceeds it and is 535-565 per 100 g. Therefore, if you are overweight, you will not get enough of them, and even on a diet, too.
At the same time they are an excellent snack product for everyone, from children to adults. They contain many vitamins: C, A, K, E, B5, B9, B2, B6, B1.Pumpkin seeds are rich in proteins, fiber, mono- and polyunsaturated fats, amino acids, carbohydrates, unsaturated fatty acids, copper, iron, zinc, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, calcium.
Seeds are useful to children, as they strengthen their forming bone tissue. In general, they strengthen the walls of the vessels, improve the appearance of the skin, normalize the brain, reduce mental fatigue, nervousness, improve memory, prevent prostatitis, parasites, normalize sleep, are antidepressant. Seeds of pumpkin have a healing effect, help with dehydration of the body, remove toxins and bacteria from the intestine in inflammatory diseases, preserve the integrity of the mucous membrane of the intestine and stomach when exposed to toxins.
Harm caused by pumpkin seeds
Than useful pumpkin seeds are understandable, and what is their harm? First of all, they can not be abused, it is recommended to eat 50-60 raw grains a day. It is better to buy them not roasted and not cleaned, tk.they quickly oxidize, forming harmful substances, and thermal processing will only increase their caloric value.
You can not overeat pumpkin seeds - they contain salicylic acid, which in large doses provokes inflammation of the gastric shell( gastritis).Purified, salted and toasted kernels are useless and to some extent even harmful, because they salivate the body, accumulate salt in the joints, making them immobile.
Harm from sunflower seeds
Fried sunflower seeds in the shell have a negative effect on the teeth. Quite often, their eating leads to the destruction of tooth enamel and, as a consequence, trips to the dental office. To avoid such a problem, it is advised to eat the seeds, cleaning them with their hands, and not through the teeth, so you can save the last from spoiling.
As a result of ingestion of fried seeds in the body, accumulation of unnecessary salts in the joints takes place, which worsen their mobility. Many farmers use in their farm phosphate, nitrate fertilizers, accumulating in seeds. Falling into the hands of the consumer, these nuclei, saturated with harmful chemical fertilizers( cadmium), gradually affect the nervous system, develop kidney disease, musculoskeletal system. Fried seeds cause heartburn in some people and are not recommended for use by those who have gastrointestinal diseases.