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r Peanuts
Nutritional Profile
Energy value (calories per serving): Moderate to high
Protein: High
Fat: High
Saturated fat: High
Cholesterol: None
Carbohydrates: Low
Fiber: High
Sodium: Low
Major vitamin contribution: Vitamin E, folate
Major mineral contribution: Iron, potassiumAbout the Nutrients in This Food
Peanuts are not nuts. They are legumes (beans and peas), unusual in that
they store their energy as fat rather than starch.
Peanuts are high in dietary fiber, including insoluble cellulose and
lignin in their papery “skin” and soluble gums and pectins in the nuts.
They are high in fat, primarily (86 percent) unsaturated fatty acids. Their
proteins are plentiful but limited in the essential amino acids tryptophan,
methionine, and cystine. Peanuts are an excellent source of vitamin E
(from polyunsaturated fatty acids).
Peanuts are an excellent source of vitamin E. Raw peanuts, with the
skin on, are a good source of thiamin (vitamin B 1 ), but much of the thia-
min, as well as vitamin B 6 , is lost when peanuts are roasted. All peanuts
are a good source of riboflavin (vitamin B 2 ) and folate. They are high in
potassium. Ounce for ounce, they have nearly three times as much potas-
sium as fresh oranges. They are also a good source of nonheme iron, the
iron in plant foods, and zinc.
One ounce dry-roasted unsalted peanuts has 2.3 g dietary fiber, 14.1 g
total fat (2g saturated fat, 7 g monounsaturated fat, 4.4 polyunsaturated fat),
6.7 g protein, 41 mcg folate (10 percent of the RDA), 0.6 mg iron (3 percent
of the RDA for a woman, 8 percent of the RDA for a man), and 0.9 mg zinc
(11 percent of the RDA for a woman, 8 percent of the RDA for a man).* Values are for dry-roasted, unsalted peanuts.