Sown in nutrients and micronutrients seeds sprout in health, and learning the various methods on how to eat seeds can help you reap health with flavor.

Eating seeds – from root to shoot

•    Eating the seeds of sunflower needs a special technique as these seeds can be eaten as it is. To begin with, you start with a small quantity, which you put in your mouth; take them to one side of your cheek and, with the tongue take one seed at a time, place it between the molars on the other side and crack the shell open to eat the seed. The shell is discarded later. From a little to a mouthful you can progress to eating sunflower seeds with knack.

•    Roasted water melon seeds are eaten as snacks sprinkled with salt and chili powder in many Asian countries. You can even eat the seeds in cereal form, which can be later used to make bread. They also serve many Asian dishes as a seasoning agent. Water melon seeds can also be dried and ground to powder form to thicken stews and soups.

•    Sesame seeds can be sprinkled on top of bakes when piping hot and, Indians mix them with jaggery to eat as a snack.

•    Eating seeds of pumpkin can also be quite an adventure with a double dose of health they bring with them. Roasted pumpkin seeds can be eaten with a spray of salt and pepper (cayenne pepper). The shell can be removed with the help of the teeth and then discarded. Peeled pumpkin seeds called pepitas, which are sold at the market add flavor to many a recipe.

•    Another popular seed to eat are the flax seeds which have been the anvil of research for their immense health benefits. Flaxseed can be sprinkled on cereals or mixed with yoghurt for their flavor-able nutty texture and be used to pep up oatmeal or also enrich home-made granola bars. When you are looking for egg substitutes, flax seeds pitch in as the vegan substitute for eggs.

Common culinary uses of seeds

1. Eating seeds can be peppy as they can be used to garnish vegetable salads making the salad a fort of nutrition.

2. How to eat a seed with greater flavor? Simple. The next time the soup simmers add a handful of roasted seeds to the soup just before taking it off the stove.

How to eat seeds for the flavorful crunch cracks open with the above mentioned tips  yielding the healthful punch.

Photo Courtesy: ifood.tv