Health Benefits of Peanuts

By Anika Logan

The peanut is a member of the legume family and its scientific name is Arachis hypogea. Other members of the legume family include a variety of peas and beans. Peanuts are an annual crop and when they are growing they very much resemble a vigorous clover plant. The nuts of peanuts come from the stems but are soon after pushed into the soil further by the plant itself. This occurs at a very early stage of the plant's development and the peanut reaches bits stage of maturity when it is underground. Although most of us consider peanuts to be nuts, in actuality peanuts are the seeds of legumes.

 Peanuts got their start in Brazil thanks to the ancestors of the Arawak Indians as far back as 5,000 years. The Spanish then brought peanuts to Asia and from there the peanut craze spread to Africa and it was the Portuguese who brought it to India. The United States discovered peanuts from the African people. The leading countries that produce peanuts today are India, China and tropical Africa. The most popular form of peanut is the redskin "jumbo runner". It is the round "Spanish" peanut that is often used for roasting and has a taste that is rich and full-bodied. On the other hand the "Virginia" peanut has a very nutty flavor and is large and oblong in size and it is often sold in the shell and commonly in bulk.

Why is Peanuts So Good For Us?

Whole peanuts are very healthy to the human body and they contain a great deal of protein. For example   there is 25 grams of protein for every 100 gram serving of peanuts. Peanuts are also an excellent source of energy. Peanuts have approximately 16 grams of carbohydrates and 50 grams of fat for every 100-gram serving. An estimated half of the amount of fat contained in peanuts is monounsaturated fat while a third is polyunsaturated fat. Approximately a fifth of the fat contained in peanuts is Saturated Fat (or the bad fat). The polyunsaturated fat contains a small portion of omega-3. There are some types of peanut butter that are fortified with omega-3 by way of Flaxseed oil. This helps to balance out the necessary ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids.

Peanuts have been found in research studies to be an excellent source of vitamin B3 (or niacin) as it is 112 milligrams for every 100-gram serving of peanuts. Niacin is also referred to as nicotinic Acid and it is extremely effective at raising the level of HDL good cholesterol in the blood stream. HDL cholesterol thanks to peanuts can be raised anywhere from 20 to 35 percent. Peanuts are also a rich source of vitamin E. Peanuts and other types of nuts contain antioxidants, which are beneficial to good health when it comes to fighting diseases.

Peanuts and a multitude of other kinds of nuts are rich in the bioflavonoid called resveratrol. This flavonoid is also to be found in red wine and grapes and it serves two useful purposes. First of all resveratrol helps to discourage the development of plaque on the arterial walls and it also helps to discourage the process of aging.

Peanuts contain a great deal more of reservatrol than do grapes. Research studies into the benefits of peanuts have shown that eating tiny quantities of peanuts or peanut butter on a regular basis have shown a 14 percent decrease in the LDL bad cholesterol in the bloodstream. A small handful of peanuts or approximately one ounce are full of fiber, which equals two grams, which happens to be nine percent of the necessary fiber that is a dietary requirement for everyone.

Peanut Allergy

Peanuts and peanut butter are foods that are loved by many but unfortunately there are some individuals who suffer from severe allergic reactions when they consume peanuts or peanut products. Those individuals who suffer from a peanut allergy might find it is so severe that when they eat a small portion of peanuts they can go into fatal anaphylactic shock. For some individuals eating only one peanut or even breathing in peanut dust can cause a reaction that can prove fatal if not treated immediately. People who have peanut allergies must be extremely careful when it comes to contact with peanuts or any type of peanut products.

Peanut allergies are not completely understood to the medical community. One theory is that peanuts are processed in a different manner in Canada and the United States than they are in other countries such as India and China as peanut allergies are virtually unheard of in places such as China and India. Peanuts are more commonly roasted in the United States than anywhere else in the world and it is theorized that the number one major peanut allergen known as Ara h2 is capable of inhibiting the work of the digestive enzyme trypsin which would make it more difficult to digest by the body. While some peanut allergies last a person's entire life, a study done in 2003 found that approximately 23.3 percent of all children would outgrow their allergy.

To learn more about the delicious peanut go to-

http://www.femhealth.com/BenefitsofPeanuts.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peanut