Hey, what's up Steemians!
How's it going out there?
When I was a little kid, I remember my mother would buy us peanuts from the market. She would encourage us to eat those because it will make someone intelligent.
I actually bought that idea!
It has been quite awhile since I had eaten such, until my cousins bought some raw peanuts from the market a few days ago. Then, everything went into flashback, and then I started to wonder whether the peanuts could really make someone smart. Let us try to do some digging on the net.
Peanuts Corner
What I found out was that peanut is also known as ground nut and goober. Peanuts are not actually true nuts but they belong to the legume family.
"The botanical definition of a "nut" is a fruit whose ovary wall becomes very hard at maturity. Using this criterion, the peanut is not a true nut, but rather a legume. However, for culinary purposes and in common English language usage, peanuts are usually referred to as nuts." - Wiki
Peanuts can be eaten boiled, oil roasted, dry roasted, or even raw. Peanuts are also used in making the popular peanut butter, which is a delicious sandwich filling and could be also be used in cooking a variety of dishes. Oil from peanuts are used for salad dressing and for cooking, as well. Peanut oil has a mild flavor and high smoking point comparatively, that is why it is used for cooking most often.
Peanuts' Nutritional Value
Peanuts are rich in essential nutrients. They are excellent source of copper and biotin. They are good source of protein, vitamin E, B1, phosphorus, folate, niacin, manganese, and molybdenum.
Peanuts also provide health benefits for the heart, as they are good source of phytochemicals. Peanuts also contain resveratrol, the phenolic antioxidant which is associated with the reduction of cardiovascular disease as well as heart health.
Health Risk
Inspite of the health benefits that peanuts provide, they can also be dangerous as they can cause allergies to some people.
"Peanuts are among the eight food types considered to be major food allergens in the U.S., requiring identification on food labels". - whfoods.com
(Sources of Information: 1, 2, 3)
We, in our family are fond of peanuts. Fortunately, none of us are allergic to peanuts. That's why when my cousin brought home some raw ones, peanuts did not last a day. Hence, everything was consumed.