Peanuts For Weight Loss: Benefits, Risks, And More
It’s a common myth that foods like nuts, bread, and peanut butter should be avoided if you’re attempting to lose weight. This is because certain foods fatten and cause more harm than benefit.
But if you’re trying to lose weight, hold off on giving up certain items, particularly peanuts. Very few people would tell you that eating peanuts can help you lose weight.
The numerous nutrients included in peanuts, like vitamin E, calcium, and fiber, are not only good for overall health but also help you lose those extra pounds.
Because they provide you with energy, peanuts are beneficial for weight loss. It is well known that up to 18% of the calories in peanuts and peanut-related products consumed by humans are not absorbed by the body.
As a result, even though you might feel full after eating peanuts, you might not completely absorb all of the calories.
The effects of peanuts on metabolism and digestion may also contribute to their ability to aid in weight maintenance. In this article, we will be looking at all about peanuts for weight loss.
Contents
Benefits Of Peanuts For Weight Loss
Boost Metabolism And Energy Levels
Peanuts are a great source of fiber and protein, both of which help turn carbohydrates into energy. Around 25% of the calories in peanuts are made up of protein.
The combination of fiber and protein in peanuts slows down digestion to enable a steady release of energy into the body. To fully comprehend this benefit of peanuts, more study is needed.
Rich In Healthy Fats
Peanuts contain a large number of beneficial fats called monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) and polyunsaturated fatty acids.
This has been linked to a reduced risk of diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. It has also been shown that nuts’ fat content makes it easier for the body to burn stored fat for energy.
Nutrition Rich
It is a nutritious food with lots of protein, fiber, good fats, vitamins, and minerals that has many health advantages.
Eating peanut butter with other healthy foods is a good choice, as is eating it on brown bread, in sandwiches, milkshakes, and smoothies.
May Make You Feel Fuller
Despite having a high-calorie content, peanuts help people lose weight rather than gain it. Foods high in energy include peanuts.
They may therefore help you eat fewer calories later in the day if you eat them as a snack.
When consumed as a snack rather than with a meal, peanuts increased feelings of satiety. In the long run, this might aid in weight loss.
Risks From Peanuts
The biggest danger or potential barrier to reaping the rewards of peanuts’ ability to promote weight loss is allergies.
According to a report, peanut allergies are one of the most prevalent food allergies, affecting about 2% of the general population.
Although there are some treatment alternatives, a peanut allergy normally necessitates a strict no-pepper-products rule.
These dangers has also been linked to peanuts, which have also been the source of several recent outbreaks of food-borne disease.
Aflatoxins are a dangerous byproduct of mold, and the early stages of processing peanuts make them especially prone to microbial growth.
Peanuts must be dried for storage safety because they have a relatively high moisture content at the time of harvest. Mold growth could result from improper handling or drying of the peanuts.
Due to their high-calorie content, it makes sense to have peanuts in a balanced diet in moderation. A high-calorie diet may make you gain weight. Whether or not the foods from which those calories are derived are nutritious is irrelevant.
Side Effects Of Peanuts
Less Omega-3 Fatty Acid
Having Omega-6 fatty acids makes peanuts very healthy for us, but it’s important to make sure we don’t get carried away and limit our consumption of peanuts.
This is because, despite being a great source of omega-6 fatty acids, peanuts are deficient in omega-3 fatty acids, which are crucial for maintaining our health. Our bodies require both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in balance.
May Cause Allergic Reactions
Some individuals may experience allergic responses to peanuts. These responses might cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, throat tightness, and stomach cramps.
Wheezing or shortness of breath, tingling or itching in the mouth or throat, a runny nose, and skin reactions are other potential side effects. Therefore, if you have a peanut allergy, avoid eating peanuts.
May Lead To Weight Gain
One of the most well-known advantages of peanuts is weight loss, but eating too many of them or any item that is high in calories can make you gain weight.
Consuming too many servings will cause you to consume more calories than is advised.
Consider keeping track of your daily caloric intake to prevent this. This enables you to consume a serving or more of peanuts without exceeding the daily recommended intake of food energy.
Consists Of Lectin
Even though peanuts contain lectins, eating too much of them is hazardous for our health. The pest-resistance mechanism in plants is maintained by lectin, an antinutrient present in legumes like peanuts and soybeans.
Although this is advantageous for the plant, it is not advantageous for us because our bodies have a difficult time digesting lectins due to their structure and stickiness.
Inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis are caused by lectins that are bound to the blood sugar and cause inflammation.
Conclusion
Compared to other snack foods like crackers, fruit, or rice cakes, peanuts have a higher calorie and fat content per gram. But you can include peanuts in your weight-loss diet.
If you choose the appropriate kinds, they can make a filling addition to your daily meal plan because they contain a lot of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat.
To make you feel more satisfied, pair your peanuts with foods strong in protein. Peanuts themselves only have about 4 grams of protein per serving, but eating additional protein will keep you full.
Make a satay sauce to serve with chicken breast, or sprinkle a few peanuts on top of grilled steak salad or prawn stir-fry.
Because they contain nutrients like dietary fiber, protein, and fats that take a while to digest and increase a feeling of satiety and fullness, peanuts help suppress appetite.
According to research, eating peanuts or peanut butter with breakfast can help maintain stable blood sugar levels all day.
Because peanuts require more chewing, eating them slowly and avoiding overeating encourages the body to alert the brain’s satiety centers when the stomach is full.