Why Do Baseball Players Eat Sunflower Seeds | Major 3 Reasons Behind it

Last Updated on July 24, 2022

Why do baseball players eat sunflower seeds? Eating sunflower seeds is a common practice among baseball players or other athletes while waiting in the dugouts. Chewing sunflower seeds can be a healthy replacement for chewing gum or tobacco.

Many players eat salty sunflower seeds. The salty sunflower seeds help to replenish the body’s salt level during sweating.

Chewing is an effective way to deal with your stress. Also, it helps to burn off your body’s additional energy. Through this article, you will get to know the reasons why players have sunflower seeds during games.

What is Sunflower Seed?

Sunflower seeds come from the sunflower plant Helianthus annuus. The circumference of this plant is 12 inches and it can give place around 2000 seeds. 

Sunflower seeds are edible. The nutritional value of sunflower seeds:

• Calories –  165
• Total Fat – 14 grams
• Sodium – 1 mg
• Carbohydrates – 7 grams
• Fiber – 3 grams
• Protein: 5.5 grams
• Saturated Fat – 1.5 grams
• Monounsaturated Fat – 3 grams
• Polyunsaturated Fat – 9 grams

You can also consume the roasted sunflower seeds. Because the roasted sunflower seeds can redouble their original taste and flavor.

Just like the other athletes, many baseball players also have sunflower seeds. They eat these seeds with their black and white striped coating.

Important 4 Health Benefits of Sunflower Seeds

Sunflower seeds have a good taste and flavor. Along with that, they are fun to eat. Nowadays most baseball players consume sunflower seeds. Most interestingly, the sunflower seeds have replaced chewing tobacco.

Chewing gum or other chewing tobacco is harmful to health. On the other hand, sunflower seeds have huge health benefits. Nowadays, chewing gum or chewing tobacco has effectively been replaced with sunflower seeds.

Besides, the sunflower seeds have been enriched with health-beneficial value.

Benefit – 1. Sunflower Seeds Boost Your Immune System

The secret behind staying healthy is to have a strong immune system. Your immune system helps to keep you healthy. 

Your strong immune system helps to keep you protected from harmful microbes. These harmful and dangerous microbes cause illness.

Sunflower seeds are loaded with many healthy vitamins and mineral compounds. So, these seeds help to make your immune system strong.  Also, they enhance the body’s ability to fight against harmful germs and viruses. 

Besides, vitamins and mineral compounds, sunflower seeds contain zinc and selenium. Zinc plays a crucial part in the immune system. Also, zinc helps in the production process of the body’s immune cells.

Sunflower seeds contain a huge nutritional content and they have a good quantity of zinc. Combine with selenium, zinc enhances white blood cell production. So, the sunflower seeds boost our immune system by producing more white blood cells.

The body’s white blood cells fight viruses and germs to keep our body protected and healthy. Moreover, the sunflower seeds make your immune system strong and protect you from illness.

Benefit – 2. Sunflower Seeds help to Keep Your Heart Healthy

Sunflower seeds are good for your heart health. Because the sunflower seeds are loaded with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.

Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are healthy fats. These fats help to lower your blood pressure and cholesterol level. 

As high blood pressure and cholesterol levels can cause sudden stroke and heart attack. So, sunflower seeds help to lower the risk of stroke and heart attack.

That’s why consuming sunflower seeds is beneficial to maintaining good heart health. Also, sunflower seeds help to prevent any heart disease.

Benefit – 3. Sunflower Seeds Prevent Sickness and Decrease Inflammation

Sunflower seeds help to reduce inflammation. Chronic inflammation can cause several dangerous diseases. Sunflower seeds are loaded with Vitamin E, flavonoids, and other important plant components. 

All of these compounds work together to decrease inflammation. Lowering the risk of inflammation can significantly lower the risk of other major diseases.

Many researchers confirmed that if anyone consumes sunflower seeds along with another type of seeds five times in a week – it will reduce the risk of inflammation.

Benefit – 4. Sunflower Seeds Dedouble Your Energy Level

Another advantage of eating sunflower seeds – they help to boost your energy. Baseball players eat sunflower seeds during games to level up their energy. 

If you have a quarter cup of sunflower seeds, then you will gain 5.8 grams of protein. So, it will boost your energy level.

Also, the vitamin B1 and selenium of sunflower seeds help to bring more oxygen and keep you active throughout your entire day.

Why Do Baseball Players Eat Sunflower Seeds – 3 Reasons Behind it

You will notice most of the time, the baseball players chew sunflower seeds. Let’s explore the major 3 reasons behind it.

Reason – 1. Source of variant nutrition

Recently, tobacco has been replaced by sunflower seeds. As all the players and athletes become more concerned about their bodies, the sunflower seed has become their favorite chewing treat.

Sunflower seeds are loaded with varieties of nutrient compounds such as protein, fiber, potassium, calcium, zinc, magnesium, iron, and so on.

