Introduction: Compared to peanuts with light-colored skins, peanuts with dark-colored skins have a higher protein content and a lower fat content. Moreover, among peanut kernels, smaller peanuts contain more protein than larger ones.
1. Selecting Peanuts
It is better to eat dark-colored, small peanuts. Varieties with darker colors are usually rich in antioxidant polyphenols, and their protein and trace element content will also be higher than lighter-colored varieties. For example, the nutritional content of black sesame seeds surpasses that of white sesame seeds, and black rice is superior to white rice.
Therefore, compared to peanuts with light-colored skins, peanuts with dark-colored skins have a higher protein content and a lower fat content. Moreover, among peanut kernels, smaller peanuts contain more protein than larger ones. Thus, we might as well change our inherent preference for white and large things, and favor those dark, small varieties more.
2. Boiling is Better for Filtering Carcinogens
Now is the peak season for peanuts. There are many ways to eat peanuts. The common methods are "raw, fried, stir-fried, and boiled." From a nutritional perspective, frying is not advisable. Eating them raw is also not advisable, because during the growth process, peanuts can be infected with aflatoxin, which is recognized as the strongest carcinogen. It will accumulate in the liver and induce liver cancer. Because aflatoxin is water-soluble, if you boil peanuts, you can mostly filter it out. This way, eating boiled peanuts is relatively safe, easy to digest, and results in the least loss of nutrients. Stir-frying cannot destroy aflatoxin, so boiling is the best method.
3. Be Cautious When Eating the "Red Skin of Peanuts"
When eating peanuts, there is another issue concerning the "red skin of peanuts." It is generally believed that the components in the "red skin of peanuts" are very beneficial to the human body. That's correct, and it's fine for most people.
Specific information: "The red skin is rich in glycerides and sterol esters, and has functions such as inhibiting the dissolution of fibrin, promoting the bone marrow to produce platelets to shorten bleeding time, improving the quality of platelets, strengthening the absorption of capillaries, and regulating defects in coagulation factors." In other words, the "red skin of peanuts" has the effect of nourishing the blood and promoting blood clotting, which is very beneficial for anemic people and wound healing.
On the other hand, for people with high blood viscosity, it is not beneficial and may instead increase the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.
Therefore, people with high blood viscosity should not eat the "red skin of peanuts." When eating boiled peanuts, it is best to peel off the skin. If anemic patients also have high blood viscosity, it is best to adopt other blood-nourishing measures, such as eating blood tofu. The elderly should also avoid eating the "red skin of peanuts" to prevent increased blood viscosity. Note: Blood viscosity can be detected through blood donation, physical exams, or hospital tests.