Fun Facts About Peanuts
Most people who grew up eating peanuts in one from or another don?t realize that they aren?t actually nuts but legumes, like peas and beans. And like other legumes, they are packed with nutritional value. So next time you get yourself your favorite snack of a PBJ sandwich, you can congratulate yourself on healthy eating, because the nutritional breakdown of peanut butter shows it to be full of proteins and other good stuff.
A short history of peanuts
Peanuts are a leguminous plant, originating in South America. They are now grown around the world, with the leading producers being the U.S., China Nd India. There?s a reason for the popularity of peanuts around the world: legumes are some of the healthiest sources of food in the plant world. This includes all four basic varieties of peanuts, which are Runners, Virginias, Spanish, and Valencias.
Peanuts, like other legumes, are also good for the soil they?re grown in, because they add nitrogen back in. This is in contrast to other crops like cotton, which is grown in similar conditions, but which depletes the nitrogen content of the soil. In the U.S., the popularity of peanut farming started to rise in the early 1900s. Peanut butter was first introduced in 1904, at the St. Louis World?s Fair, and has been an American staple ever since. In fact, 94% of American households have at least one jar of peanut butter stored away in the kitchen or pantry.
Health facts about peanuts
The nutritional breakdown of peanut butter shows that it is one of the healthiest foods around. In fact, a one-ounce helping of peanuts has a whopping seven grams of protein. So the humble PBJ sandwich is in fact a high protein snack with serious nutritional content, powering students, athletes and others through their busy days.
Another reason why peanuts are now being recognized as a part of a healthy diet is that are no GMO peanuts. Peanuts today are identical to their ancestors, or as near – 99.9% identical – as makes no difference. This makes them an excellent choice for all health conscious eaters and especially for children.
A few words from the peanut gallery
The nutritional value of peanuts will be good news to those who love the taste anyway. Those beer nuts you put away on game night are actually a healthy snack. World travelers, especially those who have been to India and China, will understand that the nutrients in peanuts make them a healthy and inexpensive food for a large part of the world?s population.
In fact, peanuts can be part of a heathy diet for nearly everyone, at any age, whether they are overweight or underweight. Peanut oil is one of the best ways of frying turkey, because of the healthy fats and high cooking temperature. Not to mention the flavor.
There?s a reason why peanuts are one of the most popular foods around the world. The nutritional breakdown of peanut butter makes the humble PBJ sandwich one of the healthiest snacks around. In general, peanuts can be part of a healthy diet for nearly everyone.
