Sesame Seeds… Though she be but little, she is fierce!
Well perhaps not fierce, but certainly mighty! Sesame seeds are often overlooked as nothing more than little white specks that make hamburger buns look pretty. But that is where we are wrong, sesame really is one of the superstars of the seed world. Come see what I’m talking about, you might just be surprised….
3 good reasons to add sesame seeds to your next muesli mix
1. A quarter of a cup of sesame seeds contains more calcium than a cup of milk!
- This little fact blows me away every time. Yes, sesame seeds are a great way to help build strong bones.
- Do you make your own nut milk? I always throw a handful of sesame seeds into mine to up the calcium content.
2. Do it for your heart
- Sesame Seeds contain considerably more cholesterol-reducing compounds, specifically (& just to get get technical on you) phytosterols, than all other seeds and nuts.
- Phytosterols are such super-duper cholesterol reducers that they are even extracted from soybean, corn and pine tree oil, then added back into processed foods. These “foods”, such as butter-replacement spreads are then marketed as being cholesterol-lowering. Personally, I’d much prefer to load up on seeds and nuts (i.e. start my day the muesli way!) and keep my cholesterol in check naturally.
- Sesame seeds also are rich in oleic acid which has been shown to reduce levels of the “bad”, LDL cholesterol.
3. Tackle inflammation head on
- Sesame seeds contain sesamolin and sesamin, two very powerful antioxidants. By fighting the free radicals in our body, antioxidants play a critical role in helping prevent the development of inflammation and chronic disease.
- Copper (of which sesame has loads), is also a well known anti-inflammatory. Of particular note is its role in helping reduce pain and swelling in muscle and bone conditions, such as arthritis.
But that’s not all, sesame seeds are also a rich source of lignans, antioxidants, dietary fibre and minerals, such as iron, potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium. The list really does go on!
So next time you are umming and ahhing over what to add to your mix, I encourage you to give sesame a try. Your body will love you for it!
