Healthy Seeds: The 10 Healthiest Seeds to Eat, Ranked

An ounce of flaxseed carries 151 calories, 7.7 grams of fiber (28% of the Daily Value), 111 milligrams of magnesium and about 6.5 grams of plant omega-3, plus more than a third of your day's thiamin and copper.613 Two tablespoons of ground flax, about 14 grams, give you 75 calories, 3.8 grams of fiber and 55 milligrams of magnesium.6

In a placebo-controlled trial of 110 people with peripheral artery disease, foods made with 30 grams of milled flaxseed a day for 6 months left systolic blood pressure about 10 points lower and diastolic about 7 points lower than placebo. In the people who started with systolic pressure of 140 or higher, systolic fell 15 points. Neither the people nor the researchers knew who got what.22 Across 15 controlled trials with 1,302 people, flaxseed in its various forms lowered systolic pressure by 2.85 points and diastolic by 2.39, and the trials that used flaxseed powder lowered them by 1.81 and 1.28.1

The seed helps with blood sugar and weight too. Across 25 placebo-controlled trials, flaxseed lowered fasting blood sugar by 2.94 mg/dL along with insulin and insulin resistance, and those gains came from the seed itself rather than flax oil or lignan extracts; HbA1c didn't change.7 Across 45 placebo-controlled trials, flaxseed trimmed weight by 0.99 kilograms and waist size by 0.8 centimeters on average, with the clearest results in trials of whole flaxseed at 30 grams a day or more, in trials of 12 weeks or longer and in people with a BMI of 27 or higher.9

Across 62 randomized trials with 3,772 people, which tested flaxseed in several forms, it lowered total cholesterol by 5.39 mg/dL, LDL by 4.21 and triglycerides by 9.42, with no change in HDL.8

For reducing inflammation, walnuts and ground flaxseed are generally the best nuts and seeds you can eat, and they share a slot on the top 10 foods list of my Anti-Inflammatory Reset, one of seven protocols whose top food lists include flax.232419 My Hormone Balance for Women protocol calls for 2 tablespoons of ground flax a day, and my Type 2 Diabetes Protocol lists flax and chia among its top blood-sugar foods.2526 Stir ground flax into a smoothie, oatmeal or goat milk yogurt, or bake with it; the section on preparing seeds below explains why grinding matters.

An ounce of chia seeds carries 138 calories, 9.8 grams of fiber, the most per ounce on this list, and 5.0 grams of plant omega-3, plus selenium, manganese, copper and magnesium at 20% of the Daily Value or more.513

Chia's clearest result is on blood pressure. A 2025 analysis of 8 randomized trials found systolic pressure 7.19 points lower and diastolic 6.04 lower with chia seed, and a second 2025 analysis of 8 trials with 372 people found drops of 5.61 and 7.49, along with a waist 1.46 centimeters smaller.227 The analysis with the 7.19-point drop found no change in weight or fasting blood sugar.2

Chia also helps you feel full. In a randomized trial in which 24 young women each tried three mid-morning snacks on separate days, plain yogurt or yogurt with 7 or 14 grams of chia stirred in, they ate about 1,096 calories at lunch after the plain yogurt and about 818 after the 7-gram chia yogurt, about 25% less.28

Chia is on my Type 2 Diabetes Protocol's top 10 list alongside flax, and it's on my food list of nuts and seeds.2610 Soak it before you eat it: in liquid it swells into a soft gel,29 the base of a chia seed pudding you can make with full-fat coconut milk and a teaspoon of raw honey. For more ideas, see how to eat chia seeds.

Black seed, also called nigella or black cumin, has a long history of use across the Middle East and parts of India, and it has been tested in 82 randomized trials with 5,026 people.1130

Across 11 randomized trials with 860 people, which used ground seed powder or oil for about 8 weeks, blood pressure in the black seed groups fell from about 133/83 to 125/78 mmHg, 3.26 and 2.80 points more than in the comparison groups.3 The ground seed itself was tested in Hashimoto's thyroiditis: in a placebo-controlled trial of 47 adults, 40 of whom finished, 2 grams of ground black seed a day for 8 weeks cut anti-TPO antibodies, the immune markers that attack the thyroid, by half, from about 295 to 148 IU/mL, while the placebo group barely moved, from about 278 to 274.31

In a year-long trial of 114 adults with type 2 diabetes who kept taking their usual medicines, assigned by convenience rather than by chance, 2 grams of black seed a day lowered fasting blood sugar from 195 to 172 mg/dL and HbA1c from 8.6% to 8.2%, while the placebo group held at 180 mg/dL and rose from 8.2% to 8.5%.32

Of the pressed seed oils, I've said black seed oil may be the most powerful of them all.11 As a food, a pinch of the seeds goes a long way: toast them briefly in a dry pan and sprinkle them over vegetables, eggs or flatbread. For supplement amounts and medicine notes, see the black seed oil guide.

