Snacks that score

SUNFLOWER seeds and pistachios are not just for Super Bowl snacking anymore -- they might even be health food. Of 27 nuts and seeds tested for phytosterol content, sunflower seed kernels and pistachios had the highest levels among those commonly consumed as snacks, say researchers at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Va. Phytosterol, a type of plant chemical, can help reduce cholesterol levels in the blood.

Sesame seeds and wheat germ scored even higher, but are not generally considered snack food. Walnuts, which are high in antioxidants, ranked at the bottom of the list.

Still, don’t toss the walnuts and set out bowls of wheat germ just yet.

“You wouldn’t want to exclude any nuts from your diet based on this study, because there’s many different components in seeds and nuts that are good for you,” said research scientist Katherine Phillips, who led the study. And, she pointed out, such knowledge can ease the guilt about eating such high-fat snacks.

“We would take a break from the experiment and have a few nuts and feel pretty good about it,” she said.

The study appears in the Nov. 30 issue of the American Chemical Society’s Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.