Chewing sunflower seeds a healthy replacement for smoking or chewing tobacco

• Mark Keller doesn't remember when he became hooked on sunflower seeds, but he said it beats being addicted to cigarettes, smokeless tobacco or even chewing gum.
• An experienced seed chewer can fling a handful of sunflower seeds in their mouth, pocket them in the side of their cheek, extract the kernels from the shells one by one using their teeth, and tongue, and spit out the hard shell.
• DAVID, a division of ConAgra foods, is the leading seller of seeds in America, said spokesman Bob McKeon.
• In 2001, Dr. K. Phillips of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University completed research that showed the high amount of oil --- in the form of polyunsaturated fat, essential linoleic acid and vitamin E --- is helpful in reducing cholesterol levels and improving or preventing cardiovascular disease.
• Although seeds are high in protein, vitamins and minerals, they are also high in fat, and doctors suggest using them sparingly.
• According to wholehealthmd.com, three tablespoons of sunflower seeds have as much fat as a chocolate croissant.
• "Sesame seeds fall under the monounsaturated fats, and pumpkin and sunflower seeds are promoted as polyunsaturated fats," she said.
• The American Indians were using the seeds as a high-energy food source, grounding the kernels into flour and extracting the oil for their hair when the settlers arrived from Europe.
• � Use in baked goods such as bagels, muffins, multigrain breads, carrot-sunflower cake, crackers and bars.
• � Snack on caramel-sunflower popcorn, sunflower trail mix, granola cars, sunflower date bars and cookies.
• Try chocolate or white chocolate bars or bark or sunflower brittle.