Chia Seeds are higher in antioxidants than blueberries, pack six times the calcium of milk and offer eight times the omega-3 of salmon, PreventDisease.com tells us. Mix chia seeds into your dough when making wholegrain or dark breads — all you’ll notice is a little extra texture. You can also sprinkle chia seeds into your granola in the morning and the crunch will blend right in. For some crunch, add them to your fruit-and-yogurt parfait.
Hemp Seeds deliver nine essential amino acids, are a strong source of essential fatty acids and are loaded with protein, according to PreventDisease.com. Cook up hemp and add it to your lentil dishes as it has a similar oaky flavor. Hemp is another great seed to add to your bread dough because it makes bread crunchy and texturized. The savory flavor also tastes great on vegetable dishes.
Pomegranate seeds can help deliver oxygen through your blood, are loaded with antioxidants and are a great source of vitamin C, says PreventDisease.com. Sprinkle pomegranate seeds instead of candy on frozen yogurt for a nice crunch, add them to salad with some goat cheese, or blend them into a fruity salsa for fish.
Flax seeds are a tremendous source of fiber and contain alpha-linolenic acid, which can reduce inflammation, says PreventDisease.com. Most health food stores sell delicious flax seed chips and crackers (they make for tasty tortilla chips), but they also taste great mixed into your favorite breakfast-bar recipe, or sprinkled on top of oatmeal in the morning.
PreventDisease.com tells us that pumpkin seeds are the only alkaline-forming food, so they can offset a highly acidic diet. Pumpkin seeds taste great in a salad (in fact, mix them in with pomegranate seeds for a fall flavor!), or in a crust for fish, as part of trail mix or simply roasted and salted.
You may not have considered eating apricot seeds, but they’re actually a great source of vitamin B17, which attacks cancer cells, according to PreventDisease.com. You can roast them just as you would pumpkin seeds and add them to your apricot scone mixture. They also taste great with hemp and flax seeds mixed in with yogurt, or mixed into your oatmeal cookie batter.
PreventDisease.com tells us that sesame seeds are a great source of manganese, copper, zinc, iron and calcium. Sesame seeds taste great with teriyaki sauce on chicken, or sprinkled on top of any muffin or baked good, or tossed into a stir-fry for crunch and a smoky flavor.
Sunflower seeds provide you tons of vitamin E and magnesium, says PreventDisease.com. If you haven’t tried candy- and chocolate-coated sunflower seeds yet, get yourself to a farmers market immediately! They’re the perfect sweet-and-salty snack. For a spin on a classic recipe, add sunflower seeds to your pesto sauce for a little texture. Sunflower seeds also taste great added to your favorite breakfast-bar mix.
PreventDisease.com tells us that cumin seeds can help treat digestive disorders, plus they’re rich in iron and can boost liver health. They’re a very particular flavor, and taste best in bold soups such as tomato basil, or added to vegetables with strong flavors such as brussels sprouts and broccoli. They also add a nice crunch to potato salad.
Inside that sweet, cool fruit is a seed rich in Vitamin E, flavonoids and polyphenols, says PreventDisease.com. Grape seeds taste delicious roasted and added to a grape-and-yogurt parfait. They also add great texture to rice pudding or bread pudding. For the adventurous foodie, they taste good in a pasta dish with fall vegetables such as mushrooms and butternut squash.
