Goodness of sunflower seeds

CSPI’s latest health letter is full of praise for the sunflower seed, hailing it as its most “underrated food.”

Those dogged folks at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, United States, are best known for their florid exposes on unhealthy foods, usually involving bacon. But the CSPI’s latest health letter is full of praise for the sunflower seed, hailing it as its most “underrated food.” What say we crack open a quiz on sunflower seeds?

1 No one doubts that sunflower seeds pack a lot of calories. How much will 1 cup of shelled seeds, roasted in oil and salted, gobble up?
a) 999 calories
b) 799 calories
c) 499 calories

2 What is the calorie content for a cup of raw, hulled seeds?
a) 142
b) 400
c) 269

3 Caloric as they may be, the seeds pack a nutritional wallop. How many grams of fibre and protein are contained in 1 cup (135 gm)?
a) 14 fibre, 27 protein
b) 10 fibre, 16 protein
c) 26 fibre, 22 protein

4 Sunflower seeds contain more iron and zinc than which rival nut?
a) Almonds
b) Walnuts
c) Both

ANSWERS: 1: b; 2: c; 3: a; 4: b;
MCT