Eat Your Sunflowers?

Aren’t sunflowers amazing?  Simply looking at a sunflower with its incredible strength and cheery face tends to lift my spirits. Sunflowers are thought to symbolize adoration, loyalty and longevity.

I think most of us are probably familiar with eating sunflower seeds, and nutritionally speaking seeds are a dietitian approved way to eat more heart healthy nutrients such as fibre and unsaturated fat. They can help to add variety and flavour to your meals. Even the immature, white seeds can be added to soups and other dishes.

But I have been learning that it goes much further than that!  Sunflower heads can be grilled, or at an earlier stage they can be cooked like an artichoke. Sunflower sprouts can make a tasty addition to dishes, sunflower oil can be used in cooking and even sunflower leaves can be added to your menu.  Which is probably why humans have a long history with sunflowers, dating back to prehistoric times.