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Are Sunflower Seeds Keto? The Best Explanation

By John Ward
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Are you looking for sunflower seeds? Do you wonder, are sunflower seeds keto? We’ll take a look at the nutrition profile of this popular snack food and determine if it fits in with a low carb keto diet.

If you’re interested in keto snacks be sure to check out our post on the best crunchy keto snacks.

What Are Sunflower Seeds?

Sunflower seeds are the shelled seed of the sunflower plant. A single sunflower plant can produce hundreds of seeds that are both nutritious and delicious but are sunflower seeds keto? We answer that question below, but first, let’s take a look at the nutritional value of sunflower seeds. Sunflowers spend their time soaking up nutrients from the sun and the earth. Many of these nutrients can be beneficial to the human body.

Are Sunflower Seeds Healthy?

Sunflower seeds are actually packed with nutrients, vitamins, and minerals, but are sunflower seeds keto? One serving of shelled sunflower seeds is about 1/4 cup. In that 1/4 cup, sunflower seeds deliver 14g of the healthy fat that you need on a keto diet. These fats are especially beneficial to cardiovascular health. A serving of the seeds also contains about 6 grams of protein and 2.5 grams of fiber.

Sunflower seeds are packed with vitamin E which has anti-inflammatory properties and can help to fight heart disease. Phosphorus is another key nutrient in sunflower seeds. A key for bone health and growth. The selenium in sunflower seeds is a good antioxidant to protect against cell damage. Magnesium, zinc, and copper are also included which helps with immune and metabolism functions. The b6 in sunflower seeds is good for cognitive development and brain function.

Magnesium is one of the more important nutrients in sunflower seeds since most Americans don’t enough of this important nutrient. Magnesium is a vital component of bone growth and helps to regulate muscle function, contractions, and the nervous system. It’s also important in lowering blood pressure, improving blood sugar regulation, and reducing the risk of heart disease.

For all of these reasons, sunflower seeds could probably considered a “superfood”. Superfoods are foods that are natural and nutrient-dense. They ten to contains a lot of vitamins and minerals per serving and are generally considered to be very beneficial to your diet and overall body health.

Are Sunflower Seeds Keto?

So, are sunflower seeds keto? Well, shelled sunflower seeds contain 16g of fat, 2g of net carbs, 16g of fat, and 6g of protein in a 1/4 cup serving. That means that sunflower seeds are keto. They tend to fit in perfectly with the macronutrients you need on a low carb diet. The fat will help keep you from getting hungry and also keep your body in ketosis, the fat-burning mode. The protein is great for building and maintaining muscle mass and the low number of net carbs, including 4g of fiber, is great.

If you’re looking to add some nutrient-dense food to your keto diet, then you should probably think about incorporating sunflower seeds. I like to eat them with shells (spitting the shells out) as a nice salty snack. I’m also keen on adding the shelled version to my salads to give it a nice crunch.

Where to Buy Keto Sunflower Seeds

There are many places that you can buy sunflower seeds that fit into the keto diet. However, we’ve put together our picks for the best keto sunflower seeds below to help you out. You can’t go wrong with any of these. Some are even flavored but still fit into a low carb keto diet. Try a couple and see which one you like the best.

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The Author

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John has been learning about and experimenting with low carbohydrate diets since the around 2006. He has successfully used the keto diet to lose over significant amounts of weight in the past and currently follows a low carb diet for a variety of reasons including general health, weight management, and managing mood levels.

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