Sunflower seeds contain 6.8 milligrams of iron per 100 grams. Grams is a measure of weight. To put 100 grams in perspective, consider alternative measures for this food:
- 1 cup equals 134 grams.
- 1 oz equals 28 grams.
In the category of nuts and seeds, we included whole nut and seed products in the Top 10 list. Foods may be fortified with iron but are not included in this Top 10 list.The food tested for the particular graph below can be described more specifically as:
Seeds, sunflower seed kernels, toasted, with salt added
Read more about iron in nuts and seeds or visit our iron-rich foods list.
Sunflower Seeds and Your Iron Intake
Sunflower seeds are a high-iron food but like all plant-based sources of iron (non-heme iron), they contain iron inhibitors (most notably phytic acid) that reduce your ability to absorb the iron from the food. If sunflower seeds are not a big part of your diet, we generally recommend not worrying about the iron inhibitors. However, if you are looking for an alternative source of iron and hope to integrate sunflower seeds into your diet in a big way using ingredients such as sunflower seed flour in your baking, then we recommend that you follow the instructions on this site for preparing fresh baked goods. Specifically, we recommend fresh grinding your flour in your own home and, ideally, making a sourdough bread preparation as well. (Sourdough baking is far easier than you might think.)
Explore the resources on this site for kitchen strategies to improve your iron absorption, particularly on our iron rich foods tips page. Use the search function on the site to find the iron content of your favorite food.