Are sunflower seeds
healthy
for babies?
Yes, and I don’t know about you, but I grew up loving sunflower seeds and still devour them until this day! Sunflower seeds are an excellent source of fat, fiber, protein, and vitamin E, which helps protect cell membranes and support blood cells and tissues. The seeds also contain plenty of B-vitamins, copper, folate, iron, magnesium, selenium, and zinc—key nutrients with antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antihypertensive properties.
Sunflower seeds are most easily introduced to babies in the form of sunflower seed butter. If making your own baby food at home and you can’t find sunflower seed butter at your local market? You can easily make your own by running shelled sunflower seeds through a food processor until smooth. Be sure to start with raw, unsalted sunflower seeds as they’re often much lower in sodium than roasted seeds. For our baby food products, we use organic unsalted sunflower seeds that are ground into a flour and then placed into our purees.
How to prepare sunflower seeds for your baby!
Every baby develops on their own timeline. The preparation suggestions below are for informational purposes only and are not a substitute for professional, one-on-one advice from your pediatric medical or health professional, nutritionist or dietitian, or expert in pediatric feeding and eating. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read or seen here.
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6 to 12 months old: Offer small amounts of smooth sunflower seed butter thinned with breast milk, formula, or sprinkle finely-ground sunflower seed in baby puree, cereal or on fruit. Use a food processor, coffee grinder, or spice grinder to pulverize the seeds until they are finely ground.
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12 to 24 months old: Continue serving sunflower seed butter that has been thinned with yogurt or applesauce or sprinkle finely-ground seeds on other dishes and foods. To serve on toast, make sure the butter is thinly spread and that no clumps remain.
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24 months and older: If you feel your child is ready and has a molar or two, you can try introducing whole sunflower seeds (shells removed) on their own. Whole seeds and nuts (and seed and nut pieces) are a choking hazard until age four or five, so if you do introduce the whole seed, make sure you are creating a safe eating environment and within an arm’s reach of your child.
It's a fact!
Did you know that sunflowers were one of the first cultivated crops in the Americas? For centuries, Native Americans have grown and used the plant as a form of medicine; as a dye for textiles, ceramics, and paint; and as an important food source. Today, much of the world’s production of the sunflower plant supports the demand for its versatile seeds, which can be eaten in dried, raw, or roasted form; milled into sunflower seed flour; pressed to make sunflower oil; and ground to make sunflower seed butter.
