The world’s favorite legume are peanuts. And it’s widely available as a healthy snack or dessert topping. You’ll often find them on the counter of any bar.
Raw, roasted, boiled, salted, flavored or plain they come. Maybe you wonder if peanuts help you lose weight as they are known for providing you with a lot of protein and fat.
Is peanuts healthy for weight loss? This article explains.
How peanuts affect weight loss
In many ways, peanuts can help you lose weight. In fact, plenty of observational studies have revealed that people who consume peanuts are healthy weight. Plus, they’ve been associated with lower rates of obesity.
Keep you full
Peanuts are unique, in that while other high carb snack foods are digested quickly, peanuts provide healthy fats, protein and fiber, all of which take longer to digest.
One small study of 15 people showed that adding whole peanuts or peanut butter to breakfast increased feelings of fullness and improved stability of blood sugar levels in the morning.
Or they can be simple carbohydrates that are quickly absorbed into the blood and result in a rapid spike in blood sugar, then a rapid drop. This can make you hungry soon after eating.
However, peanuts take longer to digest and stay longer in your stomach. It helps you feel full and satisfied, to go longer between meals.
Peanuts are also the last nut to finally be eaten, and you chew them more, so you can eat your food more slowly. Therefore, it allows your body to have the time to send all the fullness signals in order to avoid overeating.
Packed with healthy fats
And, as you may already know, peanuts are loaded with healthy fats: polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats.
Research has shown that the higher you are on the food chain, the more these fats are concentrated, and studies have developed links between a high intake of these fats and lower incidence of inflammation, obesity, chronic conditions such as heart disease and diabetes.
Nut consumption, moreover, is tied to decreased risk of long term weight gain. Experts believe that high unsaturated fat content in nuts may help the body utilise its stored fat for energy. But there is more research necessary.
Lower calorie intake
While peanuts are high in calories, you may not absorb all the calories it puts in.
Eating peanuts means your teeth can’t break down the peanuts into a size small enough to be fully digested; you’ll be absorbing fewer calories from those peanuts and the rest excreted as waste.
In another study of 63 men, they ate whole peanuts, peanut butter, peanut oil or peanut flour. Both stool samples were compared after eating whole peanuts, and the groups had significantly more fat in their stool, suggesting less calories were absorbed.
But that doesn’t mean you should become overly resourceful. Even eating calorie dense foods like peanuts during a calorie deficit, however, can still cause you to realize a calorie surplus and prevent weight loss.
One example might be that one serving of 1/4 cup (146 g) of peanuts contains 207 calories. At 50–75% absorption, it’s only 104–155 calories.
For this reason, continuing to be aware of portion sizes remains relevant to keep calories from adding up. But because they’re so easy to overeat, it’s best to stick to 1–2 handfuls per serving.
Which ones to choose
It’s best to pick out unflavored peanuts that have been through little processing and without any other ingredients, such as salt. Also, avoid candied peanuts which are coated in sugar and will add extra calories.
Peanuts that have the skins on bring additional fiber and antioxidants. The extra fiber can make you fuller.
As boiled peanuts use less than raw or roasted peanuts, and also lower calorie than raw or roasted peanuts. Boiled peanuts are not fully developed peanuts from the past but boiled peanuts are.
But boiled peanuts contain half the fat in raw or roasted peanuts, which may not have the same satisfying effect. As such, find the type you like best and always keep your portion sizes in check.
Pick unshelled peanuts, since they’ll take longer to open, that may hold you from eating mindlessly and possibly assist you with better handling your portion size and paying little mind to levels of calorie admission.
Peanut butter is a generally healthy food–but go for natural peanut butter with no added salt, processed oils, or other ingredients.
The Bottom Line
Nutritionally, they are packed full and make great, healthy snack.
These are full of fiber, protein, healthy fats and will keep you fuller for longer, helping with weight management.
The best raw, roasted, or boiled peanuts don’t have added salt and flavoring, and watch your serving size.
Other high calorie and processed snacks certainly aren’t your best bet for achieving your weight loss goals, but the good news is that peanuts are a better alternative.
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