With all the buzz about sunflower seeds, I’ve been wondering if it’s a good idea to eat the shells. After all, there are some people who prefer to eat the shell of their seeds—like popcorn. So can you eat sunflower seed shells?
Can You Eat Sunflower Seed Shells?
Yes, you can eat sunflower seed shells. They are not only edible, but also contain a lot of nutrition. You can eat them raw, roast them, or use them in cooking. Just make sure to clean the shells throughly first so there are no dirt or bugs on it.
Benefits Of Eating Sunflower Seed Shells
There are many benefits of eating sunflower seed shells. The first benefit is that it increases the fiber content of your diet. Sunflower seed shells contain a lot of fiber that can help to improve your digestion and increase gut health. It also helps to prevent constipation and other digestive issues.
The second benefit of eating sunflower seed shells is that it has high amounts of protein. The protein in sunflower seed shells can help to keep you fuller for longer periods of time after eating it, which means that you will not be hungry or crave for food as soon as you eat it. This is because it takes longer for your body to digest foods with high protein content than foods with low protein content.
The third benefit of eating sunflower seeds is that they contain vitamin E and minerals such as calcium, iron, and phosphorus among others. Among these vitamins, vitamin E is known as a powerful antioxidant that helps to reduce inflammation in the body and protect against certain diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s disease among others.
Sunflower seeds also contain lots of healthy fats such as Omega 3 fatty acids, which play a key role in maintaining good health by lowering blood pressure levels and preventing heart attacks among other things.
What Do Sunflower Seed Shells Taste Like?
The taste of sunflower seed shells is similar to their flavor when eaten whole. This means that they have a nutty taste that’s not too strong or bitter. The shells are also crunchy, like nuts, which makes them enjoyable to chew on.
How To Clean Sunflower Seed Shells
Clean sunflower seed shells by putting them in a bowl, covering them with water, and stir. The shells will rise to the top and you can drain the water. Repeat until no more shells rise.
If you have a lot of seeds, you can use a colander to drain the water off.
After rinsing, spread out your sunflower seeds on a clean towel or paper towel to dry them off before eating them.
What Can You Use Sunflower Seed Shells For?
The shells of sunflower seeds have many uses in cooking. The shells are very hard and make a great substitute for nuts in some recipes. They can also be used as a topping for salads and other dishes.
Use them as a substitute for nuts in recipes that call for nuts or seeds. For example, you can use sunflower seed shells in place of almonds or walnuts in granola bars or cookies. You may need to chop the shell up first to make it easier to grind it into a powder.
You can grind them with other spices like cinnamon and sugar to make an exotic spice mixture that is perfect on toast or ice cream. This mixture also makes an excellent coating for baked chicken breasts or fish fillets before they are grilled or baked.
Sunflower seed shells can be sprinkled over salads as a crunchy topping instead of croutons or nuts. They add texture to any salad, especially if you use them on top of greens that don’t have much texture on their own such as romaine lettuce and iceberg lettuce.
Another way to use sunflower seed shells is to crush them up with some garlic cloves, salt and pepper then spread it on bread before baking it in the oven so that each slice has a little garlic.
What Other Things Can You Use Sunflower Seed Shells For?
Sunflower seed shells can be used for a variety of purposes other than food. They are often used for crafts and arts projects, but they can also be ground into a powder that can be used as fertilizer.
Crafts and arts projects
Sunflower seed shells are often used in crafting projects that involve painting and gluing. This includes making suncatchers, ornaments, and other decorations. They can also be used to create mosaics out of small pieces of glass or ceramic tiles. You can make a mosaic by placing the sunflower seeds on a paper plate or piece of cardboard, then pouring glue over them. After they dry, you can then pick them up with tweezers one at a time and glue them down onto your project surface. Once all of the seeds are glued down, you will have your mosaic!
Fertilizer
You can also use sunflower seeds as fertilizer in your garden or landscape area if you don’t want to compost them yourself at home or if they’re too large to compost properly (such as when you’re using large-scale composting equipment). Ground into a powder form, sunflower seed shells provides nutrients to plants just like other types of organic material do — especially nitrogen-rich materials like grass clippings.
Conclusion
As you can see, you can eat sunflower seed shells! They are high in fiber and protein, so they are great for snacking on or adding to salads. You can also use them in smoothies or even bake with them (if you don’t mind a bit of crunch).
Kate has been in the food business for over 20 years. Worked as a cook at several buffets which include Old Country Buffet, Five Star Buffet, and Ichiban Buffet. Now, I’m mostly at home cooking for my family, caring for chickens and ducks, and tending the garden.
