Seeds in the diet

·         Many common food sources including grains and legumes are actually seeds. For example, barley, oats, rice and legumes (such as beans and soybeans) are crops which are harvested for their edible seeds. Also, much of what we consider as nuts, such as pistachio nuts and cashew nuts, are technically seeds.

·         Seeds in human consumption are very versatile and certain types can be pressed to make oils (e.g. sunflower oil) or sprouted for human consumption (e.g. watercress). Other seeds are eaten whole, for example as a snack, on breakfast cereal, oatmeal or baked goods, or mixed into smoothies and yoghurt. In this article, we will discuss these types of ready-to-eat dried seeds (e.g. linseeds, poppy, pumpkin) regardless of their true botanical category.