Whether sunflowers originally got their name because they follow the sun, or because they look like little suns themselves, they’ve always been humble symbols of beauty and happiness.

And sunflower seeds certainly bring joy as the star ingredient in our tasty butters! Need more reasons to love sunflowers and their seeds? Here are a few more sunflower kernels to snack on…

 
GOOD FOR YOU
 
A single serving of Much Better Butter packs 6-7 grams of plant-based protein as well as 3-4 grams of fiber, which can lower cholesterol and keep your digestive system tip-top.
 
Sunflower seeds are a great source of vitamin E, an antioxidant that helps protect the body’s cells, reduce inflammation, and promote healthy skin. Spread a few tablespoons of our butters onto your morning toast and voilà: over half your daily vitamin E needs covered!
 
Looking to add heart-healthy, unsaturated “good” fats to your diet? Blend our butters into your smoothies, baked goods, and other delicious treats.
 
Sunflower seeds and butters are rich in B-vitamins—like folic acid, B6 and niacin—that help us build muscle, keep our energy up, and stay healthy.
 
Selenium, an antioxidant mineral that can help prevent cancer and heart disease, isn’t easy to find in most foods. One serving of Much Better Butter provides almost a third of your daily requirement. Grab a spoon and dig in!
   
GOOD FOR THE PLANET
 
Much Better Butter only uses certified-organic sunflower seeds and honey and is Non-GMO certified. That means no synthetic chemical pesticides that can pollute soil, waterways, or our bodies.
 
Honey-Kissed sunflower butter is sweetened with exceptionally pure USDA Organic honey from Hawai’i Harvest Honey. The bees of this small, off-the-grid Hawaiian apiary forage from nothing but wild crops that aren’t treated with chemicals. It’s a win-win with healthier bees and better honey.
 
Sunflower seeds have a lower “water footprint” than almonds and other tree nuts. The sunflower’s amazingly deep taproot—which can grow over 6 feet down into the soil— helps it access water and nutrients even during droughts.
 
Deeper roots also break up soil layers, encouraging beneficial bacteria, fungi and other “good bugs” and bringing more nutrients into the soil. Good news for every living thing in that ecosystem!
 
Most sunflower farming doesn’t require tilling, so carbon stays in the ground where it enriches the soil instead of being released into the atmosphere as the dangerous greenhouse gas CO2.

GOOD TO KNOW

Did you know a single sunflower head can hold up to 2000 sunflower seeds? The giant dark center of the flower, where those delicious seeds grow, is actually made up of thousands of tiny blossoms.

Native Americans were wise to the benefits of sunflowers, and were the first to domesticate the versatile plant. They snacked on sunflower seeds and pressed them to extract the precious oils just like we do today.

The French word for sunflower is tournesol, meaning “turned sun.” And yep, those yellow beauties really do turn to soak up sunlight for their energy-boosting photosynthesis. Sunflowers can grow to crazy heights: The tallest sunflower on record soared over 30 feet into the sky!