While many people know peanuts are beneficial for their health, some are wary of eating too many because of the high fat content. In fact, some even ask the question, are peanuts healthy?
While it’s true to say there’s more fat in a peanut butter sandwich than in a McDonald’s cheeseburger, peanut butter is certainly not a dietary evil.
So, are peanuts healthy?
Overall, the nutritional composition of peanuts is extremely good, with most of the peanut’s fat being monounsaturated. They also provide an excellent source of protein, vitamin E, and fibre (which is more than we can say for the cheeseburger!).
In fact, research confirms that eating a portion of peanuts, or peanut butter, every day may help reduce the risk of heart disease, type II diabetes and gallbladder disease, withoutthe risk of weight gain.
flickr: worldbank
10 interesting facts about peanuts…
- Peanuts are not nuts. These are actually a pulse and belongs in the legume family along with peas, beans and lentils.
- Peanuts grow under the ground, not on trees.
- Peanuts, peanut butter and peanut oil are excellent sources of heart-healthy unsaturated fats, like those found in olive oil. More than 75% of the total fat content is unsaturated.
- Peanuts are 25% protein.
- Peanuts contain resveratrol, plant sterols and other phytochemicals which research is indicating have cardio-protective and cancer inhibiting properties.
- Peanuts and peanut butter contain beneficial minerals such as zinc, magnesium, copper and selenium.
- Peanuts and peanut butter contain B-vitamins, folate and Vitamin E.
- Peanuts and peanut butter are natural sources of soluble and insoluble fibre.
- Peanuts and peanut butter are plant foods and contain no cholesterol.
- Peanuts have a very low glycaemic index (14).
So, are peanuts healthy?
Well, it’s not just as simple as that.
On the next page you’ll learn some key details that you need to know about peanuts, and a few novel suggestions for how you can enjoy them.
Click to continue reading →
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{ 54 comments… read them below or add one }
Thank you!
I just had a bag of peanuts because I was hungry and everything else in the vending machine would have given me a stomach ache (potato chips, cookies, cheese crackers). So the bag of peanuts was the lesser of 30 evils. Glad to read it might not have been evil at all.
Hey Ken,
Good choice! It’s difficult when you’re out and about to make the right choices, nuts and dried fruits too are a good fall-back option.
Peanuts are awesome.. Be sure to get unsalted whenever possible though!
Yes, I agree.
Is it because of the sodium? I usually have large roasted lightly salted peanuts and wanted to find out the health risk on the salt part.
Please let me know
thanks!!!! i was jus curiose because me and my brother were eating peanuts last night and he was all like, “you know, peanuts are healty for you” and i was like yea sure whatever, so i thought i would reasearch it and he just proved me wrong!!!!! : o {
Haha… what else are brothers for, eh?? :D I’m glad you found Dietriffic!
I just wanted to give my thanks. My dad always told me that peanuts were extremely healthy, more so than potato chips as a snack (which I don’t like half as much as a handful of these things). I had no idea how much, though. I had no idea they weren’t actually nuts! Talk about irony!
Now we get a jar every weekend for our shopping trips. :D
Hi Jay,
Thank you! Yes, they are very healthy. For a little more variety, you could also snack on a handful of mixed, whole nuts.
What is the best way to eat peanuts? Raw, roasted, dry-roasted, or boiled? I know unsalted, but I was wondering if it is okay to eat roasted peanuts.
Hi Lisa,
Lightly roasted or raw peanuts are absolutely fine.
I was told that you use up the same amount of calories by eating one peanut at a time, as you would eating a handful at one time … do you know anything about facts to back that up please? It seems to make sense … but …
Hi Gillian,
I have never come across that idea.
I think the benefit of eating the peanuts one at a time, rather than in handfuls, is that you slow down the eating process, so you have the potential to eat more mindfully, therefore eating less in one sitting, and taking in less calories as a result. Alternatively, when you eat handfuls at a time, before you know it, you’ve eaten a whole bag of nuts, and the calorie intake is huge.
