Peanuts are part of the Fabaceae family, in other words, legumes (like lentils, chickpeas or flageolets). Quite confusing, you might say, few people think of eating mogettes as an aperitif or a crushed red bean and jam sandwich. However, they are indeed legumes, we are rather talking about oilseeds. They are, in fact, rich in lipids and sources of protein.
Peanuts are the fruits of the peanut, a plant native to South America. They are born underground protected by their pods. This particularity explains the many nicknames given to it: ground pea, ground pistachio, ground cocoa, etc. Peanuts are eaten in multiple preparations: peanut oil, peanut butter, satay sauce, grilled and salted, or raw.
All these variations allow us to benefit from its nutritional qualities: they have interesting contents of unsaturated fats, proteins, fibers, antioxidants (manganese, selenium, zinc, phytonutrients, etc.), as well as certain B group vitamins. Its nutritional richness gives it various properties.
Studies have shown that regular consumption of peanuts helps fight oxidative stress and its consequences in athletes, as well as certain pathologies (particularly cardiovascular).
Latin name: Arachis hypogaea L.
Botanical family: Fabaceae.
Part used: Seed.
Benefits of Peanuts
1.To support micronutrient intake
The main characteristic of Peanuts is that they are one of the most complete everyday foods at the micronutrient level . In this way, they actively participate in the recommended daily intake (RDA) of certain nutrients essential for the health of the body. In fact, a handful of peanuts (around 30 g) provides:
- 11.52 g of unsaturated fats which optimize cardiovascular health in particular.
- 16% of the RDA for proteins which promote the maintenance or development of muscle mass, and which support immune function.
- 10% of the RDA for fiber which regulates transit and prevents colon cancer.
- antioxidants (21% of the RDA for manganese, 16% of the RDA for selenium, 9% of the RDA for zinc, phytonutrients) which fight against oxidative stress. The latter leads to cellular damage causing certain pathologies (cardiovascular, neurodegenerative, cancers).
- other nutrients : 17% of RDA for phosphorus, 15% of RDA for magnesium, 14% of RDA for copper, 11% of RDA for potassium, 12% of RDA for vitamin B1, 20% of RDA for vitamin B3, 13 % of RDA for vitamin B9, 9% of RDA for vitamin B5 and 9% of RDA for vitamin B6.
Advice from the dietician-nutritionist:
- Consume a handful of peanuts per day, approximately 30 g. They can be eaten alone as a snack or throughout the day, or by integrating them into savory and sweet preparations.
- Do not consume peanuts excessively as they remain high in calories . Their nutritional composition is interesting, but just one handful is enough to benefit from their benefits.
- It is possible to consume Peanuts in the form of peanut butter, but they will lose their fiber, vitamin B9 and vitamin C content due to mixing and cooking. They will nevertheless retain their content of unsaturated fatty acids, micronutrients, antioxidants and phytosterols quite well.
- Prefer peanut butter to other spreads at breakfast to make toast with white bread or wholemeal bread. Be careful not to add too much though.
2. For sportive people
Peanuts contain nutrients that help provide certain benefits to athletes (protein, selenium, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, etc.).
First of all, these oilseeds help maintain and develop muscle mass thanks to their protein content, which is wise for people who practice bodybuilding.
Next, the antioxidants present in Peanuts help fight the harmful damage caused by oxidative stress on muscle recovery.
Indeed, oxidative stress causes oxidative damage to cells and thereby induces chronic inflammation. These areas of inflammation hinder muscle recovery and promote the appearance of cramps, muscle pain and injuries.
Finally, Peanuts contain interesting levels of magnesium and proteins which optimize muscle contraction and nerve transmission during exercise.
Advice from the dietician-nutritionist:
- Do not consider Peanuts as the only source of protein. Supplementing the protein intake of Peanuts is essential to optimize their benefits for athletes. The latter are limiting in threonine, lysine and methionine. It is therefore necessary to provide foods rich in threonine (meats, eggs, carrots, bananas), lysine (dairy products, soy, sauerkraut, miso) and methionine ( nuts , eggs, sesame seeds ).
- Consume a handful of peanuts per day (around 30 g) as a snack on the day of activity or in daily life.
- A pre-exercise, during exercise and post-exercise nutritional strategy is essential to optimize the benefits of Peanuts on sports performance. Peanuts are indeed used as a daily snack to support daily nutrient intake, but they are generally not the preferred food for a pre-exercise snack (rather cereal bar, fruit paste). They can still be consumed as a post-exercise snack during a complete meal containing a protein source and a carbohydrate source. In fact, it is recommended to provide 20 g of proteins and 60 to 80 g of carbohydrates after exercise.
