Seed as a source of Food

• Plants with edible seeds are a major source of food for humans and animals
• Three edible groups:

  1. Grains- e.g corn/mealies, rice, oats
  2. Legumes- e.g peas, beans and lentils
  3. Nuts- e.g almonds, cashews, chestnuts, macadamias, walnuts
• Grains and legumes from the staple diet of most people worldwide, because they are cheap and have a high nutritional value
• Grains are an important source of the energy-rich carbohydrate, starch. The tests of whole grains also provides large amounts of fibre
• Legumes are an important source of proteins. They are low in fat and contain lots of fibre. They are easily cultivated, transported and stored
• Nuts have a high protein content, and are also high in fibre, anti-oxidants and mono-unsaturated fatty acids
• Mono-unsaturated fatty acids helps to protect the body against coronary heart disease
• Many seeds, such as sunflower, peanut, soya and flax, are rich in oils and are used to manufacture plant oils