Groundnuts are a type of nuts but ironically, they belong to the legume family and are related to beans, lentils. They are also known as earth nuts, peanuts.
In Nigeria, they are eaten raw, boiled or roasted. Some other products that can be gotten from them include groundnut oil, flour and protein.
They are rich in protein, fat, vitamins and minerals, but they are low in carbs. The fats in groundnuts are mostly mono and poly-unsaturated fats. They also contain anti-oxidants, which even rivals the level of anti-oxidants in some fruits like apples and beets.
Like a lot of nuts, they can help prevent heart disease and as they are very filling, they can help with weight loss too, but they must be eaten with caution since they have a high calorie content.
They can help prevent gallstones from forming, since gallstones are mostly made from cholesterol, the cholesterol reducing effect of groundnuts has been linked with this.
In preliminary studies, it has been linked with the prevention of stroke in animals. This is due to its containing Resveratrol, which is a flavonoid.
They contain phytic acid, which can inhibit the absorption of iron and zinc. Also many people have allergy to them and such people should avoid it and its products.
They are readily available in the country, for weight watchers using groundnuts as their snacking option, remember, a little goes a long way. 100g of groundnuts contain over 500 calories. If trying to lose weight, stick to only a handful when snacking and but handful, about 16 pieces of the nuts will do.lol. You are welcome.
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