- Do not consume peanuts excessively as they can cause bloating during exercise. Their nutritional composition is interesting, but just one handful is enough to benefit from their benefits.
- Athletes enjoy consuming Peanuts in the form of peanut butter, but they will lose their fiber, vitamin B9 and vitamin C content due to mixing and roasting. They will nevertheless retain a very interesting content of proteins, antioxidants and phytosterols, which allows peanut butter to be preferred to other commercial spreads for breakfast or snacks.
3. To help improve cholesterol levels
Peanuts can help reduce blood cholesterol levels thanks to their levels of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, as well as fiber, phytosterols and antioxidants . Generally speaking, fiber limits the intestinal absorption of nutrients.
This reduces energy intake to the body, and therefore the body’s production of cholesterol. Phytosterols, for their part, are compounds known to reduce blood cholesterol levels. Indeed, phytosterols have a structure very close to cholesterol allowing them to reduce the intestinal absorption of cholesterol by competition.
Additionally, cholesterol quickly oxidizes in the blood. Once oxidized, the latter deposits on the wall of blood vessels and forms atherosclerotic plaques (promotes cardiovascular complications).
The antioxidants present in peanuts are therefore very useful for slowing down the oxidation of cholesterol in the blood, and limiting its deposition on the wall of blood vessels.
Studies have shown that regular consumption of peanuts helped reduce the level of “bad” LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein) cholesterol in people with dyslipidemia.
Dyslipidemia is a disorder characterized by disturbed blood cholesterol levels (excess triglycerides, excess LDL cholesterol, etc.). Thus, the results allow us to say that Peanuts could have hypocholesterolemic effects in certain specific cases.
Advice from the dietician-nutritionist:
- Regular physical activity, as well as a varied and balanced diet, are essential to optimize the effects of Peanuts on blood cholesterol levels.
- Consume a handful of peanuts per day, or around 30 g, favoring unsalted peanuts. They can be eaten alone as a snack or throughout the day, but also by integrating them into savory and sweet preparations.
- Do not consume peanuts in excess as they remain foods high in calories and can promote weight gain. Their nutritional composition is interesting, but just one handful is enough to benefit from their benefits.
- To replace store-bought spreads, it is best to eat homemade peanut butter with unsalted peanuts. Indeed, commercially available peanut butters are enriched with oil, sugar and salt, which can be harmful to cardiovascular health. Peanuts will lose their fiber content due to blending. However, they will retain a very interesting content of unsaturated fatty acids, antioxidants and phytosterols.
4. To help fight oxidative stress
Peanuts contain interesting levels of antioxidants (manganese, selenium and polyphenols) which help fight against the harmful effects of oxidative stress.
The latter corresponds to an imbalance between the endogenous production of oxidizing molecules and dietary intake of antioxidant molecules. In the long term, oxidative stress leads to cellular damage through oxidation, promoting the development of certain pathologies (neurodegenerative, cardiorespiratory diseases, cancer, etc.).
The ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) index is a tool used to test the antioxidant power of foods. Even if the latter is not 100% reliable, it allows you to give an overall idea.
For the moment, the ORAC index of Peanuts is not yet well defined, but it seems that that of Peanut butter is estimated at around 3400 µmol TE / 100 g. We therefore consider that peanut butter has a high antioxidant power that can be transposed to peanuts.
Advice from the dietician-nutritionist:
- A varied diet rich in antioxidants is essential to optimize the effects of peanuts against oxidative stress . In food, we find antioxidants in “colored” fruits and vegetables (their colored pigments are antioxidants), as well as in spices ( Turmeric , Cumin , Clove, curry, etc.) and aromatics ( Thyme , Rosemary , Bay leaf …). Furthermore, Manger Bouger recommends eating 5 fruits and vegetables per day, but also favoring spices and aromatics instead of salt to spice up dishes.
- Consume a handful of peanuts per day, approximately 30 g. It is recommended to eat them as a snack with other oilseeds or dried fruits for a snack rich in antioxidants ( Hazelnuts , Almonds , Pistachios , etc.).
- It is possible to consume Peanuts in the form of Peanut Butter. They will also maintain a very good antioxidant content.
- Prefer peanut butter to other spreads at breakfast to promote antioxidant intake. Be careful not to add too much though. Adding certain colorful fruits such as currants or bananas to toast can be a good idea to vary the sources of antioxidants.
