Swallowing sunflower seeds without shell whole ok?

manonboard

Hi Everyone, I've been trying a new diet to gain weight. Starting with converting to healthier eating as my diet has been rubbish for many years.

I've begun to eat seeds as a form calorie intake. However, I cannot stand the taste of them, or of nuts. It's getting easier but i've managed for about 1 month to eat them.

I want to know that is it ok to digest them by swallowing them whole with a swig of water to wash them down. I find it very easy to do, and if i could cut out the need to chew/taste them. I reckon I could eat alot more of them. They are "Tesco Whole Foods", badge in color, without thier shell.

Can my stomach acid digest seeds whole without the shell?

If not, I just crush them into a powder and wash them down, but this takes too much prep time.

Thanks

Edit: Oh and I've searched google for the answer. But it gives me endless info with the shell on, not without.

2xj3hplqgsbkym

You could do this if you really want to, might not be too pleasant later....
Why dont you just eat foods you like? Seems a lt more logical imo.
E.g. avocados, coconut milk, meat, butter etc...

manonboard

Easton Jealous Dwarf wrote: »

You could do this if you really want to, might not be too pleasant later....
Why dont you just eat foods you like? Seems a lt more logical imo.
E.g. avocados, coconut milk, meat, butter etc...

When you say not to pleasant later. Would you be thinking stomach upset? or like...sitting down giving it back to nature later?

Ah tbh, I have fairly big problems with eating. I've managed to get it under control most of the time, and my new diet(complete with unpleasant tasting things) is working wonders for me. Energy levels, frequency, calorie intake. The seeds really help, I'm just trying to improve my intake of them.

Can't stand the taste of chewing them. They taste like plant matter or cardboard. So you reckon stomach acid can break them down and absorb the food? I don't want to be eating loads of them to find out they're not adding to my intake.

Transform

thats a really bad idea. really heavy on your digestion

If you dont like the taste eat something else.

manonboard

darn.. oh well. I guess Ill be crushing them up for a while to come so!

Cheers for the info

thegreatiam

[ ]Advice was listened to and sunk in
[x] went completely unheard

OP if you do not like seeds then do not eat them. there are plenty of alternatives.

manonboard

thegreatiam wrote: »

[ ]Advice was listened to and sunk in
[x] went completely unheard

OP if you do not like seeds then do not eat them. there are plenty of alternatives.

I think that's an unfair statement, I believe your mistaken. The purpose of my post was to ask if people thought it was OK to swallow sunflower seeds whole. If my stomach could digest them correctly or not.

2 people replied that they thought it was a bad idea to swallow the seeds whole. I immediately accepted their advice, stated i would continue to crush them instead and thanked them for their info.

I was not looking for advice on changing foods. I am grateful for those pieces of advice from them but I am not interested in changing the food, merely the method of consumption of it. My question was answered and I've decided to follow their advice regarding swallowing them whole. So I don't see why you think their advice went unheard.

Transform

manonboard wrote: »

I think that's an unfair statement, I believe your mistaken. The purpose of my post was to ask if people thought it was OK to swallow sunflower seeds whole. If my stomach could digest them correctly or not.

2 people replied that they thought it was a bad idea to swallow the seeds whole. I immediately accepted their advice, stated i would continue to crush them instead and thanked them for their info.

I was not looking for advice on changing foods. I am grateful for those pieces of advice from them but I am not interested in changing the food, merely the method of consumption of it. My question was answered and I've decided to follow their advice regarding swallowing them whole. So I don't see why you think their advice went unheard.

have a read of this also - http://www.marksdailyapple.com/nuts-omega-6-fats/#axzz2dS8McsDU

manonboard

Transform wrote: »

have a read of this also - http://www.marksdailyapple.com/nuts-omega-6-fats/#axzz2dS8McsDU

I'll read up on that later on. Website category is blocked in work.
"Category is filtered: Supplements and Unregulated Compounds. "

Thanks

thegreatiam

Because you stated twice that you do not like seeds. and are looking for a way to eat them without tasting them.

they advised simply do not eat them.

There is no need to ever force your self to eat food you do not like. There are always other ways of getting what you need from that food.

I know your point was to be able to eat the seeds without the taste in a similar situation if someone wants to eliminate the pain from banging his head on a wall I would advice him to simply stop banging it rather than buy a helmet.

Why eat something you find unpleasant, if you need more fat/fibre/calories eat an avocado or a kiwi fruit. (or some other food you do like)
That way you do not need to game the system to choke down some food you find unpleasant.

