The Power of Sunflower

The Power of Sunflower - Food & Nutrition Magazine
Photo by Angela Lemond

I love being the conduit between the doctor’s visit and the grocery store for families with food allergies. Some children must go on multiple eliminations and a family’s first list usually focuses on foods a child cannot eat. Parents are shell shocked. “What do I feed my child then? You have taken everything out!” Enter the dietitian with her superhero cape!

I get the fun job of providing a list of foods their child can eat. One of those yummy foods is sunflower seeds.  One ounce of sunflower seeds provides a powerhouse of — count ’em — 15 nutrients. They are an excellent source for five, and good source for five more.

 

 

Nutrient % Daily Value
Vitamin E 84
Phosphorus 32
Selenium 31
Copper 25
Pantothenic acid 20
Folate 17
Protein 12
Fiber 12
Vitamin B6 11
Zinc 10
Magnesium 9
Iron 6.4
Thiamin 6
Niacin 6
Riboflavin 5

Source: National Sunflower Association

Sunflower seeds are such a versatile ingredient that can be incorporated into a child or adult’s diet in a variety of ways. Some of the ideas I suggest include:

  • Sunflower Seed Butter (as an alternative to peanut butter)
  • Ground up and used as a crunchy coating for fish, pork or chicken
  • Added to a salad for crunch and nuttiness
  • Pump up the protein of a breakfast by adding it to muffins, cereal or oatmeal

My family and I make super-easy, no-bake sunflower seed bars that can be bagged up as a snack for school or eaten as an energy boost before a sports competition. This recipe is free of the top six allergens, and it is officially kid-approved by both of my taste-discerning children — Hannah, age 9 and Evan, age 6. I love to throw them in the freezer and then defrost them as I need them.

Enjoy the power of sunflower in this recipe — just in time for summer! One note to be aware of: these bars are not low in calories.


No-Bake Sunflower Seed Bars

Recipe by Angela Lemond, RDN, CSP, LD

Ingredients
3 cups sunflower seeds
1 cup sunflower seed butter
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1 cup crisp rice cereal
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup agave nectar

Directions

  1. In a saucepan, combine the agave nectar, vanilla and brown sugar and bring to a low boil. Add the sunflower seed butter.
  2. In a separate bowl, combine the sunflower seeds, cranberries and cereal. Mix well.
  3. Pour warm mixture over the dry mix. Coat well.
  4. Line a 9″-x-13″-inch pan with parchment or wax paper. Pour bar mixture and spread out evenly.
  5. Refrigerate for at least one hour before cutting into squares.
Angela Lemond on FacebookAngela Lemond on LinkedinAngela Lemond on PinterestAngela Lemond on Twitter
Angela Lemond
Angela Lemond, RDN, CSP, LD, is a Spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and registered dietitian nutritionist in private practice. Read her blog, Lemond Nutrition and follow her on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest.