Peanuts: Benefits For The Body And Help With Weight Loss

In the article we will tell:

1. A Brief History of Peanuts
2. Features of the chemical composition of peanuts, calorie content
3. The benefits of peanuts for the body
4. Raw, roasted, salted - which peanuts are the healthiest
5. How much peanuts can you eat per day
6. Harm of peanuts and contraindications
7. Peanuts and weight loss
8. Peanuts and children's nutrition
9. How to choose quality peanuts and butter

Peanuts are a popular product that has become widespread due to its taste and composition, rich in useful substances.

The nutritional value

Content per 100 gr

calories

552

Squirrels

26.3

Fats

45.2

Carbohydrates

9.9

Water

7.9

Cellulose

8.1

Glycemic index

fifteen

Recommended

vitamins

chemical name

Content in 100 grams

Percent Daily Need

Vitamin B1

thiamine

0.74 mg

49%

Vitamin B2

riboflavin

0.11 mg

6%

Vitamin C

vitamin C

5.3 mg

eight%

Vitamin E

tocopherol

10.1 mg

101%

Vitamin B3 (RR)

niacin

18.9 mg

95%

Vitamin B4

choline

52.5 mg

eleven%

Vitamin B5

pantothenic acid

1.77 mg

35%

Vitamin B6

pyridoxine

0.35 mg

eighteen%

Vitamin B9

folic acid

240 mcg

60%

Vitamin H

biotin

40 mcg

from 90%

Minerals

Content in 100 grams

Percent Daily Need

Potassium

658 mg

26%

Calcium

76 mg

eight%

Magnesium

182 mg

46%

Phosphorus

350 mg

35%

Sodium

23 mg

2%

Iron

5 mg

36%

Zinc

3.27 mg

27%

Selenium

7.2 mcg

13%

Copper

1144 mcg

114%

Manganese

1.93 mg

97%

Essential amino acids

Content in 100g

Percent Daily Need

tryptophan

285 mg

114%

Isoleucine

903 mg

45%

Valine

1247 mg

36%

Leucine

1763 mg

35%

Threonine

744 mg

133%

Lysine

939 mg

59%

Methionine

288 mg

22%

Phenylalanine

1343 mg

67%

Arginine

2975 mg

60%

Histidine

627 mg

42%

Recommended

Study: Effect of the Mediterranean diet on blood pressure in the PREDIMED trial: results from a randomized controlled trial

Study: A Prospective Association of Nut Consumption with Cognitive Function in Chinese Adults Aged 55+ _ China Health and Nutrition Survey

Gallstone disease occurs when the gallbladder does not empty properly. One of the risk factors for gallstone disease is being overweight or obese, as well as high triglyceride levels or low levels of “good” HDL cholesterol.

One study of over 80,000 women found that those who ate peanuts and peanut butter five or more times a week reduced their risk of gallbladder disease by 25%.

Of course, this is not about peanuts themselves, but about a full range of useful substances that affect cholesterol levels, which means they help prevent the development of cholelithiasis. Another proof that eating peanuts in moderation has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the whole organism.

Raw, roasted, salted - what is the healthiest peanut?

Roasted peanuts are considered healthier than raw peanuts. Is it so? Every time, asking the question “what is more useful?” First you need to understand “why?”. What effect do you want?

Salted peanuts are not the healthiest option, especially for those with a high risk of heart disease.

Roasted in a dry frying pan or oil with a high smoke point, peanuts are considered healthier than raw peanuts, but they are higher in calories. However, it contains heat-activated antioxidants and is less likely to harbor pathogens that can be found in raw peanuts.

Raw peanuts have fewer calories than roasted peanuts. And perhaps this is important to you if you are on a diet and control the overall level of caloric content of the diet. But, unroasted kernels are slowly digested and can cause problems with the gastrointestinal tract. Assess the state of your digestive tract if you choose raw nuts.

In addition, the shell of peanut kernels is a strong allergen, and if you are prone to allergies, then you should also give up raw peanuts.

Everything is purely individual, but when assessing the possible risks from eating raw peanuts, we can conclude that for most people, unsalted roasted peanuts are healthier than raw.

How much peanuts can you eat per day

Peanuts are very useful, but high in calories, and, like any other products, have contraindications. Therefore, when consuming it, it is important to know the measure.

Regular consumption of peanuts equivalent to 28-30 g (1 serving) 5 times a week is believed to be safe and associated with a significant reduction in the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Harm of peanuts and contraindications

Any benefit from the product is meaningless if you have contraindications to its use. One of the most important contraindications of peanuts is allergy.

