Delicious, crunchy, and nutty peanuts are one of the popular oil seeds known to humankind since ancient times. The nuts are enriched with many noteworthy health-benefiting nutrients that are essential for optimum health. They are actually legumes but have almost all the qualities that true nuts like almonds have.
Botanically, the nuts are small size fruit pods of plant belonging to the Fabaceae family of the genus, Arachis. Some of the common names are groundnut, earthnuts, etc.
Peanut is a small annual herb growing up to a foot above the ground. It is thought to have originated in the Central Americas and from where it spread to rest of the world through Spanish explorers. Today, the nuts are widely cultivated oil seeds and has established as prime commercial crop in China, India, African nations, and the United States of America.
After the seedling, the plant takes approximately 120 to 150 days to produce the crop. The process of peanut development is quite interesting! The yellow flowers, after self-pollination, develop in to "ovaries," called pedicels, which elongate rapidly to turn downward to bury several inches deep under the ground from where the fruits develop into peanut pods we know.
To harvest, the entire plant, including roots, is dug out from the soil. Each plant may bear 10-150 fruit pods. The pods have wrinkled shells that are constricted between pairs of the two to four seeds per pod. Each seed is covered with thin brown color cover and can be split into two equal halves as in any other legumes.
Health Benefits of Peanuts:
•Whole peanuts contains high amount of protein, which makes it a preferred diet of those people engaged in body-building and those people who are weak and underweight. The raw peanut butter with crushed skin contains much higher amounts of nutrient than refined "nut-only" butter.
• Peanut is a good source of Coenzyme Q10 which protects the heart during the period of lack of oxygen example high altitudes and clogged arteries.
•Peanuts contain high concentrations of antioxidant polyphenols, primarily a compound called p-coumaric acid. Roasting peanuts increases its p-coumaric acid levels, boosting it overall antioxidant content by as much as 22%. Roasted peanuts rival the antioxidant content of blackberries and strawberries, and are far richer in antioxidants than apples, carrots or beets.
•Unsalted peanuts are good for your arteries. One quarter cup of peanuts contains as much monounsaturated fat as a tablespoon of olive oil. Monounsaturated fats have been shown to lower blood cholesterol.
•Peanuts' high niacin content helps in the recovery of cell damage provides protection against Alzheimer's disease and age-related cognitive problem.
•Peanut contain vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant that is shown to significantly reduce the risk of cancer and cardiovascular diseases.
•Peanut contain iron which is essential for the correct functioning of red blood cells.
•Peanut is rich in calcium which helps promotes healthy bones.
•Peanut has higher bioflavonoid resveratrol content than grapes. This bioflavonoid is believed to improve blood flow in the brain by as much as 30%, thus greatly reducing the risk of stroke. Study showed that by adding even small amounts of peanut products to the diet can reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol by 14%.
• Peanuts' fiber content helps lower the risk of colon cancer, an ounce of peanuts contains 2 grams of fiber.
•Peanut helps to accelerate the growth of male and female hormones. Allergic Reactions to Peanuts: Though the allergy may last a lifetime, study indicates that 23.3% of children will outgrow a peanut allergy. It is important to note that peanut is a member of the legume family and it is not related to nuts, individuals with peanut allergies may not be allergic to nuts and vice versa.
•Individuals with kidney or gallbladder problems should avoid eating peanuts, because peanuts contain measurable amounts of oxalates, a naturally occurring substance found in plants, animals and human beings. When oxalates become too concentrated in body fluids, they can crystallize and cause health problems.
•Individuals with thyroid problems may need to avoid peanuts because peanuts contains goitrogens, a naturally occurring substance in certain foods that can interfere with the functioning of they thyroid gland. Although cooking may help to inactivate the goitrogenic compounds found in food, but it is not clear from the study how many percentage of goitrogenic compounds get inactivated by cooking.
The vitamins in peanuts help maintain healthy skin, and hair, as well as healthy muscle tone. The potassium in peanuts helps regulate the body's water levels and the normal metabolism of food, which prevents cramping, especially during a workout.
Benefits of eating peanuts:
Prevent cancer
Contribute to treatments of cancer
Lower blood cholesterol levels
Prevent Heart disease and other cardiovascular illnesses
Contribute to weight loss
Improve tissue health
Maintain healthy nervous system
Enhance brain activity
Contribute to healthy pregnancy
Prevent gallstones
Prevent osteoporosis
Might increase life span and immunity
Prevent Depression
Contribute to digestion
Prevent Diabetes and help dealing with the disease
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