Monkey Nuts!
I thought I would get my teeth into the subject of peanuts and their relation to our diets. There seems to be a common consensus that whilst the faithful peanut is good for us it has a high calorie count which puts dieters off. But should they be put off? A good question and one I hope I can answer one way or another.
Nutrients are based on 100 grams
- Calories: 570 kcal
- Protein: 25 grams
- Carbohydrates: 21 grams
- Fibre: 9 grams
- Fat Saturated: 7 grams
- Fat Mono unsaturated: 24 grams
- Fat Polyunsaturated: 16 grams
- Calcium: 62 milligrams
- Phosphorus: 336 milligrams
- Potassium: 332 milligrams
- Zinc: 3.3 milligrams
- Iron: 2 milligrams
- Magnesium: 184 milligrams
- Vitamin A: 0 micrograms
- Vitamin B1: 0.6 milligrams
- Vitamin B2: 0.3 milligrams
- Vitamin B3: 12.9 milligrams
- Vitamin B6: 0.3 milligrams
- Vitamin C: 0 milligrams
- Vitamin E: 2.7 micrograms
- Folate (folic acid): 246 micrograms
(Anyone want a nut with their calories? – Beeble)
What do these figures mean?
Well, the figure that understandably jumps out at you first is the sheer quantity of calories that these little fellows have. 570 kcals is a lot, considering that the recommended daily calorie allowance for people starts from about 1700 kcal’s. 100 grams of peanuts is nearly a third of your recommended intake! No wonder dieters are not very keen on them, however we should have a look at the other figures. The peanut also packs a mighty punch in some other areas.
Vitamins and Minerals
100 grams of peanuts contain the following:
- 46% of our RDA of vitamin B1 (which is used to turn our fat and carbohydrate intake into energy – Beeble).
- 86% of vitamin B3 (Also known as niacin – which helps lower the the cholesterol in the blood by blocking the breakdown of fats – Beeble).
- 62% of vitamin B9 (which is used by our bodies to produce and maintain new cells which is very important for our bone marrow and during pregnancy – Beeble).
- 50% of our RDA of magnesium (vital for every organ in our bodies, especially the heart, muscles and kidneys – Beeble).
This is quite a claim from the peanut and shows that whilst its calorie content is high, the benefits of the peanut are substantial, especially in the B vitamins group.
Fats
Let us have a look at the fats as these calories must be coming from somewhere. You can see from the figures that the total fat content is a whopping 47 grams and considering that the weight of the nuts is 100 grams that is nearly 50% fat. Not so great if you want to lose weight but if you take a closer look the figures are not quite what they seem. Only 7 grams or 7% is saturated fat or ‘bad fat’. It is known as bad fat because it raises cholesterol levels which can lead to heart disease. 40 grams of it are shared between mono unsaturated and polyunsaturated fats which are good fats because they have the ability to lower bad cholesterol. So when you break the fats down like that they certainly are not that bad and if you combine that with the benefits of vitamin B3, which blocks the absorption of fats there is a lot less to worry about than maybe you first thought.
Summary
There is no doubt that peanuts should not be avoided by the health concious as they are very good for us. However please be aware that roasted and salted peanuts do not have the same health benefits. My advice would be to eat 50 grams of completely plain and untainted peanuts and enjoy them because they are doing you good. The plain peanut is full of good calories that the body can actually use. This of course does not mean that you should be eating them every day, but adding them to your weekly diet would be a very good thing. They have been used as a snack for many years, but maybe you should consider them as a far healthier snack than you first thought.
February 25th, 2008 at 2:51 am
It’s funny because on the surface peanuts always seem like the healthier option when you’re down at the pub on a Friday night….(Peanuts and Beer – is there anything better?)
Now that I’m watching what I eat though I always try to stay away from the salted nuts and opt for the natural unsalted variety – like almonds….Would you say a handful of Almond nuts as a snack is a good healthy choice?
Great Info though…cheers Kel
February 25th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
Thanks for your comment on the peanut and I have to agree that the peanut and beer combo is fantastic but what a way to get the calories in! Almonds are fairly similar to the peanut they too have very high calorie content but have additional health benefits and healthy fat content of low satuarated fats and high in polyunsaturated and monounsaturated.
I will write about the almond soon.
March 4th, 2008 at 9:58 pm
Nuts are a very healthly choice of good fats..you just can’t overdo it!
May 19th, 2008 at 7:32 am
If you are follwoing a low-fat diet, sometimes your body requires additional fat and the peanut seem to satiate my appetite better than the almond. I think if you have already had your alotted fat grams for the day then, go the almond. I tend to “feel better” and fuller after eating some peanuts!