Peanuts - Are they good or bad for you?

Peanuts are rich in monounsaturated fats, the sort of fat that is added to a healthy-heart diet. However, just as peanuts have loads of benefits, they come with certain disadvantages too. The advantages of peanuts are as follows:

1. Peanuts are a source of antioxidants: Not only do peanuts contain oleic acid, but also the energizing fat found in olive oil and is a rich form of cell regeneration. The regeneration material is very helpful in avoiding many types of cancers. For example, as preventive agents, simmered peanuts do equal amount of recovery and regeneration as blackberries and strawberries. These are far more efficient than apples, carrots or beets.
2. Peanuts are key to heart-health benefits: Just as peanuts are good cancer preventing agents, dangers of death from cardiovascular and coronary heart diseases can also be avoided with their help.
3. Peanuts reduce risk of stroke based on preliminary animal studies: Resveratrol is a substance, which was initially found in red grapes and red wine. However, now it is also available in peanuts. This phytonutrient has been said to enhance the blood flow in the brain by as much as 30 percent. It enormously diminishes the danger of a stroke or a heart attack.

As mentioned earlier, just as peanuts have certain good qualities, they can be somewhat bad for the health as well. Following are some of the reasons:

1. Peanuts can be an allergen: Peanuts are also considered as a standout amongst the most widely recognized food sensitivities for people. A lot of people have nut hypersensitivities so serious that even their breathing is disturbed with a little amount of a shelled nut. Their tongue starts getting numb and their skin starts swelling. Some people have an extremely increased allergy to peanuts and for them, it can even be fatal, if not treated immediately.
2. Peanuts contain lectins: Peanuts, alongside different vegetables like soy, contain hostile substances called lectins. Lectins are sticky proteins found in numerous food items including vegetables. They serve as a bug. The stickiness and structure of lectins, however, makes them very difficult to process and digest.
3. Peanuts contain inflammatory elements: The abnormal state of Omega-6 unsaturated fats that peanuts contain is quite dangerous. It is true that your body needs, both Omega-3 and Omega-6 unsaturated fats for a good health. The issue, in any case, is that the standard western eating routine is, to a great degree, high in Omega-6 unsaturated fats and low in Omega-3s. At the point when Omega-3 unsaturated fats are out of proportion with the Omega-6 fats (as frequently emerges in a standard Western eating routine) irritation, coronary illness, and other medical problems emerge. Therefore, a balanced diet is very important.

If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a dietitian-nutritionist.