Healthy Food Database

Peanuts

Despite its name, the peanut is a legume, and grows underground in pods. Peanuts were first cultivated by Native Indians in America.
There are several varieties of peanut, the two most popular being the Virginia and the Spanish peanut. The Virginia peanut is larger and more oval in shape than the smaller, rounder Spanish peanut. Today China produces about 40% the world crop. Peanut allergies are the most common food allergy today. Children under 2 should not be given peanuts. Peanuts absorb aflatoxins from the ground they are grown in, although in Australia strict standards are set to ensure nuts with aflatoxins are not taken to market.

Category: Legume

In Season: all year

To Buy:

Unshelled peanuts should have clean, unbroken shells and should not rattle when shaken. There are hundreds of ways to buy peanuts - roasted, dry roasted, salted, etc. Best buy raw and roast and salt them yourself. Buy whole peanuts and chop them in a food processor rather than buy them from the supermarket pre-chopped.

To Store:

Store in an airtight container in the fridge. Unshelled peanuts will keep for up to 8 months in the fridge while shelled peanuts will keep for three months.

Tips & Tricks:

Peanuts make an ideal snack for sustained energy if you have a long wait between meals - they are high in fat, a good source of protein with a low GI.

Cooking Tips:

Chopped peanuts are delicious in Asian stir-fries and sprinkled over desserts.

Find recipes with Peanuts

Nutrition per Per serve:

Weight (grams):

Carbohydrates, g:

2.5

Protein (g):

6.9

Saturated Fat, g :

1.9

Vitamin B1:

Folic Acid:

Phosphorus:

Salicylates:

Very high

Energy (kJ):

665

Low GI < 55:

Fat (g):

13.2

Monosaturated Fat , g:

6.4

Niacin (B3):

Magnesium:

Amines:

High

Glutamates:

n/a

Benefits the Following Health Conditions:*