Tiny Peanuts Are Loaded With Nutritional Benefits
By Better Health Research Team • Apr 1st, 2010 • Category: Health E-Hint
George Washington Carver is responsible for discovering hundreds of uses for the peanut… but there are also dozens of health benefits packed in those tiny nuts. Peanuts are loaded with protein, fiber, “good” monounsaturated fats, magnesium, folate and vitamin E.
But did you know that the process you use to prepare the nut could increase the amount of beneficial nutrients? A group of researchers in Huntsville, Ala., found that boiling peanuts boosts production of natural antioxidant chemicals. The study findings were reported in the American Chemical Society’s Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
Study co-author Lloyd Walker said when water and heat penetrate the nuts, they release beneficial chemicals, but overcooking the nuts could destroy the useful elements. These phytochemicals that are released can help protect cells against degenerative—and often fatal—diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
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