> I only eat tree seeds myself. It is possible to swallow a raw > sunflower seed, but I've never tried chewing them. Sunflower seeds taste better without the shells :-) but for anyone who has tried to shell them manually, it's a lot of work. They are however very good. They taste even better when sprouted, but sprouting requires some manipulations: -removing shells -soaking -removing inner hulls -waiting 24 hours until some roots grow. So, maybe a purist will avoid sunflower seeds, but contrary to grains or legumes, they don't contain anti-nutrients that I know of (can anyone confirm this?) Best wishes, Jean-Louis [log in to unmask]