Are they any good in terms of source of fats?

Pretty good for Protein too but don't do your breath any favours.

Yep, great source of EFAs and very high mineral content, too. Goes for most nuts and seeds.

Very good for Vitamin k, manganese, iron, magnesium, copper, phosphorus and zinc. Amino wise they are high in trytophan so worth keeping in mind if feeling a little blue.

Fat wise they are a little disappointing. Only Oleic (o9) and linoliec(o6) in any quantity. The o6:o3 ratio is about 119:1

cleaver wrote:Very good for Vitamin k, manganese, iron, magnesium, copper, phosphorus and zinc. Amino wise they are high in trytophan so worth keeping in mind if feeling a little blue.

Fat wise they are a little disappointing. Only Oleic (o9) and linoliec(o6) in any quantity. The o6:o3 ratio is about 119:1

So effectively not worth considering as having an omega 3 content at all!

Nice minerals though if in high enough quantity.

They are pretty good nutrient wise, be careful to get quality very fresh pumpkin seeds however as they are prone to oxidation in de-shelled form (especially in clear packaging), look for crispness and taste is usually a good indicator, fresher seeds will taste better.

You may wish to soak or roast (short time period to reduce oxidation) to deactivate some antinutrients (phytic acid, protease inhibitors) which will make them much easier to digest and for you to utilise the minerals within.

They are a good source of magnesium and phosphorus, both essential in ADP phosphorylation. (ATP regeneration, vital for muscular contraction) these minerals tend to be high in many seeds but the values are quite high (around 120% rda Mg/P as opposed to about 80% rda in sesame seed per 100g) also a good source of zinc (50% rda per 100g)
A nice selection of B vitamins and K too.

Regarding lipid content, high in 18:2 linoleic omega 6 as is common with seeds and nuts and about half as much 18:1 oleic acid omega 9.
Very little 18:3 alpha-linolenic omega 3, so you don't want to over-consume without adequete omega 3 from other areas (animal forms DHA/EPA are far superior to ALA conversion)

One thing i'd recommend is pumpkin seed butter, although it is pricey. (it's certainly worth it taste wise!)
It allows better digestion of the seeds, even if you chew whole seeds thoughroughly many fragments pass through undigested due to antinutrients within, with it pulverized enzymes have a greater opportunity to break it down fully.
Same goes with sesame seed paste (aka tahini), this is cheaper than pumpkin seed butter and you have a strong concentration of lectins which the body converts to enterolactone in the gut, which being a mild phytoestrogen has anti-estrogenic effects.

I think omega fatty acid ratios are so important and can't be underestimated... is one of the the things that i do feel is worth getting fussy about in diet.

I aim for roughly 3:1 omega 6:3 and of the omega 3, roughly 50% ALA, 30% EPA and 20% DHA... main source of ALA is hemp seed oil (which also has GLA and LA of course) and EPA and DHA fish oils... although am looking to switch to the algae derrived EPA and DHA (which RoB found and linked to in a different thread) which is purer. Adding some krill oil for the phospholipid content would round this off nicely

They're good alkaline seeds. Good fats, some protein. Pumpkin seed butter as Pain says is very good.. Spread on sprouted wheat/hemp bread = lovely.