Peanuts

It creates the world’s favourite nut butter, it’s a delicious snack and it’s also used heavily in cooking. Let’s look closer at the peanut!

Actually…

Peanuts aren’t nuts at all! They are legumes, like beans, lentils and peas. They grow underground as fruit on the peanut plant.

Peanuts can be found documented on pottery that is over 3500 years old in South America, where they are likely to have originated. Now, they are incredibly common all over the world. The average American eats 6 pounds every year, and half of that is in the form of peanut butter. Even more important then, to make sure that everyone knows that they can make their own peanut butter from scratch, with no added oils or other ingredients!

Peanuts, though not real nuts, have a lot of the same great health benefits of other nuts like cashews and walnuts. For example, they are good for your heart as they lower your cholesterol levels. They can also prevent blood clots, on of the big fears of the last couple of years, from forming in the body!

Though peanuts are high in fat (unsaturated fat though, which we love!), they can actually help you maintain your weight, as they are so high in protein - something that helps regulate your food intake because it makes you feel full. And as we know by now, protein is hugely important to help with building muscle, and for your hormones.

Peanuts are high in fibre, again great for fullness as well as keeping your digestive system healthy and lowering inflammation levels.

They also contain Vitamin E, magnesium, folate and copper. And a study showed that older people who ate peanuts seemed to be at lower risk of stomach cancer!

So have these as a snack, in your stir fry or spread that lovely butter on your toast!

Do you like peanuts? How do you use them in the kitchen? Message me on Instagram @TheFromScratchBody!