As far back as ancient times, there has been speculation about the healthiness of food. Although we have the science to determine the nutrition facts of many foods today, there are still many foods that are controversial within the healthiness spectrum.

For example, eggs are on a roller coaster of health, so to speak. One day, medical and nutrition experts tell us to have eggs for breakfast every day. The next day, they tell us to limit our intake of eggs as if our lives depended on it.

Peanuts are on a very similar ride. Some people strongly believe that you should limit your peanut snacks. But are peanuts bad for you? We’re here to tell you that there are many benefits of eating peanuts.

GMO
Many “healthy” foods are being modified by food scientists for several reasons. Improving the food’s taste or increasing the shelf life are just a few. This is not the case with peanuts! The food market today contains no GMO peanuts. In fact, compared to its ancestors, peanuts today are 99.9% identical.

Cholesterol
Everyone knows that having too much cholesterol in your diet is not good for your health. The good news is that the peanut cholesterol percentage is 0%! With the peanut cholesterol percentage being so low, why wouldn’t you eat them? Another concern linked to cholesterol is that the fats in many foods lead to higher amounts of cholesterol in the body. Peanuts do contain fats. However, they are the good fats!

According to Live Strong, “peanuts are composed of monounsaturated fats, the type of fat that lowers LDL, or the ‘bad’ cholesterol. According to one study performed by the US Food and Drug Administration, one to two ounces of peanuts eaten five or more times per week can help lower your risk for heart disease by over 25%.”

Nutritional Benefits
Because peanuts are a member of the legume family, they add many nutritional benefits to one’s diet. According to Live Strong, they provide protein, vitamin E, potassium, magnesium, zinc, and fiber, which is also known to reduce the bad cholesterol levels within your body.

Sometimes peanuts get a bad reputation, but these peanut facts show us that they are actually quite beneficial. The peanut cholesterol percentage is 0%, they actually help decrease cholesterol in the body, and they add tons of nutritional value to your body. Adding peanuts to your diet may just help you reach your daily intake of many of your vitamins, help you live longer, and provide an awesome tasting, healthy snack!