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A small pile of hulled sesame seeds

Sesame seeds, hulled

Checked by us One serving: 30 g (about 4 tablespoons) · 189 kcal

Lots of magnesium and niacin.

Nothing to watch for most people.

Worth knowing for some people: choking risk under age 4.

Good for

How we counted this

What one serving (30 g) gives you.

Your body needs enough of each of these. Past enough, more doesn’t help. Amounts are what the food databases list, not what your body absorbs, unless a row says it was measured.

The words: “A lot” means one serving gives 20% or more of Health Canada’s daily amount, “Some” 10% to 19%, “A little” 2% to 9%, “Almost none” under 2%. Strongest word first; within a word, protein and fibre lead, then the biggest share.

A milligram (mg) is a thousandth of a gram, and a microgram (µg) a thousandth of a milligram: 1,000 µg make 1 mg.

20 more nutrients below “a lot”

Watch out

How we counted this

Nothing here reaches a limit at ordinary amounts.

For some people

  • Health Canada lists seeds among foods not safe for children under four; sesame is not named, so hulled sesame falls under the category.

Worth knowing

No limit applies, so none is rated.

  • Sugar

    0.1 g of sugar in a 30 g serving, natural and added together.

    Learn more

    Shown, not rated. The food tables we read give total sugar, and few give added sugar, so the site can’t yet tell sugar added in making a food from the sugar in fruit or milk.

Also measured in it

Figures from the dataset. None has a limit to be rated against, so none is a verdict.

  • Phytate, as the source gives it: 30 mg/100 g (as 'phytate', phytic acid standard) (dry weight); 18.33 mg/100 g (as 'phytate') (dry weight) · Makinde 2014, Makinde 2014 · grade B

    Phytate (also written InsP6, IP6 or phytic acid), the form in which plants store phosphorus, is found in whole grains, beans and nuts. It binds zinc in the gut and lowers how much zinc and plant (non-heme) iron you absorb. No limit applies.

    Source: NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Zinc fact sheet · NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Iron fact sheet

Better options

How we counted this

“Better” here always means better at something the row names: more of one nutrient, more nutrients per serving, or the goal you pick. It never means better in every way.

Every amount below is for the same weight, 30 g, the size of one serving of this food, so a swap compares like with like. A serving of another food can be bigger or smaller.

Compared with the other toppings we’ve checked.

A food is listed only if it gives clearly more: at least a fifth more than this food, and at least 10% of the daily amount more.

More of what it’s good for

More magnesium

Amounts as listed, not adjusted for how much gets in.

For niacin: no other toppings we’ve checked give clearly more, in the same 30 g.

More nutrients per serving, counted together

The other toppings we’ve checked with more nutrients per serving than this one, counting at most 100 kcal. One score ranks them all, so the same few often lead.

  • Chia seeds, ground
    • More omega-3: ALA (5,349 mg vs 78.9 mg)
    • More fibre (10.3 g vs 3.48 g)
    • More calcium (189 mg vs 18 mg)
  • Pumpkin seeds
    • More magnesium (150 mg vs 104 mg)
    • Less thiamin (0.08 mg vs 0.21 mg)
  • Chia seeds
    • More omega-3: ALA (5,349 mg vs 78.9 mg)
    • More fibre (10.3 g vs 3.48 g)
    • More calcium (179 mg vs 18 mg)

Where the calcium card measured that less calcium gets in than from milk, calcium counts for less; everything else is as listed.

Your goal

Your goal changes only this list, not what the food gives you or what to watch.

Losing weight: fewer calories, and more nutrients, protein and fibre for each calorie.

  • Chia seeds, ground
    • 146 kcal in 30 g (this food: 189)
    • More fibre (10.3 g vs 3.48 g)
    • More omega-3: ALA (5,349 mg vs 78.9 mg)
    • More calcium (189 mg vs 18 mg)
  • Pumpkin seeds
    • More magnesium (150 mg vs 104 mg)
    • Less thiamin (0.08 mg vs 0.21 mg)
  • Chia seeds
    • 147 kcal in 30 g (this food: 189)
    • More fibre (10.3 g vs 3.48 g)
    • More omega-3: ALA (5,349 mg vs 78.9 mg)
    • More calcium (179 mg vs 18 mg)

Bring a tracker export or describe your usual week. The same rules check all of it.

The numbers

Open every value

Name in the database: Sesame seed kernels, hulled, dried

How the serving was set: Reference amount: nearest row. 30 g (Health Canada O.1, nuts and seeds not for use as snacks; reference amount '30 g shelled')

Listed nutrients, per 100 g

For each nutrient, the value this page uses is marked “used”. A row marked “second database” is another database’s figure for a matching food, kept so you can see how far databases disagree (they can differ in the samples analysed, lab methods and rounding). Its own cells are worked out from it, but none of the page’s words or scores are.

