# Is there a non-disgusting way to eat sunflower seeds?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-non-disgusting-way-to-eat-sunflower-seeds/486685
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [February 20, 2009, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-non-disgusting-way-to-eat-sunflower-seeds/486685 "2009-02-20T05:39:45Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@GameHat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GameHat)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2009, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-non-disgusting-way-to-eat-sunflower-seeds/486685/1 "2009-02-20T05:39:45Z")
I’ve become badly addicted in the last month or so. I blame weeks of extended work travel with lots of stops at gas stations for snacks.
I love these things. So tasty. But it seems there are three options:
1. Eat the sunflower seed whole. I used to do this when I played Little League baseball. No mess. The downside, of course, is when the hulls pass - eat too much and (TMI, gross) It’s like shitting a jagged piece of metal
2. Crack the seeds, eat only the kernel, spit the hulls. Avoids the unpleasantness of option 1 above. But I can’t imagine doing this at work - in the car, I can use an empty water bottle. But I can’t much imagine having a gross spit cup of shells and saliva on my desk at work.
3. Buy them shelled. Boring. Part of the fun is the range of “flavors” they come dusted in in the shells. As well as the “busy work” of removing the seed from the shell, which also prevents eating too much (it takes too long!)
Any ideas?
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### Author:  [@AngelSoft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelSoft)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2009, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-non-disgusting-way-to-eat-sunflower-seeds/486685/2 "2009-02-20T06:25:54Z")
How about removing them nicely from your mouth with your fingers instead of spitting them? Or crack them outside of your mouth. That’s the least ‘slobbery’ way I’ve found.
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### Author:  [@Mudshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mudshark)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2009, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-non-disgusting-way-to-eat-sunflower-seeds/486685/3 "2009-02-20T06:35:31Z")
I crack them in my mouth and spit out the shells that way. When I was younger I would just suck the flavor off and spit the shells back in the bag for someone else to worry about.
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### Author:  [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2009, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-non-disgusting-way-to-eat-sunflower-seeds/486685/4 "2009-02-20T06:50:24Z")
I don’t have any suggestions, only that I couldn’t help being reminded of [this clip](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zj_Vx1Y1HKA) from Ace Ventura (5:02 in).
Ashtray?
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### Author:  [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2009, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-non-disgusting-way-to-eat-sunflower-seeds/486685/5 "2009-02-20T15:00:04Z")
I just chew them whole. They won’t affect the, uh, other end if you actually _chew them thoroughly_. 😉