I would suggest measuring out a serving of nuts (1 to 1 1/2 ounces) and eating them slowly and mindfully. I cannot say you will use up more calories eating in this way, but the overall calorie intake has potential to be less (rather than eating straight from the bag), and you will feel more satisfied by slowing down the eating process.
Does peanuts cause Kidney Stones
Hi Ann,
If you are susceptible to kidney stones you can prevent the oxalate build up somewhat by:
Drinking plenty of fluids.
Eating calcium-containing foods — the calcium binds the oxalate in the gut preventing it from being absorbed.
Avoiding foods containing oxalates, such as spinach, beans, beets, berries, green peppers, chocolate, coffee, colas, peanuts, peanut butter, and wheat bran.
I found your site after feeling guilty about grabbing a bag of peanuts for an afternoon snack!
I was craving peanuts for some reason! After reading about all the healthy benefits, I guess my body was trying to tell me something!
Hi Benjamin,
I’m glad you found Dietriffic! :-)
I ate a bag of Chili Lemon Peanuts! Never got hungry for dinner! Is it still ok to eat that much? I mean I have been eating tons of peanuts at work almost daily! Im 40 and still skinny!
Dear Melanie!!!!!!
Best methods of eating nuts for breaking monotony, and to have variety, Can you guide in this direction?
1. We in India eat Nuts ( Pea Nuts, Almonds, Cashews, and other locally grown ones) in the preparation of foods for snacks, lunch, dinner, etc.
2. We normally eat Ground Nuts as Raw, Roasted, Roasred & treated with Chili powder & salt, Also Made as small cakes with Jaggery + Coconut Powder + Cardamom Powder + Roasted Ground Nuts. Munch them some times after lunch, After night food. etc.
The basis of eating is not known to me. However this tradition has come since long years, say from our forefathers period or so.
In case you have any scientific proven methods with their advantages / dis-advantages, please let me know. In case I find from some sources I will try to keep you informed.
Venkatesha Murthy T S
Hi Venkatesha,
This article may be helpful: http://www.dietriffic.com/2010/04/27/are-nuts-fattening/
I’m glad I found your site.
I’m not overweight but have always avoided nuts even though I like them because I thought they were so fattening.
I live in Israel and you can buy all different kinds, sold loose, at kiosks on every corner.
So I’ll eat some with my next beer ;-)
Sounds wonderful… minus the beer!! ;-)
Hello,
Am i ok eating wasabi coated peanuts? Im trying to get some extra fibre and protien into my diet as i am exercising a lot and i was told nuts were a great source of both.
Thanks, Kate
Hi Kate, For the most part, it’s best to stick with whole, unsalted, unroasted nuts. So, wasabi peanuts are okay for a treat, but I think they are all roasted and coated in wasabi seasoning, right?
I don´t get this ‘one serving”. I´m from Brazil, and I find that this is not very helpful to the diet plans. How much is one serving, in grams? Cheers
One serving is 28grams.
Thank you! This has been driving me crazy.
Dear Melanie, thanks for letting me know how wonderful peanuts are.
I have been eating alot of peanuts and I was begining to worry if i was doing something wrong. I add peanuts to my bowl of cereal, I add peanuts to my cup of sugar free ice-cream, I snack on peanuts, I eat my banana with peanuts, and I make peanut soup. The good thing about all this is that, I no longer have type 2 diabetes, or High blood pressure. My skin glows, my hair grows so fast, and I am feeling very strong and looking really healthy.
Hi Faith,
That is wonderful. Have you also added nuts and seeds to your diet? They are fantastic also :-) Do you stick to one portion each day, though?
Hi Malanie
Sure glad I found you site.I eat about 1/3 cup of peanuts daily.Am I eating to many.?
Hi Sharon, A serving of nuts is about 1/4 cup or 1 to 1 1/2 ounces. I’d suggest measuring it out so see how your portion compares to that.
Hi Melanie: I would like to know if eating a 9 oz. can of lightly salted peanuts in two to three days good for my health. You see! when I start eating those peanuts I feel so much better on the healthy side. I am relaxed, and just feeling fine. When I am a little stressed and decides to crunch on some peanuts I usually feel so much better and the stress is gone. I am only afraid that I am eating too much in such a short time. Do you have any suggestions.
