Peanuts

Peanuts

Eating peanuts is an excellent way for people to boost the amount of protein in their diet. Peanuts are widely available and provide several essential nutrients.

Although peanuts are technically a legume, which means that they belong to a group of foods from a specific plant family, most people consider them as a nut.

Peanuts contain a range of polyphenols, antioxidants, flavonoids, and amino acids. Research has shown all of these components to be beneficial to human health.

According to the nutrient database that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has created, 100 g of peanuts contains 567 calories and the following quantities of other nutrients:
  • protein: 25.80 g
  • fat: 49.24 g
  • carbohydrate: 16.13 g
  • fiber: 8.50 g
  • sugar: 4.72 g
The fats in peanuts are mainly healthful monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), although these nuts do contain a smaller amount of saturated fats.

There are also plenty of minerals in 100 g of peanuts, including those below:
  • calcium: 92 milligrams (mg)
  • iron: 4.58 mg
  • magnesium: 168 mg
  • phosphorous: 376 mg
  • potassium: 705 mg
Peanuts also offer the benefit of being more affordable than many other nut varieties.