NutrientPer servingPer 100 caloriesHowSourceGrade
Omega-3: ALA0.263 g0.08 g0.04 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Calcium60 mg18 mg9.51 mglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
60 mg18 mg9.51 mgcopy of USDA · not usedCanadian Nutrient File 2026 #2611C
Carbohydrate11.73 g3.52 g1.86 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Choline25.6 mg7.68 mg4.06 mglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Energy631 kcal189.3 kcal–FDC Energy (kcal) usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy)–
Omega-3: EPA + DHA0 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Fat61.21 g18.36 g9.7 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg0 mglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Fatty acids, total saturated9.055 g2.72 g1.44 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Fibre11.6 g3.48 g1.84 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Folate115 µg34.5 µg18.23 µglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Iron6.36 mg1.91 mg1.01 mglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Magnesium345 mg103.5 mg54.68 mglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Niacin (B3, niacin equivalents)11.3 mg3.39 mg1.79 mglisted usedCanadian Nutrient File 2026 #2611C
Phosphorus667 mg200.1 mg105.71 mglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Potassium370 mg111 mg58.64 mglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Protein20.45 g6.14 g3.24 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Riboflavin (B2)0.09 mg0.03 mg0.01 mglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Selenium34.4 µg10.32 µg5.45 µglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Sodium47 mg14.1 mg7.45 mglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Sugars0.48 g0.14 g0.08 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Thiamin (B1)0.699 mg0.21 mg0.11 mglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Vitamin A3 µg0.9 µg0.48 µglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Vitamin B120 µg0 µg0 µglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Vitamin B60.4 mg0.12 mg0.06 mglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Vitamin C0 mg0 mg0 mglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Vitamin D0 µg0 µg0 µglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Vitamin E1.68 mg0.5 mg0.27 mglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Vitamin K10 µg0 µg0 µglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Water3.75 g1.13 g0.59 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Zinc6.73 mg2.02 mg1.07 mglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
NutrientPer 100 gPer servingPer 100 caloriesHowSourceGrade
Beta-carotene40 µg12 µg6.34 µglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Copper1.4 mg0.42 mg0.22 mglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Ash2.86 g0.86 g0.45 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Sucrose0.31 g0.09 g0.05 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Glucose0.1 g0.03 g0.02 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Fructose0.07 g0.02 g0.01 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Maltose0 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Alcohol, ethyl0 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Caffeine0 mg0 mg0 mglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Theobromine0 mg0 mg0 mglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Energy2,640 kj792 kj418.38 kjlisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Galactose0 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Vitamin A, IU66 iu19.8 iu10.46 iulisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Carotene, alpha0 µg0 µg0 µglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Vitamin D (D2 + D3), International Units0 iu0 iu0 iulisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Cryptoxanthin, beta0 µg0 µg0 µglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Lycopene0 µg0 µg0 µglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Tocopherol, beta0 mg0 mg0 mglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Tocopherol, gamma0 mg0 mg0 mglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Tocopherol, delta0 mg0 mg0 mglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Vitamin K (Dihydrophylloquinone)0 µg0 µg0 µglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Folic acid0 µg0 µg0 µglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Folate, food115 µg34.5 µg18.23 µglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Folate, DFE115 µg34.5 µg18.23 µglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Betaine0.4 mg0.12 mg0.06 mglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Tryptophan0.33 g0.1 g0.05 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Threonine0.73 g0.22 g0.12 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Isoleucine0.75 g0.23 g0.12 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Leucine1.5 g0.45 g0.24 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Lysine0.65 g0.2 g0.1 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Methionine0.88 g0.26 g0.14 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Cystine0.44 g0.13 g0.07 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Phenylalanine0.94 g0.28 g0.15 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Tyrosine0.79 g0.24 g0.13 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Valine0.98 g0.29 g0.16 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Arginine3.25 g0.98 g0.52 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Histidine0.55 g0.17 g0.09 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Alanine0.99 g0.3 g0.16 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Aspartic acid2.07 g0.62 g0.33 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Glutamic acid4.6 g1.38 g0.73 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Glycine1.09 g0.33 g0.17 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Proline1.04 g0.31 g0.16 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Serine1.2 g0.36 g0.19 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Hydroxyproline0 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Vitamin E, added0 mg0 mg0 mglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Vitamin B-12, added0 µg0 µg0 µglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Fatty acids, total trans0 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
SFA 4:00 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
SFA 6:00 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
SFA 8:00 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
SFA 10:00 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
SFA 12:00 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
SFA 14:00 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
SFA 16:05.273 g1.58 g0.84 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
SFA 18:03.311 g0.99 g0.52 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
SFA 20:00.347 g0.1 g0.05 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
MUFA 18:123.595 g7.08 g3.74 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
PUFA 18:225.227 g7.57 g4 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
PUFA 18:30.263 g0.08 g0.04 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
PUFA 20:40 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
PUFA 22:6 n-3 (DHA)0 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
SFA 22:00.071 g0.02 g0.01 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
MUFA 16:10.105 g0.03 g0.02 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
PUFA 18:40 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
MUFA 20:10.124 g0.04 g0.02 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
PUFA 20:5 n-3 (EPA)0 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
MUFA 22:10.065 g0.02 g0.01 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
PUFA 22:5 n-3 (DPA)0 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Stigmasterol22 mg6.6 mg3.49 mglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Campesterol53 mg15.9 mg8.4 mglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Beta-sitosterol232 mg69.6 mg36.77 mglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Fatty acids, total monounsaturated23.924 g7.18 g3.79 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated25.491 g7.65 g4.04 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
SFA 24:00.053 g0.02 g0.01 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
TFA 18:1 t0 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
MUFA 24:1 c0.035 g0.01 g0.01 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
PUFA 20:2 n-6 c,c0 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Fatty acids, total trans-monoenoic0 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
SFA 13:00 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Lactose0 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Lutein + zeaxanthin0 µg0 µg0 µglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Manganese1.44 mg0.43 mg0.23 mglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Niacin (B3, preformed)5.8 mg1.74 mg0.92 mglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Pantothenic acid (B5)0.29 mg0.09 mg0.05 mglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C
Retinol0 µg0 µg0 µglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169412C