El_Dangeroso

manonboard wrote: »

I'll read up on that later on. Website category is blocked in work.
"Category is filtered: Supplements and Unregulated Compounds. "

Thanks

That's funny they filter on that in your work

OP seeds and nuts are actually a pretty bad source of weight increasing calories as a lot of the calories aren't usable, and that's when you bathe them in the enzymes in your saliva by chewing them first which you don't want to do.

I'd stick with liquid calories like milk and orange juice (Edited to say: NOT MIXED TOGETHER!:)) as a supplement if you're looking to put up weight. Don't forget to eat normal meals on top of this.

manonboard

thegreatiam wrote: »

Because you stated twice that you do not like seeds. and are looking for a way to eat them without tasting them.

they advised simply do not eat them.

There is no need to ever force your self to eat food you do not like. There are always other ways of getting what you need from that food.

I know your point was to be able to eat the seeds without the taste in a similar situation if someone wants to eliminate the pain from banging his head on a wall I would advice him to simply stop banging it rather than buy a helmet.

Why eat something you find unpleasant, if you need more fat/fibre/calories eat an avocado or a kiwi fruit. (or some other food you do like)
That way you do not need to game the system to choke down some food you find unpleasant.

Well they actually advised not to eat them whole, and suggested eating other foods. I'm happy to continue eating the seeds as it's working very well for me. I find the grinding method merely time intensive and I was asking if I could avoid this by swallowing them.

I take your points regarding finding other alternatives. I am very much actively trying new foods, but until I find and decide on an alternative, I would like to continue with my current source.

I find your analogy incorrect. Banging a head on a wall has no constructive output, eating seeds do. It's more like trying to remove the discomfort from exercise than your analogy.

Listen, I'm really not interested in discussing whether or not you find I took listened to their advice or not. I probably shouldn't of responded to your post. For aiding any derailing, I apologize. I alone know if I listened, reasoned and decided the value and merits of the responses I got. So lets agree to disagree, if you find my posts not constructive or if you think I'm ignoring good advice, then with all respect, just don't engage in the thread.

manonboard

El_Dangeroso wrote: »

That's funny they filter on that in your work

OP seeds and nuts are actually a pretty bad source of weight increasing calories as a lot of the calories aren't usable, and that's when you bathe them in the enzymes in your saliva by chewing them first which you don't want to do.

I'd stick with liquid calories like milk and orange juice (Edited to say: NOT MIXED TOGETHER!:)) as a supplement if you're looking to put up weight. Don't forget to eat normal meals on top of this.

Cheers for the info. I'll do some searches with terms relating to unusable calories/nuts/seeds. thanks.


I didn't know or haven't read they are a pretty bad source of calories. The information is really difficult to go through. Every website seems to be a clone of the previous, except with contradicting efforts.

thegreatiam

hence the banging head analogy

El_Dangeroso

manonboard wrote: »

Cheers for the info. I'll do some searches with terms relating to unusable calories/nuts/seeds. thanks.


I didn't know or haven't read they are a pretty bad source of calories. The information is really difficult to go through. Every website seems to be a clone of the previous, except with contradicting efforts.

They are pretty calorific aright, but if you think about it they are designed not to be digested, I think I read something to the tune of a third of seeds go undigested.

hardCopy

Raw seeds can be a bit bland. You could toast them on a dry pan with a sprinkle of salt.

Tesco also sell a brand of seed mixes called honest 2 goodness. They do a couple of really tasty savory seed mixes, highly addictive.

manonboard

El_Dangeroso wrote: »

They are pretty calorific aright, but if you think about it they are designed not to be digested, I think I read something to the tune of a third of seeds go undigested.

Yeah that makes sense, wouldnt grow much if they were easily ate!

In order to help with the digestion, as obviously not chewing them could be hinderance, I crush them into a fine powder using a mortar and pestle. It ends up a light and fluffy powder (a bit oily) so I'm hoping the extra surface area from this would help more then the lack of chewing hinders. I figure it has far more surface area than chewing would provide.

I actually like the drinks i make with them, Just the effort and time is tiresome. thanks for the info, Ill read up more on what you said later.

spiralbound

You could try making sunflower seed butter from them: http://www.tessadomesticdiva.com/2012/09/homemade-sunflower-seed-butter-extra-creamy.html , or you can buy it in healthfood shops already made. Roasted, with a bit of salt and sweetener should make it tastier - raw sunflower seeds can be a bit bland. They are pretty good toasted and added to salads etc. as well.