Hi Elizabeth,
A portion of nuts is about 1 to 1 1/2 ounces each day. I also recommend that you don’t eat salted or roasted nuts on a regular basis, and that you have a variety of different kinds. Do you like nuts like almonds, walnuts, Brazil nuts? These are fantastic choices.
I’m the only one giggling about the term “nut butter”.
:-)
“Those things are gnna kill you” ,that’s all I hear from my wife because I eat some roasted in-shell peanuts daily, for some reason it’s relaxing for me to break the shell. I even read that helps reduce triglycerides also wich I’m taking medication for, very very informative Thanks.. cant wait untill wife wakes up so I can tell her.. Read! :-)
Hi Abe, Better still if you eat un-roasted peanuts, but the ultimate for better health is almonds, walnuts and Brazil nuts :-)
Dear Melanie,
Thank you for this wonderful article. I always thought eating peanusts make you fat. Now thanks to your wonderful article I can start enjoying peanuts once again. So what is better eating raw or roasted peanuts. I didn’t even know peanuts can be eaten raw. Can you give me some suggestions about it?
Hi there,
Thanxx for artical and comments. I eat around more then hand full everyday. And my wife always think its bad for health. But atlest I know what’s right and wrong. I only eat Rosted un salted once.
Hi Melanie,
I have heard that eating 3/4 of your target weight in protein (grams) is a good way to lose weight, as long as they are lean proteins. I have been working on chicken, yogurt and peanuts, but it is very hard to get up to 135g of proteins a day. Is this unhealthy? or do you have any suggestions?
Thanks
Hi Colin,
That’s a really good question, I think I’ll try to address that one in detail in an article next week. In the meantime, just to say that the recommended daily amount ranges from 40-70 grams, depending on your gender, age, etc, although there is some recommendation that it could definitely be higher than that.
Hi again Colin,
Did you see my article on protein requirements? I hope that is helpful.
I love the taste of salted peanuts. How bad is a little salt for the waste line?
Hi Bobby,
Salt is not bad for your waistline, however for your health overall, it’s good not to have too much salt.
It really depends on your salt intake from all sources. So, if your diet is very high in salt, then salted peanuts would not be a good addition. But, if you don’t take a lot of salt on your food, and you don’t eat a lot of processed foods (they are very high in salt), then a few salted peanuts here and there are unlikely to cause too much of a problem.
I live in Argentina and we have a very abundant peanut crop here. Our peanuts are really delicious and they are a great way to eat healthy. Look for Argentine peanuts in your country and I can assure you that you will love the quality of them. Enjoy!
Thanks for the tip, David :)
oh i like peanut most especially when my period is coming..
I always craving for it..but sometimes overeating peanuts may cause pimple.is it true?
I’m sorry, I’ve never heard that to be the case.
One of my guilty pleasures is chocolate covered peanuts. Obviously the chocolate adds fat, should I be overly concerned about the amount of them to consume, or in the end does it not make too much of a difference?
Un-salting peanuts…
Salty and oily peanuts are bad. The good news: you can wash them and then dry them out really good. I have been doing this and enjoying Delicious flavor without the fat and sodium!
Love your article clear and to the point , it’s the most important answer for me cz I eat peanuts every week and love then and was worried what am I eating myself into :) after this I can eat tension free in sensible limits ! Spicy peanuts won’t hurt right ?
I love having peanuts and now I’m glad to hear that they are healthy. I buy the roasted no salt variety in the shell I have a handful with my juiced smoothie of kiwi, strawberries. bananas & ice and the combo keeps me full until my next meal and it’s much better than munching on chips.
We’ve been conditioned to assume that ALL oils are harmful but in fact nuts contain many essential oils such as omega-3. Additionally, nuts (including peanuts) also contain essential compounds such as zinc and magnesium which are needed in trace amounts for neural function. So it’s not just a question of calories or oil; it’s a question of getting all the micro-nutrients we need daily in order for our bodies and brains to function at their best. People eat too many carbs (especially sugar and refined flour) and too little of the foods than contain essential micro-nutrients.
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