The Health Benefits Of Eating Peanut

    Known to most as nuts, a peanut is really a legume - packed with lots of health benefits.

With The Ongoing debate about healthy school lunches, I can't help but think back to my childhood, "you're so picky, " my friends chided me,  "you're so boring, " my friends joked as they watched me unwrap, yes, yet another peanut butter sandwich.

   Peanut and I  parted ways for a few years when I was in my 20's, when I thought of anything that contained calories and fat as the  enemy. But now, we're friends again, the peanut and I. How did I tackle the high-fat content and calories? Moderation, of course. That's easy to do, since it doesn't take a lot to satisfy; peanut fat and fiber content makes them very filling. And their fat mostly of the monosaturated kind- is heart - healthy fat not a reason to eat a LOT of it; just a reason to feel OK about eating it.

  I say it's a good thing peanut are back in my life, because there are so many health benefits associated with eating them:

• Protein and fiber - Peanut improve satiety and help maintain weight loss. Several studies have found that eating small amount of nuts helps dieters lose weight; when nuts were allowed in their eating plans, they did not feel deprived.

• Nutrients -  Peanuts are abundant in the vitamins niacin, folate, pantothenic acid, thiamin, riboflavin, choline, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin E. It is also rich in minerals like magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, iron, copper and selenium.

• Disease control - Studies have found eating peanuts five times a week decreased heart disease and reduced the risk of diabetes, gallbladder disease and colorectal cancer. Peanuts and peanut butter helps lower blood pressure.

• Antiaging - Peanuts have been found to contain the potent antiaging molecular resveratrol, the same phytochemical found in red wine and grapes. Studies have shown that resveratrol can fight the proliferation of fat cells and improve the uptake of sugar from the blood. The resveratrol in peanut is found in the seed itself and the skin.

• Cholesterol - The phytosterols that peanut contain have been shown to reduce cholesterol. When postmenopausal women with high cholesterol were fed a low - fat diet that included healthy fats from peanuts, their cholesterol improved.

   Another interesting tidbit : The health benefits are not limited to just the peanut itself. Peanut oil and fat - free flour have been shown to significantly lower cholesterol and have heart - protective effect.


    This Matters : You don't need to eat a lot to get these benefits. Just a daily handful other peanuts or a tablespoon of peanut butter will do it.

wishing you all live a healthy life.

# Cheers and happy eating