Natural Goodness of Sunflower Seeds

Sunflower seeds are an excellent source of linoleic acid (one of the Omega 6 fatty acids that are crucial to your dog’s diet as they can produce the other fatty acids they need with enough linoleic acid in the diet), vitamin E and a very good source of copper and vitamin B1  – all essential to your dog’s skin and fur health. In addition, they are a good source of manganese, selenium, phosphorus, magnesium, vitamin B6, folate and niacin. We have chosen to add pure whole sunflower seeds to our protein packs rather than using sunflower oil (as most pet foods do), as we feel that the seeds are a really rich source of phytosterols and fibre (and they are very tasty to our pets).

What are phytosterols?

Phytosterols are compounds found in plants that have a chemical structure very similar to cholesterol, and when present in your pet’s diet, along with selenium that is also present in sunflower seeds, they are believed to reduce blood levels of cholesterol, enhance the immune response and decrease the risk of certain cancers. This is exactly what we want in our older pets. It has been suggested that paleolithic hunter-gatherers, who ate a diet rich in plants, consumed large amounts of phytosterols to keep their diets balanced, so these nutrient-packed seeds have been sustaining us (and possibly their ‘companion dogs’ then) for thousands of years.

Phytosterols also contain high levels of magnesium which control nerve and muscle tone. These all prove that  sunflower seeds are a beneficial natural source of protection for your dog’s heart muscle and any of our breeds prone to heart disease such as Cavaliers, Golden Retrievers, Great Danes and Wolfhounds would all benefit from these natural and very tasty nutrients.