The Health Benefits Of Seeds

Seeds are nature’s way of perpetuating the life of the vegetable covering of the earth. Under the right conditions, seeds may lay dormant for thousands of years and still remain viable to sprout and produce a plant. Some are designed to travel away from the parent tree such as the spinners of the maple tree. Some trees poison the soil under them so their own seeds will not sprout unless they are a distance from the parent tree.

The desert sand may contain seeds they are not noticed until a spring rain, and then a little pond may form and become alive with growing things. There may be several kinds of plants, including flowers and even frogs and dragonflies, only to wither away and die in the heat of summer while the seeds (and eggs) remaining alive and unnoticed in the hot desert sand in their very hard shells, awaiting another spring.

The ragweed seed is ‘everywhere’ and it is the first vegetation to grow in an excavated area such as a strip mine. It will grow in impoverished soil and become the first step in making the necessary humus that forms the beginning of the soil making process. They are eventually crowded out as grasses and other plants that become established in the soil that was created by the ragweed.

The cottonwood tree sends its seeds off on tiny parachutes to travel for miles. Some trees send its seeds floating down the river to lodge and grow miles away from its parent tree. Some are scattered by other means such as the tumble weed that breaks off from the root, forms a round ball, and is blown, rolling across the prairies, scattering seeds as they go. Conifer trees hold their seeds inside the ‘pinecones’ until a fire burns the forest floor. Then the cones burst open and reseed the forest floor. The story of seeds is a fascinating story of the survival of a species.

Seeds are, of course, a necessary food source for birds, squirrels and other animals for survival over the hash winter months. Seeds are very high in calories and nutrients. It is said that every oak tree is the result of a squirrel that forgot where it buried an acorn. This is yet another symbiotic method of perpetuation a species.

Our concern in this article is to discuss the value of seeds as a food source. We are well aware of the peas, beans, corn, and popcorn that are a common part of our daily fare. We may not be aware of some of the requirements for proper digestion of some seeds. Some nuts should be roasted (cooked) in order to destroy enzymes that inhibit proper digestion.

The wheat berry is an excellent food. However, when it is denatured by processing into bleached flour, it becomes a detriment to our health and nutrition. Seed sprouts provide a nutritious do-it-yourself way of providing healthful foods on demand. Very little space or resources are needed for this process. Several grains and beans are useful for sprouting.

The health benefits of seeds

The health benefits of flax seeds and flax oil are well known. Because of the high ‘iodine number’ of the flax oil and the great benefits of including it in the diet, the whole seeds may be crushed in an inexpensive coffee grinder and added to the diet as crushed seeds, this making the nutrition in the otherwise indigestible seeds available.

We are acquainted with other common seeds such as pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds. They are all nutritional assets, providing convenient calories when we need them, as in a trail mix, and for variety in our diet. Pumpkin and sunflower seeds may be eaten raw or roasted. Raw is better, of course, but roasting allows them to remain fresh for longer storage.

Not only are seeds a very valuable food source, but they are also a valuable commercial source of oils that are used in a variety of ways. They form the base for paints and plastics such as linoleum. The oils have medicinal purposes. One way that the oil of seeds are rated is in reference to their ‘iodine number’ which is the speed that they cross link and become a solid material such as is required for paints. This quality makes the oils difficult to store, as time, temperature, and ultra-violet light promote this reaction. For this reason, flax oil, for instance, has a short shelf life is kept in dark bottles and is relatively expensive. This reaction is slow to occur if the seed is left intact.

R.D.

** POPULAR WEIGHT LOSS ARTICLES **

Why do people experience dramatic weight loss while juice fasting?

The main benefit offered by a juice fast, to those who wish to lose weight, is the speed of the weight loss. Click on juice fasting for weight loss to read the article.

Are negative calorie foods for real?  Can you lose weight on a negative calorie diet?

Create your own weight loss recipes from some of the negative calorie foods on this free list: The free list of negative calorie foods to lose weight