Peanuts are one of the most common foods that cause severe allergic reactions. In the case of allergies, the harm of peanuts can be very serious. For years, as a way to prevent food allergies, doctors have recommended not feeding peanuts to younger children. However, new evidence suggests that regularly eating foods containing peanuts in younger children may help prevent the development of peanut allergy. At the same time, there is evidence that higher nut intake in women was associated with a lower risk of allergy in offspring, consistent with the hypothesis that early allergen exposure increases tolerance and reduces the risk of food allergies in children. This topic needs more research, and in any case, you should be careful when eating peanuts. But to exclude it completely for no apparent reason is not worth it.

According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, peanut allergy symptoms include:

• Itching of the skin or hives (there may be small spots or large welts).
• Itching or tingling in the mouth or throat, around them.
• Runny or stuffy nose.
• Nausea.
• Anaphylaxis (less common).

Because peanuts are rich in pro-inflammatory omega-6 fats and low in anti-inflammatory omega-3s, they can cause an imbalanced omega-3 to omega-6 ratio, which is a common problem these days. An imbalance in the intake of these acids increases the level of inflammation in the body and increases the risk of chronic diseases.

While peanuts are rich in healthy fats, dietary fiber, and essential micronutrients such as vitamin E, magnesium, and selenium, they can also contain significant amounts of aflatoxins, which are produced by microscopic molds. Peanuts grow on the ground and become damp, causing the formation of mycotoxins or mold. Mold on peanuts can cause the growth of a fungus called aflatoxin, which can affect gut health.

Therefore, it is important to carefully check the appearance of nuts and not store them in places with high humidity. Eating such nuts can have serious health consequences. Thus, a relationship was found between the consumption of aflatoxin and the frequency of liver cancer, the second most common cause of cancer death. Peanuts have been linked to food sensitivities, leaky gut syndrome, and slow metabolism. This is because aflatoxin can actually compete with probiotics in the gut and thus harm the health of the digestive system. This is especially true with non-organic peanut butter. The presence of mold may be why many children develop inflammatory immune responses to peanuts.

Peanuts are contraindicated in gout, a chronic disease that progresses with excessive accumulation of uric acid salts. Peanuts dramatically increase the concentration of uric acid and can lead to another exacerbation of the pathological condition.

Also, salted peanuts are contraindicated in high blood pressure.

Peanuts and weight loss

Peanuts are a very high-calorie product that is often removed from the diet when losing weight, like other nuts and oils.

But is it right?

In fact, it is possible to cut out all high-calorie foods and lose weight thanks to the created deficit. But will it be possible to save the result? And is this weight loss safe for health?

When losing weight, it is important to understand that not all calories are equal.

This is counterintuitive, but as people consume more calories and gain extra pounds, the body loses nutrients and becomes deficient.

This is just due to an overabundance in the diet of high-calorie foods that are poor in nutrients, the so-called “empty” calories. Which create a surplus of energy, but do not contain the nutrients necessary for the healthy functioning of the body. As a result, in addition to being overweight, people develop deficiency states. This is one of the reasons why being overweight often goes hand in hand with chronic diseases. For example, people who consume less magnesium are more likely to have elevated markers of inflammation and risk of metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, diabetes, and heart disease.

The 2005 U.S. Dietary Guidelines report recommended that most people choose meals and snacks that are high in nutrients but low to moderate in energy. The report says that what we eat is just as important as how much we eat.

The next most important tool for losing weight is to enjoy food. After all, it is often impossible to save the result of the diet due to its insipidity and lack of emotional saturation with food.

Have you ever been so hungry that you were ready to eat anything that caught your eye? Or, conversely, did you have a refrigerator full of food, but nothing from the available food satisfied you? These 2 situations describe 2 different states:

• hunger - the physiological need for nutrients and energy;
• Appetite - the desire for certain foods to satisfy more psychological than physiological needs.

The ability to recognize hunger and appetite is the most important tool for losing weight and maintaining weight after a calorie deficit.

After all, if you find foods that satisfy not only your hunger, but also your appetite, you will naturally reduce the number of calories consumed and easily be able to maintain the desired deficit, without suffering and anguish.

Peanuts, despite their high calorie content, can be a great part of your weight loss meal plan.

In support of the benefits of peanuts for weight loss - both in terms of nutritional value and in terms of emotional satisfaction, there is a ton of research, here are some of them:

1. Adding peanuts and peanut butter to your daily diet while managing your caloric intake has been shown to help you stay full and satisfied, have less need for empty calories, and thus keep your overall calorie intake at the right level.

