Sesame seeds, MMMM! A dairy free person’s best friend. Did you know that there is more calcium in sesame seeds than in cheddar cheese? So if we go back to what we were talking about in Acceptance and Alternatives, if we remove a food group from our diets, like dairy, we MUST find a way to make up the essential nutrients we have removed with that food group. So this is a good one.
Sesame seeds are high in protein and amino acids, they are a rich source of copper and lignans, which can help lower cholesterol, they are a good source of several B group vitamins, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc and lecithin. They also contain decent amounts of manganese, potassium, selenium and folate, so make sure you get some into your diet.
Okay, so that is sesame seeds from a health perspective, but how do we incorporate them into our diet? Especially as they are not easily digested in their whole form? Well the best bit about sesame seeds is that they are complimentary to both sweet and savoury dishes, unlike some seeds, like nigella which is most definitely a savoury seasoning. You can buy or make your own tahini, which is a sesame paste and add that to things, note to self, put up my hummus recipe for you, mmm, hummus, you can buy halva, a Middle East sweet treat, like a crumbly nougat. Or you can smash them up a bit yourself. I looked for a sesame grinder online after trying to put them through a pepper grinder (don’t bother unless you have a spare one you want to throw away), I did find some stainless steel ones but they were very expensive. Then I was mooching around a cheapy shop in Adelaide and I saw these.
It was only $2 and it works a treat, delivering flakes of golden sesame through its odd little grinders. Next time I am there I am going to buy two.