Zee Media Bureau/Udita Madan
New Delhi: Although tiny, sesame seeds pack quite a punch when it comes to health. One of the first oil seeds known to humankind, sesame seeds have been widely employed in culinary as well as traditional medicines for their wholesome, nutritious, prophylactic, and remedial properties.
Known for its distinct nutty flavour, sesame seeds are not only extolled for their nutritional content in seed form, but are also highly valued for their rancid-resistant oil.
They were considered worth their weight in gold during the Middle Ages and for many good reasons.
They are commonly added to salads, as an ingredient or topping for bread and grain products, crackers, sushi, cakes, soups, breading for fish and meat, and a wide variety of other applications. You can find sesame seeds in almost every cultural cuisine in some way.
Listed below are ten points about sesame seeds that will benefit your health in every way. Take a look!
1. Diabetes prevention:
Sesame seeds contain magnesium and other nutrients. Sesame oil has been shown to prevent diabetes, and it can also improve plasma glucose in hypersensitive diabetics.
2. Reduces blood-pressure:
The same study above reveals how sesame oil lowers blood pressure in diabetics. The magnesium content in sesame seeds is also known to help lower blood pressure.
3. Digestive abilities:
The high fiber content of sesame seeds helps the intestines with proper digestion.
4. Healthy skin:
The high zinc content in sesame seeds helps produce collagen, giving the skin more elasticity and aids in repairing damaged body tissues. Regular use of sesame oil can also reduce risk of skin cancer.
5. Prevents wrinkles:
Sesame seed oil prevents harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun from damaging your skin, thus preventing the appearance of wrinkles and pigmentation.
6. Healthy hair:
Sesame seed oil is full of nutrients which are needed for a healthy scalp and hair.
7. Bone health:
The impressive levels of essential minerals like zinc, calcium, and phosphorous that are found in sesame seeds can be a major boost for your body’s bone health. These minerals are integral parts in creating new bone matter, and strengthening/repairing bones that may be weakened by injury or the onset of debilitating bone conditions like osteoporosis and arthritis.
8. Metabolism:
Sesame seeds contain high amounts of protein, which is broken down and reassembled from its component parts into usable proteins for the human body. This adds to overall strength, healthy cellular growth, mobility, energy levels and metabolic function.
9. Promotes respiratory health:
Thanks to the magnesium, sesame seeds are able to prevent asthma by and other respiratory disorders by preventing airway spasms.
10. Oral health:
Head of oil pulling? Oil pulling, has been used for oral health for thousands of years in Ayurveda to reduce dental plaque, whiten your teeth and boost overall health. Sesame seed oil used for oil pulling promotes good oral health.