   Study: Effects of chronic peanut consumption on energy balance and hedonics

    

2. It was found that after eating peanuts regularly for 19 weeks, resting energy expenditure was 11% greater than at baseline.

3. Another interesting study is comparing the effect of peanuts and potato chips. Study participants were given either peanuts for a snack, after which they were invited to a buffet and measured the amount and type of food they chose. Participants also reported how hungry or satisfied they felt before and after each snack. Participants reported that they felt equally satisfied after each snack, but they consumed far fewer calories after eating peanuts. They consumed 17-21% fewer calories during the buffet and 9-11% fewer calories for four days after snacking on peanuts compared to snacking on potato chips. Based on the findings, the authors concluded: “peanuts are an ideal high-fiber, high-protein,

   Study: Lower energy intake following consumption of Hi-oleic and regular peanuts compared with iso-energetic consumption of potato crisps

    

Thus, you can safely include peanuts or peanut butter as a nutritious addition to your diet. The main thing to remember about the allowable quantities.

The allowed daily amount of peanuts in the absence of contraindications is a handful of about 30 grams or 2 tablespoons of peanut butter.

Peanuts and children's nutrition

It is especially important for children to get enough nutrients for growth and development. But is it true in most cases? Unfortunately no.

Often, children eat without a regimen, may not consume enough protein and snack on “empty calories” that do not carry any benefit at all and contribute to the development of multiple deficiencies and obesity.

To do this, you need to make snacking “smart”. It's something delicious, low in empty calories, rich in vital vitamins and minerals, and gives you a good feeling of fullness.

Peanuts are a great example of a “smart snack”, and there are some interesting studies on this:

1. Children who ate peanuts or peanut butter at least once a week were less likely to be overweight, consumed more vitamins and minerals, and had lower blood cholesterol levels than children who did not eat peanuts.

    

2. Adding peanut butter to vegetables encourages children to eat more vegetables. How did you find out? Two classes of 6th grade children were offered fresh carrots, celery, and broccoli during recess and were allowed to eat as much as they wanted. At the same time, one class was given peanut butter as a sauce for vegetables, and children in the second class were given only vegetables. After four months, the researchers measured the amount of vegetables the children were eating. They found that children who ate vegetables with butter increased their vegetable intake by 31%. And the children who were not offered butter ate far fewer vegetables. Are your kids bad at eating vegetables? Offer them a peanut dip!

3. The combination of protein and healthy fats helps children feel full and satisfied, get a boost of energy, and at the same time maintain stable blood sugar levels.

USDA data shows that eating a daily serving of peanuts or peanut butter can help children and adults meet their needs for these nutrients.

At what age can you eat peanuts? There is no definite answer to this question.

There is an opinion that peanuts will not benefit children under 3 years old, the children's body will not be able to digest and assimilate it.

Previously, it was recommended to introduce peanuts into the diet of a child as late as possible due to the risk of developing allergies, but according to new data, this practice, on the contrary, can lead to its development.

The use of peanuts by children under the age of 3 years should be under the supervision of a physician.

How to choose quality peanuts and butter?

Peanuts can be of different shapes and colors, depending on the variety. The most important thing to pay attention to when buying is not the shape of the kernels, but their freshness and quality.

If you buy peanuts in a package, then choose options in which you can visually evaluate their contents. You should refuse to buy if:

• there is foreign debris in the package or nuts do not look too fresh;
• the kernels look shriveled, darkened, or damaged.

When buying raw peanuts, it is important to know:

• kernels should not be wet and dirty;
• kernels should smell like peanuts, without impurities;
• in-shell peanuts should be light and should make a hollow sound when shaken;
• there should be no mechanical damage on the shell - cracks, spots and traces of insects;
• kernels in one bag must be the same size.

1. Peanuts are a unique product. Even a small amount of peanuts in a weekly diet can qualitatively enrich its nutritional composition.

2. When using kernels, the harm of peanuts and its benefits should be correlated. This is especially true of peanuts when losing weight and with any side effects from its consumption. It is important to consume peanuts in a limited amount, because uncontrolled consumption can easily lead to a calorie surplus and weight gain.

3. Peanuts contain a huge amount of nutrients that help prevent and reduce the risk of many chronic diseases.

4. Choose a quality walnut and the type of processing that suits you. The harm of roasted peanuts will outweigh the benefits if you have allergies or gout.

5. With limited use, the absence of allergies and other contraindications, peanuts will be useful to everyone, even children.