And unlike nuts they don’t have ‘allergy’ written all over them which makes bigger seeds like pumpkin and sunflower seeds a safe choice for a school lunchbox.

“We don’t have seed free schools so larger seeds like pumpkin and sunflower seeds make a great replacement for nuts,” says dietitian Caroline Trickey of Sydney’s Nutrition and Wellbeing Clinic.  “There is an allergy to sesame seeds but it’s not as common as nut allergy.”

Until recently the queen of the seed pack was flaxseed partly because it’s one of the few plant sources of omega- 3 fat. Then along came the tiny Latin American chia seed that‘s  also high in this healthy fat.  But although chia is promoted as a good source of omega 3 fat, it’s a mistake to think a chia berry smoothie delivers the same amount of this fat as a chunk of salmon,

“It’s a good little seed but as a source of omega-3 fat it’s not as potent as  fish,” says Trickey.

"The reason is that there's not one, but four major omega-3 fatty acids, and plant foods like chia and flax contain just one of them – ALA, short for alpha-linolenic acid," she explains.

Although your body can convert this ALA into the same important omega-3 fat found in oily fish it can only make a small amount compared to what you’d consume from fish itself.

ALA by itself is still a valuable fat and new research has found that it helps protect the heart – but it’s not as potent as the omega-3 fats in fish.

Arthur, a Sydney-based yoga teacher and an old hand at using chia in the kitchen herself, wrote the book for people like me who haven’t ventured beyond adding it to muesli.

“People know about chia, but they don’t know what to do with it,” says Arthur whose book shows how to squeeze chia into anything from home made jam and Vietnamese rolls to frittata and chocolate truffles.

“You can also use chia as a replacement for eggs in baking. When you mix it with water it creates an egg-like consistency that’s good for binding ingredients together. Use half a cup of water to one tablespoon of chia – make it a large tablespoon if you want a thicker consistency,” she adds.

"But while chia is good, flaxseed - also known as linseed - is still a star," says Caroline Trickey. "Along with its omega-3 fats it‘s a concentrated source of lignans, weak plant hormones which may have an anti-cancer effect according to some research. Earlier this year a Canadian study reported an association between flaxseed and a reduced risk of breast cancer."

Flaxseed’s drawback is that its fat oxidises and turns rancid quickly after grinding, but you can avoid this by grinding it at home and freezing it – it’s easy to use straight from the freezer.

"Although chia and flaxseed have extra benefits, pumpkin, sunflower and sesame seeds are all good sources of minerals and vitamin E, protein and fibre and worth including in the diet. Poppy seeds are also a good source of iron, fibre, minerals and monounsaturated fats," Trickey adds.

And if you’ve any concerns about the fats in seeds like sunflower seeds causing an overload of omega-6 fats in your diet, remember that eating a whole seed is different to consuming its oil.

“A seed is a whole food. You’re getting a package of nutrients and fibre – not just a processed oil,” Trickey says.

If you’d like to learn more about cooking with seeds, nuts and other whole foods, the Nutrition and Wellbeing Clinic lruns regular cooking workshops at Sydney’s Castle Hill.

1 tablespoon butter (I used olive oil)

2 eggs, beaten

3 ripe bananas mashed

3 tablspoons honey

1 teaspoon nutmeg

2 cups wholemeal flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2 tablespoons chia seeds

1 cup mixed seeds (e.g. sesame, pumpkin, chia, sunflower)

1/2 cup raisins

1/4 cup rice milk

Juice of one orange

Pre-heat over to 180C. Soften butter at room temperature, combine with eggs, mashed banana, honey and nutmeg.

Sift flour, baking powder, cinnamon, chia seeds and add to banana mixture. Add seeds, raisins, rice milk and orange juice and fold in gently until well mixed into a cake batter, adding more orange juice if required.

Pour batter into loaf tin and bake for 20-25 minutes. Serve warm or cold, with yoghurt and raspberries (but good by itself too).