Plant · seed
Sunflower Seeds
Sunflower Seeds provides 21 g of protein per 100 g (21 g per typical serving).
21gprotein / 100 g
- Per serving
- 21 g (1/4 cup · 100 g)
- Calories
- 584 kcal / 100 g
- Protein density
- 3.6 g / 100 kcal
PDCAAS
0.60
Scale 0–1 (capped at 1.0)
DIAAS
50%
Moderate quality
Leucine
1.5 g
1.5 g per serving
Digestion
Medium
Best: Anytime
Limiting amino acid
Lysine
Pair it to complete the profile
Nutrition per 100 g
- Protein 21 g 13% kcal
- Fat 51 g 74% kcal
- Carbs 20 g 13% kcal
| Calories | 584 kcal |
|---|---|
| Leucine | 1,500 mg (7.1% of protein) |
| Lysine | 900 mg |
| Typical serving | 1/4 cup (100 g) |
Leucine threshold
About 2.5–3 g of leucine per meal maximally switches on muscle protein synthesis.
2.5 g
One serving (1/4 cup) = 1.5 g leucine
About 1.7 servings reach the threshold, or combine with a leucine-rich food.
Pair it with
- Beans, lentils or chickpeasLegumes are lysine-rich, the classic rice + beans match.
- Tofu, tempeh or edamameSoy brings lysine and a high PDCAAS (0.91).
- Hummus (chickpea) with this foodHummus + pita is a complete-protein pairing.
Cost & footprint
- Cost per gram of protein
- $0.025
- Cost for 30 g protein
- ≈ $0.75
- Carbon footprint
- 2.1 kg CO₂e / kg
LowHigh
US retail estimates; prices and emissions vary by region and producer.