An ounce of pumpkin seed kernels, also called pepitas, carries 158 calories, 8.6 grams of protein and 168 milligrams of magnesium, 40% of the Daily Value, plus 2.2 milligrams of zinc (20%) and more than half your day's manganese.1213 They're one of the richest food sources of magnesium, and they make the top food lists of 11 of my protocols, more than any other seed, from deep sleep and perimenopause and menopause to a candida cleanse, often at about ¼ cup, for their magnesium and zinc.19333435

In a 12-month trial of 1,431 men aged 50 to 80 with an enlarged prostate, 58.5% of the men who ate 5 grams of pumpkin seeds twice a day improved by at least 5 points on a standard urinary symptom score, against 47.3% on placebo. The authors called that a clinically relevant drop in symptoms; the men eating the seeds knew what they were eating, and the authors reported the difference descriptively.36

If your goal is to support testosterone, balance hormones and boost immunity, I've said pumpkin seeds may be the winner among nuts and seeds, and they're high in zinc, which is critical for testosterone production.2337 For men, one thing I sometimes suggest is a tablespoon of sprouted pumpkin seed butter in a morning smoothie.37 Eat the kernels raw or dry toasted, by the handful or over salads.

Quinoa is a seed you cook like a grain, and it provides all nine essential amino acids, alongside polyphenols like quercetin.38 An ounce of uncooked quinoa carries 104 calories, 4.0 grams of protein, 2.0 grams of fiber and a quarter of your day's manganese.2013

In a year-long randomized trial of 207 adults in China with impaired glucose tolerance, the stage before diabetes, swapping 100 grams of quinoa a day for about half of their usual staple food kept blood sugar in the healthy range for longer, returned more people to normal glucose tolerance, and lowered after-meal blood sugar, insulin resistance and new cases of diabetes, compared with both a mixed whole-grain group and a control group.39 In another trial, 40 adults aged 50 to 75 each ate 15 grams a day of biscuits made mostly with quinoa flour for 4 weeks and wheat biscuits for another 4, in random order, and neither they nor the researchers knew which biscuit was which. On quinoa, total cholesterol fell 0.30 mmol/L (about 12 mg/dL) and LDL 0.25 mmol/L (about 10 mg/dL) more, and weight dipped 0.61 kilograms.40

Quinoa is on the top food lists of three of my protocols, the Acid Reflux & GERD Protocol, the Breast Cancer Support Protocol and the Integrative Cancer Support Guide, as an easy-to-digest grain and a source of fiber.414243 Use it in place of white rice or pasta, in grain bowls, or cooked and chilled in a salad with pumpkin seeds.

An ounce of sunflower seed kernels carries 166 calories and 10.0 milligrams of vitamin E, 67% of the Daily Value, plus copper, thiamin, selenium, manganese, vitamin B6 and magnesium at 20% or more: seven nutrients at that level, the most of any seed on this list.1613

In a feeding study in New Zealand, 22 postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes ate a fully supplied diet with 30 grams of sunflower kernels a day for 3 weeks, and for another 3 weeks the same diet with 30 grams of almonds instead, in random order. On sunflower kernels, total cholesterol fell from 6.11 to 5.56 mmol/L (about 236 to 215 mg/dL), LDL by 9.5%, triglycerides by 12% and fasting blood sugar by 11%. Almonds did about as well on most measures, while HDL dipped about 3 mg/dL on sunflower kernels and held steady on almonds.44

Sunflower seeds are on my food list of nuts and seeds, and they're one of the four seeds in seed cycling, covered below.1025 Choose shelled kernels, raw or dry toasted, or spread sunflower seed butter on apple slices.

