Sesame Seeds

Overview

Sesame seeds provide calcium, healthy fats, and are the source of tahini, supporting bone health and carotenoid absorption when paired with vegetables. Practical pairings: carrots + tahini, kale + avocado, berries + yogurt/nuts. Sesame seeds are part of diverse seed intake and support fat-soluble vitamin absorption when used as tahini.

Recipes

no recipes found

Substances

1 substance in this food

Calcium

Bone health; neurotransmission; interacts with vitamin D and K2

Preparation Notes

• Can be consumed whole or as tahini; tahini is ground sesame seeds
• Part of diverse seed intake; dietary diversity (≥30 plant foods per week) supports microbial richness and resilience
• Supports fat-soluble vitamin absorption when used as tahini; co-consuming a small amount of unsaturated fat improves micelle formation and chylomicron packaging, increasing carotenoid and fat-soluble vitamin absorption
• Pair with carotenoid-rich vegetables; practical pairings: carrots + tahini

Biological Target Matrix

Biological Target	Substance	Therapeutic Areas	Mechanism of Action
Hormonal Response	Calcium	ADHD, Anxiety & GAD	Supports calcium modulation along with vitamin D, magnesium, taurine, phospholipids, and flavonoids; supports insulin sensitivity, sympathetic arousal, and mitochondrial excitability
Neurochemical Balance	Calcium	ADHD, Anxiety & GAD, Depression & MDD, Alzheimer's Disease, Bipolar Disorder	Essential for nerve impulse transmission and neurotransmission

References

• Practical pairings: carrots + tahini, kale + avocado, berries + yogurt/nuts (sesame seeds are source of tahini)
• Part of diverse seed intake supporting dietary diversity
• Co-consuming a small amount of unsaturated fat with polyphenol-rich foods improves micelle formation and chylomicron packaging, increasing carotenoid and fat-soluble vitamin absorption Kindel et al. 2010 Brown et al. 2004