Change the amount to rescale the first column. Nutrients a database doesn't list are missing, not zero.

Hazard rows as the dataset rates them

  • Choking risk under age 4 · Worth knowing · Health Canada lists seeds among foods not safe for children under four; sesame is not named, so hulled sesame falls under the category. · Health Canada, Nutrition for Healthy Term Infants: Recommendations… · B
  • Sesame allergy · Worth knowing · Person-specific: sesame is a Health Canada priority allergen and can cause anaphylaxis; hulled sesame is still sesame. · Health Canada, priority allergens · A

Oxalate, phytate and gut-tolerance measurements

  • oxalate total: 85.67 mg/100 g (as oxalate) · dry weight · raw sesame as the paper defines it: whole seeds soaked in water 1:5 for 4 h, dehulled by hand, washed, oven-dried at 105 C for 12 h, milled · grade B · Makinde 2014
  • oxalate total: 36 mg/100 g (as oxalate) · dry weight · 'roasted sesame': the same raw seeds roasted at 160 C for 25 min, then milled · grade B · Makinde 2014
  • phytate: 30 mg/100 g (as 'phytate', phytic acid standard) · dry weight · raw sesame as defined by the paper: soaked 4 h, hand-dehulled, oven-dried 105 C, milled · grade B · Makinde 2014
  • phytate: 18.33 mg/100 g (as 'phytate') · dry weight · 'roasted sesame': 160 C for 25 min, milled · grade B · Makinde 2014

Sources

Body map 2026-10-25.1: each nutrient’s job comes from an agency fact sheet, linked beside it under Good for.

The plain words: “a lot” means one serving (100 g when the food has no serving size) gives at least 20% of the daily amount (the reference intake), “some” at least 10%, “a little” at least 2% (the cut-offs are ours, one set for every page: 20% and 10% are borrowed from the US labelling terms “high” and “good source” and applied to Health Canada’s daily amount, whereas Health Canada’s own shopper rule says 15%; provisional: they may change in a later method version). The daily amount is Health Canada’s Dietary Reference Intake for adults 19–30; where men and women need different amounts we use the higher one (protein: 56 g for men, 46 g for women). The percentage printed under each nutrient is the printed amount as a share of that daily amount, rounded to the nearest whole number, and the word is read from that percentage, so the amount, the percentage and the word always agree. Calcium with a measured absorption is scaled by how well it gets in compared with milk.

The scale: “Nothing to watch” means a serving a day stays under the limit at ordinary amounts; “Go easy” means a serving a day can push past the limit for adults who already take in the most, or fewer than 2 servings reach it; “Limit it” means once a week or less. The dataset’s own rating is under “How we got this”. Provisional: the scale may change in a later method version.

Measured absorption under Good for: grade-A studies in adults that tested this preparation of this food, as a share of the listed amount (the share digested, for protein), quoted once each source has passed our evidence check; animal studies and other variants stay in the table above. Provisional: this screen may change in a later method version.