Hulled hemp seeds, often sold as hemp hearts, carry the most protein and magnesium per ounce on this list: 9.0 grams of protein and 198 milligrams of magnesium, 47% of the Daily Value, plus 94% of your day's manganese and 2.5 grams of plant omega-3.413 Three tablespoons, 30 grams, bring 9.5 grams of protein.4

In a 4-week trial, 30 adults with a BMI of 25 to 35 ate 60 grams of hulled hemp seeds a day plus 30 grams of hemp oil, and for another 4 weeks hulled sesame seeds and soybean oil instead. Each person tried both in random order, and neither the people nor the researchers knew which seeds they got. After the hemp period, plant omega-3 (ALA) and EPA were higher in their red blood cells, and cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure came out about the same as on the sesame-and-soybean-oil period it was compared with.45

Hemp seeds and hemp seed butter are on my food list, and hemp is part of my own rotation.1015 Hemp's fat is heat-fragile, so add the seeds after cooking: over salads, in smoothies or on goat milk yogurt.11

An ounce of whole sesame seeds carries 162 calories, 276 milligrams of calcium (21% of the Daily Value), 4.1 milligrams of iron (23%) and more than a full day's copper (129%).1713 Most of that calcium sits in the hull: an ounce of hulled sesame kernels carries 17 milligrams, and an ounce of tahini made from roasted kernels carries 121.4849 For calcium, choose whole, unhulled seeds.

Sesame has been tested in several randomized trials. In a placebo-controlled trial of 26 postmenopausal women, 24 of whom finished, 50 grams of sesame seed powder a day for 5 weeks lowered total cholesterol by 5% and LDL by 10%, and both changes differed from the rice-powder placebo period; each woman tried both, with a 3-week break between.50 In a randomized trial of 41 adults with type 2 diabetes, 2 tablespoons (about 28 grams) a day of ardeh, a paste of ground unhulled sesame, in place of part of breakfast for 6 weeks lowered triglycerides by 15.3 mg/dL in the sesame group.51

Black sesame, part of the rotation I described above, has its own trial. In a placebo-controlled trial of 30 adults with prehypertension, 15 in each group, 2.52 grams a day of black sesame meal in capsules, the ground seed left after roasted black sesame is pressed for its oil, lowered systolic pressure from 129.3 to 121.0 in 4 weeks, a larger drop than in the placebo group, which went from 130.4 to 130.6. Diastolic pressure didn't differ between the groups.52 Sprinkle whole seeds over vegetables and stir-fries, and use tahini in dressings and hummus; tahini and sesame butter are on my food list too.10

Cumin is one of the spices of Scripture: "doth he not cast abroad the fitches, and scatter the cummin" (Isaiah 28:25).14 It's named in three verses of the Bible, and it has a long traditional use for digestive and respiratory complaints.10

Per ounce, cumin seed carries 18.8 milligrams of iron, more than a full day's worth (105%), but you'll eat it by the teaspoon: a teaspoon of whole seed, 2.1 grams, brings 1.39 milligrams of iron, 8% of the Daily Value.1813

In a randomized trial of 88 overweight or obese women on a weight-loss diet, 3 grams of cumin powder a day, stirred into yogurt at two meals for 3 months, lowered weight, BMI, waist size and body fat, along with total cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL, and raised HDL, compared with yogurt alone; fasting blood sugar didn't change.46 Across 6 randomized trials with 376 people, cumin powder or extract lowered total cholesterol by 10.90 mg/dL and LDL by 6.94, and raised HDL by 3.35.47 Use cumin whole or ground in chili, soups and stews.10

Pomegranate seeds, the jewel-red arils inside the fruit, are each a small seed wrapped in a sac of juice, and half a cup of them carries 72 calories and 3.5 grams of fiber.21 Pomegranates grew in the Promised Land, "a land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey" (Deuteronomy 8:8), and they're number 2 on my list of the top 10 Bible foods that heal.1453

The human trials so far have tested the juice: across 8 placebo-controlled trials, pomegranate juice lowered systolic blood pressure by about 5 points (4.96 mmHg) and diastolic pressure by about 2.54

About ½ to 1 cup of arils a day is a sensible amount, and pomegranate is on the top food lists of six of my protocols; my Perimenopause & Menopause protocol pairs it with berries.551934 Stir the arils into goat milk kefir or yogurt, or scatter them over a salad.