5. For diabetics
Peanuts can help limit cardiovascular complications which particularly affect type II diabetics thanks to their content of unsaturated fats, antioxidants and polyphenols.
Indeed, type II diabetics often tend to be overweight or obese. These risk factors can induce the formation of cholesterol which oxidizes quickly.
The latter is then deposited on the walls of blood vessels and forms atherosclerotic plaques which constitute a high risk of cardiovascular pathology.
Eating fats high in unsaturated fatty acids in the diet, replacing fats high in saturated fatty acids, has been shown to reduce blood cholesterol levels.
Then, the antioxidants and polyphenols present in Peanuts help fight against the oxidation of cholesterol and its deposition on the walls of blood vessels.
Indeed, oxidative stress induces even more rapid oxidation of cholesterol and thus promotes the formation of atherosclerotic plaques. By helping to combat this phenomenon, Peanuts help limit the risks of cardiovascular complications in diabetics.
Advice from the dietician-nutritionist:
- Consume a handful of peanuts per day, approximately 30 g. They can be eaten alone as a snack or throughout the day, or by integrating them into savory and sweet preparations.
- Choose peanuts that do not contain added salt or sugar.
- Do not consume peanuts excessively as they remain high in calories . They could therefore promote weight gain, or limit weight loss, which could disrupt the body of diabetic patients. The nutritional composition of Peanuts is interesting, but just one handful is enough to benefit from their benefits.
- Prefer peanut butter to other spreads for breakfast or as a snack to make toast with white bread or wholemeal bread. The latter maintains a good content of unsaturated fatty acids, micronutrients, antioxidants and phytosterols present in peanuts. Be careful not to add too much, especially as their fiber content is lost and can promote excessive hyperglycemia.
Precautions for use
- Peanut allergy , which includes peanuts, is one of the most common food allergies, particularly among children . It is therefore recommended not to give too much to a young child to prevent them from developing this allergy. If you have a proven allergy, do not consume peanuts. The symptoms of a peanut allergy can range from hives (itching, pimples, etc.), through skin redness, to angioedema or anaphylactic shock in the worst cases.
- Do not consume Peanuts after the expiration date, while being vigilant about the source of the Peanuts purchased. Indeed, some packages of peanuts may be contaminated with aflatoxins, which are toxins that can be harmful to liver health. The number of contaminated peanuts is very small, but the risk is present and it is important to remain vigilant. To do this, it is recommended to choose producers who guarantee that the peanuts are free of aflatoxins.
- Children and people with swallowing disorders should be careful about consuming peanuts since they can cause aspiration (“bad mouth”, “swallowing wrongly”). It is therefore preferable not to eat too quickly and to crush the peanuts well before consuming them.
Unfounded reputations
”PEANUTS MAKE YOU GAIN WEIGHT”
Peanuts are believed to cause weight gain. It is true that Peanuts can make you gain weight in specific cases, but this is not always the case.
Only excessive and regular consumption of peanuts can lead to long-term weight gain . In this case, this would actually cause a sharp increase in the daily calories that the body will have to store. Otherwise, moderate and non-regular consumption of peanuts does not lead to weight gain.
Conversely, health authorities recommend making “healthy” snacks based on oilseeds such as peanuts. Indeed, their nutrient contents are very useful for supporting recommended daily allowances (RDA), and particularly during a weight loss diet where micronutrient intakes are often neglected despite caloric intakes being too low. The latter recommend consuming a maximum handful of oilseeds per day, which corresponds to approximately 30 g of peanuts for a caloric intake of 189.6 kcal.
”PEANUTS RELIEVE CONSTIPATION”
Peanuts can help with constipation , but they are not considered a first option . The latter have benefits in cases of mechanical constipation linked to a deficit or deficiency in micronutrients. Indeed, certain nutrients (magnesium and potassium for example) can be useful to optimize the contraction of the peristaltic muscles (allow the food bolus to move forward in the intestines). In this context, Peanuts can support daily intake of certain nutrients, and help to fill deficits.
They also contain an interesting fiber content which allows them to help fill the deficits in these essential nutrients to regulate intestinal transit. Some testimonies have also shown that very excessive consumption of peanuts (greater than 200 g) could promote the appearance of diarrhea. Considering their fiber content, Peanuts could help fill fiber deficits and thus improve intestinal transit.
However, their impact alone on occasional constipation is quite limited unlike other foods known for this indication ( prunes , psyllium powder , chia seeds , etc.). Peanuts must therefore be included in a balanced, varied diet that is not deficient in nutrients to hope to have benefits in cases of constipation.