How To Eat Sunflower Seeds (Without Ruining Your Teeth)

Sunflower seeds are the gift that keep on giving. Whether it's improving an otherwise basic rye bread loaf or boosting the taste of a delicious nut butter spread, the power of the sunflower seed cannot be minimized. However, fans of raw sunflower seeds may run into the common issue of a toothache following a hefty handful.

This is because of the shell's hull, or the tough outer shell. The hull is so hard that it can actually crack a tooth if the hungry consumer isn't careful enough. That being said, shelled (or "hulled") sunflower seeds are offered at many grocery stores to save customers' time and effort, as shelling every seed before eating it would definitely deter anyone from reaching for sunflower seeds as an afternoon snack. Prepackaged shelled sunflower seeds often come in a variety of flavors and types, including raw, roasted, and salted. Popular brand BIGS has even branched out to more ludicrous flavors for bagged sunflower seeds, like Vlasic Dill Pickle and Taco Bell Supreme.

While many sunflower seed connoisseurs opt to eat plain seeds on their own, they are actually an extremely versatile seed that can be incorporated into almost anything. Sunflower seeds pair beautifully with many everyday breakfast items, like as a topping on a bowl of yogurt or slice of avocado toast. To finish off breakfast, perhaps throw a few seeds into your usual morning fruit smoothie.

Don't just stop at breakfast! Sprinkle a few sunflower seeds on top of a salad or soup. The seed also tastes delicious in recipes that incorporate them into pesto sauces or pastas. Then, for dessert, add sunflower seeds into a batch of oatmeal cookies, muffins, or cake. Sunflower seeds can even be put in a bowl of ice cream, pairing well with just about any kind due to its unique nutty taste that complements many ice cream flavors. The beauty of a sunflower seed is its ability to find its way into just about any recipe to make it even more delicious.