Sunflower Seeds & Constipation

A man had no bowel movements for almost a week since his triple bypass. This scared him. He obtained information from the internet ( of course, ) about sunflower seeds as a constipation remedy, and ate a handful of unsalted shelled seeds. Within minutes, a family member reported he " is singing in the bathroom".

I really wonder then if parrots are ever constipated?

( Would some parrot owners write me and let me know? )

Back to humans - kernels of sunflowers contain the best dietary fiber among seeds, high amount of polyunsaturated fats, the essential fatty acid linoleic acid and vitamin E. Sounds good for the bowels. So it doesn't matter if the name "seed" is a misnomer as long as it gives us good stuff.

American Indians knew about the goodness of this native food of theirs and have been using sunflower seeds to prevent constipation. The Chinese has a remedy of crushing two teaspoons of sunflower seeds dissolved in hot water as a sort of laxative tea. To the Chinese, sunflower seeds are sweet, neutral and mild Yang.

People who have high blood pressure should go for raw sunflower seeds rather than the roasted ones since unsalted seeds are high in potassium and low in sodium. One cup ( huh, I am confused with this American measurement ) yields 1300 mg of potassium and only 4 mg of sodium.

Fans of raw diet use sunflower seeds as a meat substitute. The seeds contain three times protein as much as meat. Theoretically healthier, eh? After all, there is a theory that meat is constipating. One catch though. Half a cup of hulled seeds gives your body 400 calories! This makes sunflower seeds suitable for folks who need to gain weight or substitute vegetable oils for saturated fat. Folks who need to watch their weight should nibble the seeds the way baseball players do during dugouts LOL.

Even if sunflower seeds do not help me "to sing in the bathroom". I still have a lot of respect for it. In a pond one kilometer from the Chernobyl disaster site, many tall sunflower plants are planted. The roots of sunflower is able to absorb minerals from the subsoil where many other plants cannot reach. It is found out that the sunflowers absorbed radioactive cesium and strontium and therefore cleansing the land of nuclear contamination.

I have faith in a big bright sunny flower which has the power to clean up man's messiest dirt. I trust it has the power to clean up my gut. Won't you?

References

1. The Healing Cuisine of China: 300 Recipes for Vibrant Health and Longevity By Zhuo Zhao, George Ellis

2. Healing Magic: A Green Witch Guidebook By Robin Rose Bennett

3. Staying healthy with nutrition: the complete guide to diet and nutritional By Elson M. Haas, Buck Levin

4. Organic Foods for Health By Raymond W. Bernard

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