peanut

Peanuts are also known as groundnuts and dicotyledonous plants. The veins of the leaves are reticulated and the seeds are covered with peanut skin. In history, they were once called longevity fruit, ground beans, fallen flower ginseng, ground pine, longevity fruit, fan beans, figs, ground fruit, and Tangren beans. Peanuts are good for nourishing and helping to prolong life, so they are also called "longevity fruit" by the people. Like soybeans, they are also known as "plant meat" and "meat in vegetarian food".

Plant Introduction

The fruit of peanut is a pod, which is usually divided into three types: large, medium and small. The shapes include cocoon-shaped, beaded and hockey-shaped. Cocoon-shaped pods usually have two seeds, while beaded and hockey-shaped pods usually have more than three seeds. The color of the shell is mostly yellow-white, but there are also yellow-brown, brown or yellow, which is related to the variety of peanuts and the soil. The seeds in the peanut shell are generally called peanuts or peanut kernels, which are composed of three parts: seed coat, cotyledon and embryo. The color of the seed coat is light brown or light red. Inside the seed coat are two cotyledons, which are milky white or ivory.

Nutritional value of peanuts

Peanuts have high nutritional value and are rich in fat and protein. According to measurements, the fat content in peanuts is 44%-45%, the protein content is 24-36%, and the sugar content is about 20%. Peanuts are also rich in vitamins B2, PP, A, D, E, calcium and iron. They also contain thiamine, riboflavin, niacin and other vitamins. They are also rich in minerals, especially essential amino acids for the human body, which can promote the development of brain cells and enhance memory.

Peanut seeds are rich in oil. The oil extracted from peanut kernels is light yellow, transparent, and fragrant. It is a high-quality edible oil. Peanut oil is difficult to dissolve in ethanol. People can identify whether the peanut oil is pure by injecting it into a 70% ethanol solution and heating it to 39-40.8 degrees to see its turbidity. Peanut oil is made by soaking peanut kernels. Peanut oil is a non-drying oil with a light yellow color, good transparency, and a fresh and delicious taste. It is an excellent cooking oil.

Peanuts are an important raw material for more than 100 kinds of food. In addition to being used to extract oil, they can also be fried, deep-fried, and cooked to make peanut crisps, as well as various candies and cakes. Because carbon dioxide, vanillin, ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, and some other aldehydes are volatilized during the roasting process of peanuts, the peanut kernels have a special aroma.

The efficacy and effects of peanuts

1. Control your appetite

Peanuts are "high satiety" foods that can make you feel fuller or fuller for longer. An article published in the journal Nutrition and Metabolism found that people who eat peanuts as snacks eat less. Dr. Mattes, a professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at Purdue University, said: "The high satiety of peanuts is not just due to the fat, dietary fiber and protein content, but the result of the synergy of all factors." Cathy McManus, director of the Department of Nutrition at Brigham and Women's Hospital, said that if you eat peanuts or peanut butter for breakfast, you can reduce the amount of food you eat that day.

2. Helps reduce salt intake

Salty snacks are usually high-salt foods. However, the salt content of salted peanuts is less than the same weight of sliced ​​bread and frozen waffles. Therefore, salted peanuts can not only satisfy your salty taste, but also not easily lead to excessive salt intake.

3. Stabilize blood sugar

Studies have found that if people replace one serving of red meat in their diet with peanuts, their risk of diabetes will be reduced by 21%. Peanuts slow down the absorption of carbohydrates. If you eat some peanuts in the morning, your blood sugar will not be too high for the whole day.

4. Keep your heart healthy

People who eat the most peanuts can reduce their risk of coronary heart disease by 35%. Researchers believe that the fatty acid composition of peanuts, combined with the effects of other ingredients, can reduce the content of low-density lipoprotein (bad cholesterol) and make the heart healthier.

5. Reduce the risk of colon cancer

The study found that women who ate peanuts at least twice a week had a 58% lower risk of colon cancer, while men who ate peanuts at least twice a week had a 27% lower risk. Scientists analyzed that the folic acid and other anti-cancer nutrients in peanuts may have played a role.

Medicinal value of peanuts

[flavor and meridians] : sweet, neutral; enters the spleen and lungs.

【Functions and effects】 : Strengthens the spleen and stomach, benefits the kidneys and removes water, regulates qi and promotes lactation, and treats various blood diseases.

The vitamin K in peanuts has a hemostatic effect. The hemostatic effect of peanut red skin is 50 times higher than that of peanuts, and it has a good hemostatic effect on a variety of bleeding diseases.

Peanuts contain vitamin E and a certain amount of zinc, which can enhance memory, anti-aging, delay brain function decline and moisturize the skin.

The vitamin C contained in peanuts can lower cholesterol and help prevent and treat arteriosclerosis, hypertension and coronary heart disease.

