I eat the seed and spit out the shell. When I was a kid I was told that eating the shell could cause your appendix to burst, so being scared at even the thought of a doctor I never ever ate the shells. Actually I think the story was told about how a friend's friend had a burst appendix and when they went to remove it they found nothing but sunflower shells in it! I know it was a myth, but it was enough to scare me for life!
