Sunflower Seed

If You Read Nothing Else

One of the densest whole-food sources of vitamin E on the planet. Rich in linoleic acid, magnesium, and selenium — a quiet trio for healthy blood vessels.

Phytosterols support healthy LDL (the harmful type of cholesterol) cholesterol (the kind of cholesterol that can build up in artery walls) at 1–2 g/day.

The most-shared Persian snack: tokhmeh at every tea, park, and gathering.

Sunflower seeds are one of the richest food sources of vitamin E. People crack them between their teeth and pass them around by the handful, a relaxed and generous snack across the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and beyond.

Known to botanists as Helianthus annuus.