Seeds have nutritional profiles similar to nuts, because, after all, nuts are seeds. One ounce of hulled sunflower seeds (one medium-size handful) offers:
NUTRITIP
Soak Your Seeds
Soaking seeds and nuts in distilled water overnight makes them easier to
digest.
Sesame seeds have a similar nutritional profile to sunflower seeds, but these tiny decorative seeds supply slightly more fiber, and twice as much calcium, zinc, and iron.
Of all the seeds and nuts, pumpkin seeds contain the most iron, packing a blood-building four milligrams per ounce (six times more iron than in an ounce of beef). Yet, pumpkin seeds contain less vitamin E, calcium, folic acid, niacin, and fiber than sunflower or sesame seeds.
NUTRITIP
Grind Your Seeds
Because sesame seeds are so small, you are unlikely to chew them and break
down the seeds to release the nutrients. As a result, the seeds pass through the
intestines undigested. To release all the good nutrients from these power-
packed little seeds, first grind them into a meal, and then sprinkle them on
salads.