Find foods that broaden a nutrient profile

Choose a starting food to see similar foods and foods that add different vitamin and mineral strengths.

Food group

Results compare foods only within the selected group.

Common culinary seeds in plain, unsalted forms. One reviewed plain USDA record is used for each seed; comparisons use only nutrients reported for every selected seed.

Reference used for comparisonStarting food

Reference values put vitamins and minerals on a common scale for comparison. They are not personalized dietary recommendations. Changing the reference can change the rankings.

Foods that broaden the nutrient profile of Sunflower seeds

Each reviewed food is compared directly with Sunflower seeds. These options combine substantial vitamin and mineral amounts with a nutrient pattern that is less redundant with the starting profile.

Sesame seeds

Notable strengths: Calcium, Iron, Potassium.

Chia seeds

Notable strengths: Calcium, Iron, Potassium.

Poppy seeds

Notable strengths: Calcium, Potassium, Iron.

Each result is a separate option, not a recommended combination. Rankings compare 100 g of each food. Nutrient fit does not guarantee culinary compatibility.

Starting food at a glance

Top vitamins and minerals in 100 g of sunflower seeds

Four largest shares of the daily reference amount

Vitamin E

234.5% DV

Copper

200% DV

Thiamin (B1)

123.3% DV

Niacin (B3)

88.3% DV

These values describe one reviewed USDA record. They are not an overall food-quality score or a claim that one food should meet a full day of nutrient needs. USDA FDC 170562.

Compare the data

Compare two nutrient profiles

Choose a second food to compare its vitamins and minerals. You can adjust both amounts below; rankings above remain standardized per 100 g.

Second food

Sunflower seeds amount

Sesame seeds amount

Adjust these amounts for the comparison below. Suggestions above remain standardized per 100 g.

At your selected amounts

Higher vitamin and mineral values in Sesame seeds

Up to 4 meaningful higher values are highlighted. The full comparison remains available below.

Sunflower seeds, 100 gSesame seeds, 100 g

Calcium

Sunflower seeds, 100 g6% DV

Sesame seeds, 100 g75% DV

Iron

Sunflower seeds, 100 g29.2% DV

Sesame seeds, 100 g80.8% DV

Zinc

Sunflower seeds, 100 g45.5% DV

Sesame seeds, 100 g70.5% DV

View all 14 comparable nutrients

Vitamins

Thiamin (B1)

Sunflower seeds, 100 g123.3% DV

Sesame seeds, 100 g65.9% DV

Riboflavin (B2)

Sunflower seeds, 100 g27.3% DV

Sesame seeds, 100 g19% DV

Niacin (B3)

Sunflower seeds, 100 g88.3% DV

Sesame seeds, 100 g68.6% DV

Folate

Sunflower seeds, 100 g56.8% DV

Sesame seeds, 100 g24.3% DV

Vitamin C

Sunflower seeds, 100 g1.6% DV

Sesame seeds, 100 g0% DV

Vitamin E

Sunflower seeds, 100 g234.5% DV

Sesame seeds, 100 g1.7% DV

Minerals

Calcium

Sunflower seeds, 100 g6% DV

Sesame seeds, 100 g75% DV

Copper

Sunflower seeds, 100 g200% DV

Sesame seeds, 100 g453.6% DV

Iron

Sunflower seeds, 100 g29.2% DV

Sesame seeds, 100 g80.8% DV

Magnesium

Sunflower seeds, 100 g77.4% DV

Sesame seeds, 100 g83.6% DV

Manganese

Sunflower seeds, 100 g84.8% DV

Sesame seeds, 100 g107% DV

Phosphorus

Sunflower seeds, 100 g52.8% DV

Sesame seeds, 100 g50.3% DV

Potassium

Sunflower seeds, 100 g13.7% DV

Sesame seeds, 100 g10% DV

Zinc

Sunflower seeds, 100 g45.5% DV

Sesame seeds, 100 g70.5% DV

USDA records — Sunflower seeds: FDC 170562; Sesame seeds: FDC 170150.

This category uses 14 nutrients reported for every reviewed food. Unreported values are never treated as zero.

Key additions

Vitamin E, Folate, Riboflavin (B2).

See why

Two ways to compare foods

Similar foods are those closest in both the pattern and amount of reported vitamins and minerals. This describes nutritional resemblance, not culinary substitutability or overall quality.

Foods that broaden the starting profile are compared with it one at a time. The calculation favors candidates that combine substantial vitamin and mineral amounts with a different nutrient pattern. Full values remain available with each result.

Analysis boundaries

• One explicitly reviewed USDA record per food.
• Comparisons stay within the same food group.
• Each food is compared on a consistent 100 g basis.
• FDA Daily Values are the default comparison reference; optional DRI profiles can be selected deliberately.
• Each group uses only nutrients reported for every food in that group.
• Unreported USDA nutrients are omitted, never treated as zero.
• Beans are cooked without salt; nuts and seeds are plain and unsalted.

Important limitations

The comparison does not include fiber, protein, phytonutrients, glycemic response, bioavailability, cost, taste, or allergies.

USDA values describe reference foods; variety, storage, and preparation can change actual nutrient amounts.

A 100 g comparison is a controlled basis, not a suggested serving size. Your usual portion may be larger or smaller.

Recommendations depend on the reviewed foods and nutrients available in each group; they are starting points for exploration, not a complete account of a diet.

FDA Daily Values and optional DRI profiles are comparison references, not individualized recommendations. Individual needs vary, and this guide is not medical advice.

Nutrient relationships do not establish culinary compatibility, dietary completeness, biological synergy, or an appropriate serving.

Method and sources

Food composition comes from USDA FoodData Central. Published results use reviewed FDC IDs so a database reorder cannot silently change the guide.

The default charts show raw, uncapped %DV per 100 g using current FDA Daily Values. A selected DRI profile instead shows profile-specific %DRI and recomputes every ranking. To find foods that broaden a profile, the calculation applies the provisional transform f(x) = 1 − exp(−x/20) to reduce domination by very large reference percentages. It then uses an unnormalized Gram determinant to measure the area spanned by each pair. This is an exploratory geometric ranking, not a clinical score, adequacy measure, or dietary recommendation.

Niacin equivalents combine USDA niacin with its documented tryptophan contribution. Vitamin K currently represents USDA phylloquinone (K1). Missing USDA reports are excluded from a category's common nutrient set rather than treated as zero.

FDA Daily Values come from the FDA Daily Value reference table. The 20% saturation scale is a provisional FoodMaya model parameter, not a biological or literature-derived threshold.

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