Are Peanuts good for weight loss?

Peanuts are available in many varieties like salted, boiled, roasted, raw, plain and flavoured. They are known for the good fat and protein content, so how can they help us lose weight? This article talks about the ways in which peanuts can help us achieve our weight loss goal.

• Eating peanuts help to keep you full as they are rich in healthy fats, fibre and proteins. They are digested slowly, which leads to stable blood sugar levels and increases fullness. The insoluble dietary fibre is associated with reduced risk of weight gain.
• Peanuts have a low carbohydrate content, very low GI (glycemic index) and an excellent source of many vitamins and minerals like – niacin, folate, biotin, thiamine, phosphorus, magnesium, copper, manganese and vitamin E.
• Healthy fats help to reduce inflammation, obesity, diabetes and other chronic conditions. They help to improve our body’s ability to use the stored fat for energy production.
• Adding peanuts to your diet helps prevent overeating. We tend to absorb a few calories from peanuts as we cannot break them into small pieces for full digestion. So after partial absorption of calories, the rest of the fat is excreted as waste. Although mindful eating is very important when it comes to adding calorie-dense foods like peanuts to your diet as they can easily lead to a calorie surplus and hinder weight loss.
• Eat unprocessed, unflavoured peanuts without any salt, sugar or any other ingredient. Choose from raw, boiled or roasted peanuts.

In conclusion, peanuts are a great snack option that can be added to your weight loss diet. They are full of good healthy fats, protein and fibre. Peanuts help to provide great satiety and fullness. But because they are very calorie-dense, one should be mindful of their portion size.