These beneficial nutrient compounds help to lower cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure levels. 

Most baseball players like to eat salty seeds, so it will help to restore the salt that is lost through sweating during the game. Also, sunflower seeds work as a stress reliever and help to refill energy.

Reason – 2. Works as a stress reliever

Players need to deal with a lot of stress on the baseball field. So, they want to find out an effective solution to deal with this excessive stress.

So, if you want to know the exact answer – why do baseball players eat sunflower seeds. Then the most prominent cause is sunflower seed work as a stress reliever. Players beat their stress on the field with sunflower seeds.

Eating sunflower seeds helps to relieve stress, calm the nerves, and provide relaxation without distracting the players. So, this relaxation activity does not hamper players’ concentration on the field.

Reason – 3. Convenient to use

There are other products available on the market that are used to calm the nerves. But all of these products, the sunflower seeds, are more beneficial and convenient to use.

You can easily fit them in your pocket, so you can easily carry them in your pocket. They are more convenient than other chewing treats available on the market.

Energy and patience are much needed to become a good hitter on the field. Sunflower seeds provide energy and help to keep you calm.

Is it Safe to Consume Sunflower Seeds in the Baseball Game?

Sunflower seeds are filled with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. These fats are good for your heart health. Sunflower seed is safe to eat.

So, when it comes to keeping your heart healthy, sunflower seeds can be an excellent option for you.

All the nutritional value in sunflower seeds such as zinc, manganese, folate, copper, phosphorus, and vitamin E – fulfill the body’s nutritional needs. 

What is the Exact Amount Of Sunflower Seeds Baseball Players Consumed? 

It is wise to consume sunflower seeds in a standard quantity. 1 ounce or up to a quarter cup is the standard serving amount. 

But it is not recommended to intake too many seeds. If you eat a large number of sunflower seeds, you can suffer from different types of health issues such as constipation, vomiting, stomach ache, etc.  

If anyone is allergic to sunflower seeds, then he should not eat sunflower seeds. Because intake of sunflower seeds can cause swelling, itching, breathing problems, vomiting, and rashes.

On the other hand, sunflower seeds contain a large number of calories. So, if you do not want to increase your body weight, you should eat sunflower seeds in a standard amount. It is better not to eat sunflower seeds more than 30 grams each day.

I actually have a list of Best Sunflower Seeds For Baseball players. Please check this out 

What is the Effective Way for Baseball Players to Have Sunflower Seeds? 

As the sunflower seeds contain huge nutritional value, it is wise to intake these seeds in a standard amount. People have the sunflower seeds in different ways such as adding them to a trail mix, with salad, oatmeal, etc.

But baseball players consume them differently on the baseball field. Players keep the sunflower seeds in their mouths. Then bite them until the outer shells are not cracked down.

After cracking the shell of the sunflower seeds, with your tongue, separate the seed from the outer shell. Then, you need to spit the shell out and start to chew it. But you should keep in mind that – never eat the sunflower seeds with their outer shells.

Warnings

• Excessive consumption of sunflower seeds can lead you to different types of illnesses such as vomiting, constipation, and stomach ache. 
• If you are allergic to sunflower seeds, then you should not eat these seeds. Otherwise, you will suffer from swelling, rashes. vomiting, breathing problems, etc. 
• It is not recommended to intake too many sunflower seeds, because excessive intake of sunflower seeds can increase your body weight. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Are sunflower seeds healthy for baseball players?

Sunflower seeds are a healthy replacement for harmful tobacco.  They are healthy for baseball players. Sunflower seeds are a good source of energy. These seeds also work as a stress reliever.

Why do players consume sunflower seeds?

Players consume sunflower seeds as they provide energy to their bodies. The sunflower seeds contain a good amount of essential fatty acids and healthy fats. Players will get high levels of selenium and magnesium from sunflower seeds. Also, these seeds help to reduce players’ stress levels by calming down their nerves.

What happens if anyone consumes too many sunflower seed shells?

If you eat a small piece of sunflower seed’s shell accidentally, it will be not that much harmful. But, it can be dangerous if you swallow a large amount of shell. 

It can block your intestinal tract which can be even worse. The shells of these edible plants gather in the small or large intestines. After that, it can create a mass, which is called a bezoar.

Final Words

Most baseball players chew sunflower seeds while they wait in the dugouts for their pitching turn. Eating sunflower seeds has become a common chewing tradition among baseball players.

Not only the baseball players but also other athletes eat sunflower seeds. Sunflower seeds are a healthy chewing treatment compared to other chewing alternatives such as chewing gum or tobacco.

These seeds not only serve as a chewing treatment but also a good source of protein and energy to keep you active on the game field. Besides, it is an effective way to deal with the hectic pressure of the game. That’s all about the reasons why do baseball players eat sunflower seeds.