The trace element selenium and another bioactive substance resveratrol in peanuts can prevent and treat tumor diseases. They are also chemopreventive agents that reduce platelet aggregation, prevent and treat atherosclerosis, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.

Peanuts also have the effects of strengthening the body and replenishing deficiency, soothing the spleen and stomach, moistening the lungs and resolving phlegm, nourishing and regulating qi, promoting diuresis and reducing swelling, stopping bleeding and promoting lactation, clearing the throat and stopping malaria.

"Compendium of Materia Medica" states: "Peanuts soothe the spleen and stomach, moisten the lungs and resolve phlegm, nourish and replenish qi, clear the throat and relieve itching."

"Yao Xing Kao" states: "Eating peanuts nourishes the stomach and spleen, lubricates the intestines and relieves dryness."

Side effects and contraindications of peanuts

1. Gout patients:

Gout is a group of diseases caused by purine metabolism disorders, and patients all have hyperuricemia. Since a high-fat diet will reduce uric acid excretion and aggravate the condition, peanuts should be avoided during the acute attack of gout, and can only be eaten in moderation during the remission period of gout.

2. Patients who have undergone cholecystectomy:

Bile is important for the digestion and absorption of fat. After a person eats, the gallbladder contracts and discharges bile into the duodenum to facilitate digestion and absorption. High-protein and high-fat foods are the most stimulating to the gallbladder, causing large amounts of bile to be discharged. After the gallbladder is removed, bile cannot be stored, which will inevitably affect the digestion of fat in oil crops such as peanuts.

3. Patients with gastric ulcer, chronic gastritis, and chronic enteritis:

Such patients often have symptoms such as chronic abdominal pain, diarrhea or indigestion, and should eat small meals frequently, light and low in oil. Peanuts belong to the nut family, and the content of protein and fat is too high, which is difficult to digest and absorb, so such patients should fast.

4. People who want to lose weight:

Peanuts are high in calories and fat. Eating 100 grams of fried peanut kernels will provide you with 581 kcal of energy, which is equivalent to eating 275 grams of steamed bread. Therefore, people who want to lose weight should stay away from peanuts.

5. Diabetic patients:

Diabetics need to control their total daily energy intake, so they should not use more than three tablespoons (30 grams) of cooking oil per day. However, 18 peanuts are equivalent to one spoon of oil (10 grams), which can produce 90 kcal of calories.

6. Patients with hyperlipoproteinemia:

An unreasonable diet is an important cause of hyperlipoproteinemia, so the principle of dietary treatment is to limit calories and reduce the intake of saturated fatty acids and cholesterol. Peanuts are high-fat, high-calorie foods, and eating more can only aggravate the condition, leading to the occurrence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases such as coronary heart disease, which is life-threatening.

7. People with indigestion:

Peanuts contain a lot of fat, and people with poor spleen and stomach function such as enteritis and dysentery will aggravate their condition after eating them.

8. Patients with bruises and swellings:

Peanuts contain a procoagulant factor. For people with traumatic injuries or blood stasis, eating peanuts may cause blood stasis to remain, aggravating swelling and pain symptoms.

A healthy diet is very important. Peanuts are crispy, delicious, nutritious and cheap. They are a favorite snack for men, women, young and old. But if you belong to the above eight types of people, peanuts will do you more harm than good.

How to make delicious peanuts

1. Peanut porridge

50g peanuts, 15g mulberry leaves and 15g crystal sugar. Wash the plump peanuts and drain the water.

Remove impurities from mulberry leaves; boil peanuts with water, add mulberry leaves and crystal sugar, simmer until cooked, remove mulberry leaves and eat the rest. This porridge has the effects of relieving cough and asthma, moistening the intestines and facilitating bowel movements. It is a good auxiliary treatment food for dry cough, asthma attack, whooping cough, constipation and other diseases.

2. Red Dates and Peanut Skin Soup

50g red dates, 100g peanuts, and appropriate amount of brown sugar. Wash the red dates, soak them in warm water, and remove the cores; boil the peanuts briefly, peel them after they cool; put the red dates and peanut skins in a pot, add the water used to boil the peanuts, and then add appropriate amount of clean water, boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat for about half an hour; remove the peanut skins, add brown sugar to dissolve, and collect the juice. This soup has the effects of strengthening the body, replenishing qi, replenishing blood, and stopping bleeding. It is suitable for poor appetite, shortness of breath, fatigue, and various bleeding diseases caused by deficiency of qi and blood.

3. Peanut and glutinous rice porridge

50g peanuts, 100g glutinous rice, and some rock sugar. Wash the peanuts and glutinous rice, add water and cook together. After boiling, turn to low heat and wait until the porridge is ready. Add rock sugar and simmer for a while.

This porridge has the effects of strengthening the spleen and appetite, nourishing blood and promoting lactation. It is suitable for symptoms such as poor appetite, anemia, and insufficient milk after childbirth. Eating it regularly has a tonic effect.