OVERVIEW:
Peanuts are tasty and rich in protein, fat and various healthy nutrients. Peanuts are scientifically known as Arachis hypogea. It has a variety of names, such as groundnuts, goobers and earth nuts. In United States, it is rarely eaten as raw peanut.
Instead, they are most often consumed as salted and roasted whole peanuts or peanut butter. The most common ways of using peanuts in India is as roasted snack and in the form of oil. Peanuts are easily available round the year in India.
Other products made from peanuts include peanut protein, peanut oil and peanut flour. Peanut products are used in a variety of foods; desserts, snacks, and sauces, cakes and confectionery.
Studies reveal that peanuts may be useful for weight loss and are linked to reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. In this article, we’ll discuss the detailed health benefits of peanuts.
PEANUT NUTRITION PROFILE:
Per 100 g serving of peanuts contain (✔️) —
- 585 calories
- 21.5 g carbohydrates
- 8 g fiber
- 23.7 g proteins
- 6.9 mg vitamin E
- 54 mg calcium
- 2.3 mg iron
- 176 mg magnesium
- 358 mg phosphorus
- 658 mg potassium
- 6 mg sodium
- 3.3 mg zinc
WHAT ARE THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF PEANUTS?
Here are some of the most well-known health benefits of ground nuts, including —
1. Rich in Energy:
Peanuts are good for health and rich in energy. Per 100 gram peanut contains about 585 calories. It also contain healthy nutrients, anti-oxidants, minerals and vitamins that are essential for the optimum health.
2. Excellent Source of Biotin:
An another heath benefit of peanuts is that they are a great source of biotin. Biotin is technically considered a part of vitamin B complex, but it also has been called vitamin H in past. Regardless of what you call it, biotin is an beneficial nutrient for your physiological wellness.
Biotin is involved in the dozens of enzymatic reactions in the body, including processes that regulate the expression of your genes.
Preliminary research suggests that biotin could be beneficial for treatment of multiple sclerosis, some brain conditions and diabetes.
Additionally, getting enough biotin is essential for the pregnant women, as even mild biotin deficiency can significantly increase the risk of congenital birth defects.
For adults, its recommended value is 30 micrograms per day. Its one-quarter-cup serving contains more than 26 micrograms, or 88% of your Daily Value (DV) for the nutrient.
3. Full of Anti-oxidants:
Peanuts are also rich in healthy anti-oxidants. These healthy anti-oxidants become more active when the peanuts are boiled. There is a 2-fold increase in Biochanin-A and 4-fold increase in the Genistein content.
It also helps to reduce the damage done by free radicals produced in the body.
4. Peanuts for Cholesterol:
Peanuts play an important role in lowering the bad cholesterol and increasing the good cholesterol in your body. Peanut also contain the mono-unsaturated fatty acids, especially oleic acid that helps to prevent the coronary diseases.
5. May Protect You Against Gallstones:
Gallstones are the small particles that form in the gallbladder. Certain people are at the higher risk of gallstones, including overweight individuals, women and people over the age of 40, and those with a diet high in calories and refined carbohydrates.
In a long-term study of nurses, scientists found that eating the high levels of nuts, particularly peanuts, lowered the risk of gallstones by 25%.
It is unclear what nutrients in peanuts help to protect the gallbladder, but eating at least one serving of peanuts per day is associated with the reduced risk of gallstone formation.
6. Peanuts in Pregnancy:
What’s more is that peanuts are also helpful during the pregnancy.
Mothers can take the benefit from eating peanuts or ground nuts as they help to improve the diversity in gut bacteria. They also help babies to fight allergies and infections.
7. Rich in Fat:
Peanuts are healthy and rich in fat. In fact, they are classified as oil seeds. A large proportion of world’s peanut harvest is used for making the peanut oil or arachis oil. The fat content of peanut ranges from 44-56% and is mainly mono and polyunsaturated fat. Most of which is made up of the linoleic and oleic acid (40 to 60%).
8. Peanuts for Skin:
Peanuts contain vitamin E. Vitamin-E helps to maintain the integrity of cells of mucous membrane and skin. It protects them from the free radicals which cause the great skin damages.
9. Peanuts for Weight Loss:
Weight loss is another health benefit of peanuts. Despite of the high fat and calorie content in peanuts, they do not contribute to the weight gain.
In fact, Peanuts can promote weight loss as they make your stomach full. High levels of mono-unsaturated fat and protein in ground nuts help in increasing the energy expenditure. Ground nuts are also rich in soluble dietary fiber, which reduces the risk of weight gain.
10. Peanuts for Heart:
Peanut or ground nuts are especially helpful in keeping your heart disease at bay. It is because, peanuts contain essential fatty-acids like reservatol.
Reservatol and many other antioxidants in ground nuts prevent the damage caused by free radicals in the body and thus are good for your heart health.
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