We often eat peanuts, but also peanut candy, peanut butter, but also use peanuts to cook porridge, soup, stewed pig's trotters and ribs.
In recent years, a large number of studies have found that eating nuts appropriately is conducive to the prevention of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases; the Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents recommend that we eat 50-70 grams of nuts per week, which is conducive to good health.
We usually eat peanuts as nuts, but most people may not know that peanuts are not a nut.
First, the definition of nuts
Botanical Terms defines a nut as a dried fruit that does not crack and has a seed, and whose skin is hard and bone-like. Such as oak plants.
The modern Chinese dictionary defines nuts as a kind of dried fruit, the skin is hard, not cracked, and there is only one seed in the fruit, such as chestnut, hazelnut, etc.
When we look at this definition, we all find one thing in common: a seed or a seed.
So we usually eat only the hard shell of a fruit, and the seeds that do not crack are considered nuts, such as chestnuts and hazelnuts.
2. What is peanuts?
Obviously, most peanuts are two or three seeds, and according to this definition, peanuts are not nuts in the plant sense.
So what is peanuts?
Let's look at another definition, the pod, botanical terms defined as the definition of the pod: a fruit that develops in the upper ovary of a single carpel and splits simultaneously along both the dorsal and abdominal sutures when ripe. The peel is split into two lobes, such as the fruit of legumes, but there are also a few that do not crack. Such as falling peanuts.
The example given here is actually what we call peanuts, so it seems that peanuts should belong to pods, not nuts. More commonly speaking, peanuts belong to the legume family, and peanut beans should belong to the legume.
Strictly speaking, peanuts, almonds, walnuts, pecans, pistachios, cashews, and pine nuts are not nuts in the botanical sense.
But we're not botanists either, and our primary concern is life, so we can get used to thinking that these foods can be collectively referred to as "nuts." We are more concerned with these foods, the role of these "nuts", than being limited to their names and belonging.
Third, the nutritional composition of peanuts
Peanut fruit contains protein, fat, sugar, vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin E, vitamin K, as well as minerals calcium, phosphorus, iron and other nutrients.
Half of the weight of peanuts is fat, that is, oil, most of this fat belongs to unsaturated fatty acids, each part of peanuts contains 49.7g of fat, in fact, only 7g is saturated fatty acids, 24.6g is monounsaturated fatty acids, 15.7g is polyunsaturated fatty acids. But peanuts contain more omega-6 fatty acids and less omega-3 fatty acids, so from this point of view, peanuts are not very ideal.
4. Research on peanuts/tree nuts and cardiovascular disease
Although peanuts are not nuts in the plant sense, this does not affect our habit of using peanuts as a "nut" on food, or a "nut" in nutritional value.
The study looked at 4 years and found that people who never ate nuts (which can be peanuts) ate 14g of nuts (which can be peanuts) a day had a 25% lower risk of cardiovascular disease, a 20% lower risk of coronary heart disease, and a 32% lower risk of stroke than in 4 years.
For every 24g increase in eating nuts (which can be peanuts) per day over a 4-year period, the risk of cardiovascular disease is reduced by 8%, the risk of coronary heart disease is reduced by 6%, and the risk of stroke is reduced by 11%.
5. Which peanuts cannot be eaten? How much peanuts is more appropriate to eat?
Some people are born with peanut allergies, and this part of the people must not eat peanuts.
There is also that peanut mold must not be eaten, moldy peanuts, containing a lot of aflatoxin, is a carcinogen.
Peanuts are eaten as much as possible, steamed, soup, and porridge, reducing fried, salty, and sugary peanuts.
Peanuts are healthy food, but this is also relative, anything too much, it is recommended to about 15g of peanuts per day. The Chinese Guidelines for the Prevention of Cardiometabolic Diseases in a Healthy Lifestyle point out that it is recommended that the general population can consume nuts (including peanuts) in an appropriate amount, and it is recommended to eat 50 to 70g per week. The Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents also recommend that we can eat 50-70g of nuts (including peanuts) per week.