Sesame Seeds
If you only associate sesame seeds with being the topping of a tasty burger bun or bagel, it’s time to learn about this healthy, calorific seed!
Calorific - in all the right ways.
Sesame seeds can be deceptive to anyone trying to cut down on calories. You might not think it - but these tiny seeds are high in fat and carbs. But that is a great thing if you are after a nutritious diet! You might have seen sesame seed protein bars, and aside from their lovely taste, it is their high fat and protein content that make them great in a snack bar - perfect for long hikes for example, when you need to make sure your calorie intake is higher than on a normal day.
Sesame seeds grow in pods on the sesamum indicum plant. You can eat and cook with them either hulled or unhulled - either is totally fine, but you may get some more protein if you use the unhulled seeds.
Sesame seeds are so much more than a tasty topping! They have been used in folk medicine for a long time, and are known for their ability to protect against heart disease, diabetes and arthritis - and they provide your body with great energy through the healthy fats (85% of fats in sesame seeds are poly- and monounsaturated).
Sesame seeds are rich in fibre, which is essential to get through your diet. Fibre helps your gut bacteria do their thing, and gut bacteria are, as we are learning, perhaps the main area of focus for overall healthy bodies! In addition, it helps with the feeling of fullness.
Sesame seeds contain two types of plant compounds that help lower cholesterol. They are also a great source of protein, which is hugely important to your body to build and maintain muscle and hormones. A good diet combination is sesame seeds and legumes, as these two complement each other in different types of amino acids (protein) that the body needs!
They can also help lower inflammation in the body which does a whole load of good in your body and can help prevent a large number of problems like chronic illness and even cancer!
There’s loads more to the sesame seed than what I can cover here; like how it can help build a strong immune system and help lower blood pressure. But I am not finding much evidence to say that you should avoid it for any reason (unless you have been told/experienced otherwise!).
So drizzle these over your salmon, tofu or chicken, top your burger buns and bagels with them and even toast them and make tahini from scratch!
Do you use sesame seeds already? How do you use them, and did you know how healthy they were? Message me on Instagram @TheFromScratchBody!
