NaturalSociety September 19 2013

In just seven days after planting sunflower seeds, you can munch on some of the most beneficial micro-greens around. Sunflowers offer incredible health benefits, and you can eat many parts of the plant. Finding fresh sunflower sprouts is very difficult, but it is so simple to grow your own. You can also allow a few of the plants to grow into mature sunflowers which will then yield thousands of new seeds for you to grow again – an entirely sustainable way to feed your body and mind.

Here are 11 reasons to grow your own organic sunflowers:

1. Sunflower greens offer one of the most balanced forms of a complete plant protein around. They provide all the essential amino acids and help to repair muscle tissue while supporting the enzymes of the body to do their jobs as well.

2. Sprouted sunflower greens, known as microgreens, also contain up to 100 times the enzymes of regular, full-grown greens. This means your body can more easily assimilate important phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals.

3. Sunflower greens are full of folate (folic acid), and B complex, vital nutrients for pregnant women and a developing baby.

4. High levels of antioxidants in sunflower greens can aid in heart health, slow aging, and support cellular recovery. High levels of vitamins C, E, and selenium can even reduce high blood pressure and improve arterial health.

5. Sunflower greens are packed with nutrition and have very low calories, so they are a perfect food for those who want to lose weight.

6. Sunflower greens contain lecithin which help to break down fatty acids in the body.

7. They also contain vitamins A, D, and E as well as important minerals including calcium, copper, iron, phosphorous, magnesium and potassium.

8. Eating sunflower seeds or greens helps to boost your reproductive health by providing the body with ample zinc. Zinc also works with over 300 enzymes in the body to keep things running smoothly.

9. Sunflower greens are incredible for boosting immunity. Leafy green sprouts, especially those of the sunflower variety are essential to creating innate lymphoid cells (ILC) important immunity-boosting cells found in the lining of the digestive system that help to keep our gut bacteria healthy. Many people realize by now that gut health is the primary form of fighting disease and foreign invaders in the body.

10. Sunflower sprouts are full of essential fatty acids that are needed to make a plant burst out of its seed shell. Start sprouting to receive up to 900% more nutrition from your food.

11. All sprouts, including sunflower sprouts are full of chlorophyll – the same substance which makes plants turn green. In human beings, this one constituent keeps our blood healthy, reduces inflammation, calms the nervous system, revitalizes tissues, and balances pH levels in the body.

If you plan to grow sunflower seeds for the mirco-greens ,you can throw a few seeds into any well-lit plant container and let them grow by providing ample water and nutrient-dense organic soil. As their name suggests, they are a sun-loving plant. There are different varieties, but most prefer long, hot summers.

If you plan to grow them to full-size, make sure you have high ceilings if you are growing indoors, since they can grow up to fifteen feet tall. The teddy bear variety is much smaller if you want to plant indoors or simply don’t want to take up all the space in a smaller outdoor garden.